NEWS

Brown vows more pension attacks on horizon

Gov. Brown signed into law today a series of sweeping changes that he claimed are "the biggest rollback to public pension benefits in the history of California pensions."

The new legislation aims to stop rare abuses of the pension system, but also hikes the retirement age and employees' contribution amounts.

Prior to signing AB 340, Brown stated that he would renew his attack on the retirement security of more than 200,000 California state employees, stating that the current bill isn't enough and that he "didn't say this was the end".

As always, your ACSS is committed to fighting attacks on your livelihood and career.

CalPERS offers a breakdown of the impact of AB340

Will pension attacks affect your vote on Prop 30?

According to Gov. Brown, his proposed tax increases - to appear on your ballot as Prop. 30 - will prevent some $6 billion in cuts to our public school system.

Your ACSS wants to know what you think about Prop. 30 now that Gov. Brown has cut your pay by 5% and is likely to sign legislation attacking your pension.

Are you more likely to support Prop. 30? Less likely? Do you even have a choice?

Take the poll on our home page now and make sure your voice is heard.

NOTE: You must have Flash player installed to view and vote in the poll.

Proposed contribution rate hikes

As Gov. Brown prepares to sign into law a historic attack on public employee pensions, CalPERS has released a list of proposed changes to employee contribution rates.

The largest scheduled increases will bring certain employees' contributions to 13% within two years.

AB 340, the bill that Gov. Brown is expected to sign before the end of this month, eliminates rare abuses of the pension system, but also places strict caps on your hard earned benefits and increases the retirement age.

For more information, see CalPERS' breakdown of the bill's effects.

ACSS member Okumura re-elected

ACSS member David Okumura was re-elected CSEA Secretary/Treasurer at the organization's 66th General Council this weekend in Los Angeles.

In his speech prior to the election, Okumura pledged to increase fiscal responsibility and increase ACSS autonomy from CSEA.

Okumura was originally elected to the position at the 64th General Council in San Jose.

Has Gov. Brown broken the camel's back?

After announcing a series of aggressive cuts to state employee pensions, many are wondering if Gov. Brown's continued assault on our modest benefits will really help fix California's economic woes.

Perhaps a more important question is: Are the long-term risks of yet another attack on long-suffering state employees' modest and hard-earned benefits worth the (questionable) short-term gain?

Read more about Gov. Brown's attack on your modest pension after the jump.

Will Steinberg halt legislative raises?

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has said that he will halt a controversial program that allowed him to approve raises for legislative employees while cutting your pay by 5%.

After ACSS members called on Steinberg to overturn the raises - more than 10% of which went to employees making $100,000 or more per year - he responded with an email that claims one of his main priorities is to "take merit raises off the table for upper chamber employees."

Considering Steinberg had to approve the raises in the first place, we're wondering whose table he is referring to...

In addition, Steinberg noted that he is "currently proposing a one-year salary freeze for staff."

So while it appears that Sen. Steinberg will answer to public pressure regarding the raises and stop funneling cash to legislative employees, he appears unprepared to address the lack of similar merit programs for state supervisors and managers, many of whom have not had a raise in over a decade.

What do you think? Will Steinberg keep his word and stop rewarding legislative employees under the table? Respond in the comments section.

CalHR acknowledges excluded pay problem

At a meeting of the Excluded Employee Council, CalHR staff recognized that salary compaction and pay inequity are among the top problems plaguing state supervisors and managers.

Excluded Employee Labor Relations Officer Stephen Booth said that CalHR is "painfully aware that there are compaction issues" with the state's most skilled and dedicated employees.

Though public perception may differ, Booth confirmed that "not a week goes by" without CalHR receiving complaints from supervisors and managers who make less than those they supervise.

"Not one of us thinks supervisors should make less than the employees they oversee," said Booth.

CalHR Director Julie Chapman said that the last official survey of excluded employee salaries was likely four to five years ago.

Your ACSS is working with CalHR to arrive at a sustainable, long-term solution to the problem of salary compaction and inversion.

Prop 32 will flood the Capitol with corporate $$$

What's your stance on Proposition 32?

There is one simple reason that your ACSS is urging you to VOTE NO ON 32: It's a sham.

The conservative groups backing Prop 32 want voters to believe that a yes vote will stop the flow of "special interest" money in politics.

In fact, Prop 32 will give big corporations and the hyper-wealthy free reign to funnel as much money as they like into state politics while it silences your voice in the Capitol.

Want to know more? Read this excellent article by San Francisco State Univerty Professor John Logan, "California's Prop. 32 would be Citizens United on steroids".

In the article, Logan states:

"Proposition 32 claims to be an even-handed effort at campaign finance reform - but nothing could be further from the truth. Prop. 32 would cripple the ability of unions to participate in politics, but have little or no impact on unlimited spending by corporate executives and other wealthy individuals."

Don't wait until it's too late! Start talking with friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers now.

Need training? CalHR steps up online courses

Have you checked out CalHR's new Training page yet?

The "Managers and Supervisors" section includes a wide variety of online trainings and webinars to help you manage your workforce, build technology skills, and more.

Statewide Learning and Performance Officer Jodi Traversaro assured ACSS that content is being developed and added regularly in CalHR's ongoing commitment to meeting excluded employee needs.

Find upcoming training opportunities on the CalHR Training Calendar.

Meet Sacramento-area Chapter President Amber Siepmann

Over the next year, ACSS will be sitting down with the presidents of our 11 statewide chapters for some informal interviews. Look for new interviews to be added monthly.

Amber Siepmann is the president of Chapter 503, ACSS' largest chapter with over two thousand members throughout the greater Sacramento area. ACSS Membership Coordinator Diane Wolff sat down with Amber to talk about her vision for the chapter and moving to the public sector from the private.

Read all about Amber after the jump.