NEWS

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.

Make Steinberg keep his word

Senate President Pro Tem Steinberg recently went on record saying that drastically slashing public pensions - by raising the retirement age, throwing part of earned retirement savings into risky 401(k) investment, and more - is an absolute priority, regardless of how difficult it will be on public employees:

"Will it cause some discomfort and unhappiness? Yes. Do you sometimes disagree with your allies and friends to do what you think is the right thing? Yes."

We couldn't agree with Sen. Steinberg's sentiment more: Doing the right thing sometimes causes discomfort and unhappiness.

That is why ACSS is calling on Sen. Steinberg to stop underhanded dealing to his allies and friends in the Legislature and start the difficult cuts he touts publicly by rescinding the raises he approved for employees in the Legislature after slashing your salary by 5%.

60% of respondents to our poll on the legislative raises - up to 10% for employees making in excess of $100,000 annually - demanded that the raises should be taken away.

If Sen. Steinberg truly believes in doing the right thing, no matter how difficult, he must reverse these raises now, before he continues trying to drum up support for Gov. Brown's tax hikes.

How do you feel about Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's continued attack on public employees' modest benefits while he snuck raises to his own employees under the radar?

Take a moment to let him know via email or calls to his office:

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg
(916) 651-4006 or senator.steinberg@senate.ca.gov

Steinberg - Pension reform goes "beyond" Brown's plan

A newsletter released to Senator Darrell Steinberg's constituents claims that his pension slashing plan goes "above and [Gov. Brown's] proposal to include more than a dozen additional reforms."

According to the newsletter, that plan will include (among other things) a "hybrid system"; tossing a portion of employees' modest retirement benefits into a risky 401(k).

Many are speculating that Sen. Steinberg and Governor Brown are attempting to curry favor with the public for the tax raises that will appear on the November ballot by showing that they are taking a strong stand for pension reform.

Does Sen. Steinberg's politically motivated and personal attack on your hard-earned, modest benefits make you less inclined or more inclined to support the Governor's tax increases that will appear on the General Election ballot this November?

Weigh in on this hot button issue in the comments section.

The full text of the newsletter appears after the jump.

Comment on ACSS poll results in Sac Bee

Head over to the Sacramento Bee and take a look at this article covering our poll on the inappropriate legislative raises (make sure you take our poll at the left, too, if you haven't already).

The comments section below the article is heating up with misinformed attacks on supervisors and managers, and we need you to fight back the tide of ill informed public opinion.

Please stay civil and professional, even if others do not.

CalPERS fairs offering free savings advice

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is hosting retirement planning fairs this summer to help their members plan for a more financially secure future.

The fairs begin in Sacramento on August 10 and 11, continue in Anaheim on August 17 and 18, and conclude in Santa Clara on August 30.

Find info on the fairs and how to register after the jump.

ACSS calls on legislators to set fair wages

As the Legislature prepares to return after the summer recess, your ACSS is calling on all legislators to support Senate Bill 1113.

For too long, state supervisors and managers have seen the state's budget balanced on our backs.

Traumatizing pay cuts and furloughs, coupled with near constant attacks on our modest, hard-earned benefits, have backed the state's most skilled and dedicated employees into a corner.

Equally as disturbing as these short-term threats to our livelihood is an issue that receives far less attention, however - the state's long standing lack of fiscal review of compensation for employees excluded from collective bargaining. As you know, in far too many cases, the employees we supervise earn a higher wage than us.

SB 1113, introduced by Sen. Noreen Evans, seeks to remedy this so-called salary compaction and provide supervisors and managers with raises commensurate with their highly skilled and demanding positions. Your ACSS believes it is imperative that Sen. Evans' colleagues vote unanimously to enact this modest legislation immediately following the summer recess in order to avoid a looming critical reduction in public services.

ACSS commends Sen. Evans for her continued support of the state's supervisors, managers, and confidential employees.

See the full text of SB 1113 here.

10th Delegate Assembly wraps up

ACSS Chapter Officers being sworn in at Delegate Assembly 2012.

The 10th ACSS Delegate Assembly took place July 20-22.

Delegates representing thousands of ACSS members from every corner of the state convened to adjust the ACSS bylaws to better serve you and to elect a new compliment of directors and officers to serve the organization for the next three years.

Take a moment to read President Espinoza's report on the activities or get to know your new 2013-2015 Board of Directors, composed of state supervisors and managers from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Deptarment of Corrections, State Compensation Fund, Department of Finance, and more.

Poll: What do you think about the legislative raises?

Just one month after they stated that the severe cuts they proposed in their budget - including a universal 5% cut to your modest pay - were "made from necessity, not to make a point," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez have approved up to 10% raises for nearly 100 legislative employees making in excess of $100,000 a year.

Your ACSS wants to know your opinion on this matter.

Do you think the raises are just? Do you think the cuts to your livelihood are still justified? Do you think the legislature needs to enact a similar incentive program for state supervisors and managers?

Take the poll on the lefthand side of our website and tell us your opinion about these controversial raises.

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

ACSS Exec. Director criticizes leg. raises

ACSS Executive Director Rocco R. Paternoster recently spoke with the L.A. Times regarding the raises granted to nearly 100 legislative employees already making in excess of $100,000 per year.

"It's really a slap in the face not only [to] the employees but also the public," said Paternoster.

The raises - up to 10% for some employees, according to the Times - were approved by both Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez just one month after they announced a budget rife with cuts that they insisted were "made from necessity, not to make a point."

The news of a privileged few receiving raises as thousands of state supervisors and managers struggle to make ends meet in light of a nearly 5% pay cut levied against them this month is dismaying, confirmed Paternoster.

"Supervisors and managers who have met or exceeded job performance expectations haven't had a raise to look forward to in years - just cuts."

As always, your ACSS is committed to fighting unjust attacks on your modest compensation.

Read the entire L.A. Times article here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-legislature-raises-20120720,0,7113664.story