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Continuing labor troubles at a non-profit Berkeley program that provides housing, health care, education and legal aid for the homeless reached a new level of intensity this week after the agency notified staff that their paychecks would be delayed up to five days because of cash flow problems. 

According to Lisa Stephens, union shop steward at Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), members of California Professional Employees Local 2345 received letters Tuesday announcing the pay delay—the second such delay in recent months, she said. 

Christopher Graeber, union business representative for BOSS workers, said that as a result, the union will file a formal complaint with the California Division of Labor Standards. 

In July Stephens’ union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, charging that BOSS breached their contact by unilaterally imposing a wage freeze and increasing worker copayments under their health care plan. 

Approximately 100 workers are covered under the contract, according to Graeber.