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Step-by-step guide to the Grievance Process
A guide to help you through the Probationary Period
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A list of Senators, Assemblymembers, and Government Officials that ACSS Endorses
Support Candidates that protect the best interest of Excluded Employees
Periodic updates on Legislative Bills that ACSS monitors
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The Triennial event for ACSS Elections and Policy Changes
The Solorio for Senate campaign hosted Super Saturday; their big fall campaign kick off. This spirited event brought out people from the community to support Jose’s election to the State Senate. Legislators from across the state came to support Jose including Senator Kevin De Leon, and Senator Ricardo Lara.
Local ACSS chapter 513 members including chapter president Arlene Ryan, chapter officer Elena Yuasa, and statewide vice president for governmental affairs Frank Ruffino were there helping the campaign.
If you are interested in helping out with this very important Senate race please visit the Solorio for Senate office at 1325 W. Warner Ave., or you can find our phone banking and precinct walking schedule on www.SolorioForSenate.com.
ACSS is pleased to report that SB 216 (Compaction - Public employment: salary ranges) was taken up by the Senate and passed with clear bi-partisan support on a 35-0 vote today, the 29th of August, 2014. The Senate approved the amendments to the bill made by the Appropriations Committee a few weeks ago. Last week the Assembly also unanimously voted in favor of the bill. SB 216 now heads to the desk of the Governor, where we eagerly await to hear the fate of this much-anticipated bill to end the issue of salary compaction.
For years, ACSS has been a staunch supporter of Governor Brown and his programs. We now urge the Governor to stand behind the managers, supervisors, and members of ACSS that are so valuable to the State of California, and sign SB 216. Governor Brown has until September 30, 2014 to take action on the bill. ACSS is committed to finally resolving the issue of salary compaction faced by its members. As always, we will update you as these efforts continue.
Photo Credit: Lou Delgado From left to right: Frank Ruffino, ACSS VP of Governmental Affairs; Connie Boardman, Huntington Beach City Councilwoman; Senate Candidate Jose Solorio; and Sen. and Mrs. Jim Beall, author of ACSS-sponsored bill SB 216
ACSS meets with senate hopeful Jose Solorio and State Sen. Jim Beall about compaction and ACSS role in state government. Jose is an individual with the experience needed to create positive solutions for California.
On July 15th 2014, ACSS met with CalHR as a follow-up discussion in regards to the pending pay letter for excluded employees, including ACSS members, associated with bargaining units 9 and 10. No other units were discussed in this particular meeting. On August 20th 2014, CalHR released an additional official pay letter for S09, M09, S10 and M10 detailing the salary adjustments for excluded employee classifications associated with these units.
To summarize, some supervisors in a split classification are now provided parity in salary with the rank and file. In our July meeting, CalHR did not compare these salaries with those of the employees they supervise. They only identified salary adjustments for parity with either the benchmark class or rank and file class for split class, for now.
It was also confirmed that any salary adjustments above 5% would be incrementally PERSable over the course of 3 years, and not immediately. Only the initial 5% would be PERSable immediately. The best outcome would have been an immediately PERSable full amount of the salary adjustment. ACSS does, however, have confirmation that the PERSable salary will indeed occur, according to the latest legislative decision. ( See SB-102, Section 4 for an elaboration on “incrementally PERSable”. )
Even though Pay Letter 14-17 is being released later than expected, CalHR assured ACSS that if a state worker’s class is awarded an additional pay raise, it will, in fact, be retroactive and back-paid to the July 1, 2014 effective date. ACSS continues to work diligently with CalHR to discuss salary adjustments for other excluded employees facing similar salary compaction.
ACSS Executive Director Rocco R. Paternoster provides an update on SB216 (Compaction - Public employment: salary ranges). After 2 years of discussion with the legislature and several recent meetings with Governor Brown's Administration, ACSS-sponsored bill SB216 has moved out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and to the Assembly Floor for a vote. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Assembly passed SB216 today on a 66-0 vote.
Saying it would be a "waste of public resources" to put it on the ballot, the Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kent Kellegrew on August 4, 2014 ordered the removal of a ballot measure that would have replaced the County's defined benefits pension plan with a 401(k) and set a cap on retirement benefits.
This is a victory for the Citizens for Retirement Security ("CRS"), a coalition of nine unions within Ventura County that filed suit against the County. CRS argued that the county can't unilaterally repeal its participation in the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937. Only the legislature has the power to authorize a pension phase-out plan.
The measure was also eliminated because it violated the single subject requirement imposed by the California Constitution. The subject initiative sought to 1) eliminate defined benefit retirement programs and 2) impose a five year salary cap. Ventura County employees can take in a sigh of relief knowing that their pensions are still in place, for now.
However, the Judge provided the parties time to appeal prior to the election by staying his decision until August 14th. An appellate ruling would likely issue before the final deadline for printing the November ballots later this month. We will keep you updated as the appellate process unfolds.
In April 2014, Charlotte Hoar joined the ACSS team as our new Northern California Organizer. She has been an integral part of ACSS by reaching out to ACSS members and potential members in person in her "Lunch and Learn" series of worksite visits. At least once per week, she visits various state agencies and invites managers, supervisors and excluded employees to join her for a free lunch and casual discussion.
For potential members, she presents the vast benefits of joining ACSS. For current members, she informs them with news and updates on ACSS' efforts to protect and represent the rights of supervisors, managers, and excluded State employees. Participants of these worksite meetings enjoy her vibrant presence and appreciate her availability to genuinely interact with current and potential members, while listening to their concerns and answering their questions about ACSS.
Where will Charlotte be next? Check our ACSS website blog and calendar for her upcoming worksite meetings. Do you want Charlotte to speak at your worksite? Contact her with any questions at choar@acss.org.
Charlotte Hoar (ACSS Organizer) will be visiting the CalPERS 1160 of Lincoln Plaza North at 400 Q St in Sacramento) on Thursday August 21st. She will have two presentation sessions: 11:30am and 12:30pm. At each session you will learn more about ACSS, your rights as an excluded employee and hear about the issues ACSS is working on that matter to you. Lunch will be provided for current and potential ACSS members who RSVP by Wednesday August 20th.
RSVP NOW!
Charlotte Hoar (ACSS Organizer) will be visiting SCIF in the California Room at 2275 Gateway Oaks in Sacramento on Tuesday August 19st. She will have two presentation sessions: 11:30am and 12:30pm. At each session you will learn more about ACSS, your rights as an excluded employee and hear about the issues ACSS is working on that matter to you. Lunch will be provided for current and potential ACSS members who RSVP by Monday August 18th.
(Photo: DGS Director Fred Klass swears-in Tanya Little as business development program manager.)
Governor Brown has appointed Tanya Little as business development program manager at the Department of General Services, where she has been assistant chief and program manager at the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services since 2011.
Little will be responsible for enhancing collaboration, partnership, and commerce with the state's small businesses, disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBE), and emerging and underrepresented business groups, in addition to state, federal, local, and private organizations to broaden the number of certified businesses to contract for the provision of goods and services to the state.
She has been an ACSS member since 2008.
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