On October 8, 2019, ACSS met with CalHR Director Eraina Ortega to continue discussions regarding the Newsom Administration’s approach to salary and benefits improvement for the State’s excluded employees. Director Ortega and her Labor Relations staff, led by Deputy Director and Chief of Labor Relations Paul Starkey, met with ACSS President Todd D’Braunstein, ACSS Executive Director Rocco Paternoster and key staff, along with ACSS Legislative Advocate Ted Toppin.
President D’Braunstein thanked CalHR for recently implementing Family Care Leave and new Emergency Pay rules for excluded employees – two long standing ACSS priorities. He also thanked Director Ortega for the new process allowing ACSS to submit excluded employee salary and benefit proposals related to bargaining units at the same time CalHR is negotiating with those bargaining units.
In our continued efforts to aggressively advocate for solutions to solve compaction, ACSS noted progress made in addressing salary compaction, but many excluded employee classifications remain within 5 percent of subordinate classes. Director Ortega confirmed salary setting for excluded employees will be more flexible in the future and CalHR will not be as constrained by a practice of limiting salary differentials to 5 percent.
ACSS reiterated previously submitted proposals for pay and benefit equity with rank-and-file units and proposals to correct salary inequities. ACSS discussed the need to restore vertical salary relationships between classifications and explore other incentives to promote to excluded classifications.
Chief of Labor Relations Paul Starkey noted CalHR was in the process of realigning labor relations staff to more effectively respond to and address excluded employee issues raised by ACSS and affecting our members. Director Ortega and Mr. Starkey confirmed a commitment to working with ACSS now to review many of the long-standing compensation issues ACSS has identified. We anticipate scheduling interim meetings to discuss specific proposals with CalHR Labor Relations. CalHR has promised feedback and is evaluating improvements to the process for sharing salary and benefit related decisions with ACSS.
President D’Braunstein thanked Director Ortega and her staff for making excluded employee issues a priority and for committing to review and respond to issues and proposals made by ACSS. As always, ACSS will continue to keep members informed of issues that affect excluded employees as they arise.