NEWS

Will PLP 2012 work for supes/managers?

The Governor seems to have officially dropped his 4/38 workweek proposal in favor of more flexible options.

A side letter agreement with SEIU Local 1000 - being dubbed PLP 2012 - upon ratification would reduce the salary of Local 1000 workers by 4.62% for 12 months in return for 8 hours time off per month taken at the employee's discretion. The 3% raise for employees at the top step scheduled for July 1, 2013 would remain in effect. In addition, this plan would eliminate non-mission critical retired annuitants.

In our polling, ACSS found that nearly 60% of respondents preferred a new PLP or 1-day furlough rather than the 4/38 workweek.

What do you think about PLP 2012? Will this plan work for state supervisors and managers? Will it work for your office? Will it be more efficient than the 4/38? Will it have a negative impact on morale compared to the 4/38? Is there a better option?

Now is your chance to weigh in.

Take the poll on the lefthand side of our website and tell Gov. Brown your overall opinion about his flexible new arrangement re: budget cuts and your livelihood.

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

Budget deal reached; 5% cut plan still uncertain

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Gov. Brown and Democratic legislators have reached a tentative agreement on the state's budget.

At a press conference regarding the release of their modified $92.1 billion spending plan earlier in the month, Assembly Speaker John A. Perez said that the Democrats' budget was "not just on the same page" as the Governor's budget, but "in the same paragraph."

An official statement regarding the budget compromise stated that a final vote on the budget is expected in the coming days.

Though it is still uncertain how the Brown administration will obtain its proposed 5% cuts from state employee compensation, negotiations with employee organizations are trending toward reinstuting the Personal Leave Program (PLP).

In our poll re: alternatives to Gov. Brown's proposed 4/38 workweek, nearly 35% of you preferred the PLP to the 4-day, 9.5 hour workweek, which would have drastic impacts on child and elder care, the level of services received by the public, and would have unfairly targeted excluded employees.

Dangers of slashing pensions

Reuters columnist Mark Miller's recent piece, "Five things to consider before cutting pension benefits" is a clear look at the dangers of slashing public pensions.

In the article, Miller touches on several points that ACSS has presented to the Brown administration - namely that 401(k)s are a risky option for pensions. Gov. Brown's pension plan will likely rely on a "hybrid" scheme, forcing state employees to trust half of their retirement livelihood to a predatory, volatile market.

Read the piece and pass it along to as many family, friends, and coworkers as you can.

Want more corporate money in politics?

As you may already know, the so-called "Stop Special Interest Money Now" measure that will go before voters on November's General Election ballot will silence state employees' voices if it passes.

The measure will - in no uncertain terms - allow corporations to funnel billions of dollars into the Capitol and dominate politics at a statewide level.

At the same time, it will prevent you from making your voice heard.

State supervisors, managers, and confidential employees rely on state lawmakers to set their salaries and benefits. Are you willing to give up your voice and let corporations do all the talking in the Capitol?

Help ACSS stop the lies and double talk surrounding this measure before it's too late. Watch the video below and pass it along to friends, family members, coworkers, and anyone who will be voting this November!

ACSS Board Member reappointed to Nursing/Psych Tech Board

ACSS Board Member Todd D'Braunstein, 44, of Upland, has been appointed to the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, where he has served since 2010.

D'Braunstein has worked in multiple positions at Patton State Hospital since 2009, including program assistant and unit supervisor. D'Braunstein also held various positions - including unit supervisor, psychiatric technician instructor and senior psychiatric technician - at Patton from 1997 to 2005. He was a crisis team member at Tri-City Mental Health Center from 1995 to 1996 and a psychiatric technician at Lanterman Developmental Center from 1993 to 1995.

This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. D'Braunstein is a Republican and has been an ACSS member since 2005.

Budget sent to Gov. without specifics

In a race to meet a deadline to avoid having their pay docked, legislators sent Governor Jerry Brown a $92 billion budget and six trailer bills on Friday, June 15th.

There are a number of outstanding trailer bills that the Legislature intends to vote on next week. Many of the outstanding bills are related to issues that are still under negotiation, such as the Governor's realignment plan.

Last year, State Controller John Chiang attempted to dock legislators' pay, stating that outstanding trailer bills violated the deadline established by Proposition 25.

A Sacramento Superior Court decision overturned the Controller's attempt to reduced legislators' pay, however, so it is likely the Legislature will not face similar pay cuts this year.

Your ACSS is still calling on legislators to avoid balancing the budget on excluded employees' back with cuts that unfairly target state supervisors, managers, and confidential employees.

ACTION ALERT: Hold Senator Steinberg accountable

In announcing Democratic legislators' budget proposal today, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said that he has an "obligation to be a voice for the voiceless" and that the cuts included in the proposal are "made from necessity, not to make a point."

In the same breath, he pushed state employee pension reform as a priority for California.

Your ACSS maintains that slashing and burning your modest, hard-earned benefits is not a necessity. While eliminating rare abuses like spiking are necessary, we feel that major components of current pension attacks - such as risking a portion of your retirement savings in a sketchy, unreliable 401(k) plan - are not necessary. These are absolutely cuts made to make a point, contrary to the Pro Tem's statement.

In order to speak out against cuts that unfairly target excluded employees, we need you to send a message to Senator Steinberg. It will take just a moment of your time.

Click the article title above to see how you can spend 5 minutes of your day to help protect your career.

Supervisors/Managers will have say in budget cut plans

Your hard work is paying off.

ACSS President Arlene Espinoza met with Acting DPA Director Julie Chapman on June 8th to discuss the 4/38 workweek and the multitude of problems with a "one size fits all" plan that ignores the input of the state's most skilled and dedicated employees.

In order to comply with the Governor's June 15th deadline for a savings plan submission, President Espinoza presented the various alternatives that you have proposed to the 4/38 workweek, as well as the fact that our polls show that to date 65% of you outright oppose the 4/38 plan.

Acting Director Chapman acknowledged that because administration and implementation of any plan to reduce costs will fall squarely on state supervisors and managers, their involvement in the planning stage is instrumental in developing a plan that works. DPA is analyzing the feasibility of your suggested alternatives to the 4/38 workweek, in addition to the wide range of concerns you have expressed with the 4/38 system.

Furthermore, the Director has stated that once a plan to achieve the 5% savings is selected and reviewed by the appropriate entities (such as the Legislative Analyst's Office), your ACSS will be approached to help guide the implementation process. In Acting Director Chapman's words, "Once we know what the plan's going to be, then we'll approach ACSS and the departments to figure out how it's going to work."

President Espinoza closed the meeting by stating, "The employees that have been on the ground for 10, 15, 20 years know where you can and can't cut without negating the savings the budget needs."

ACSS internal elections results for 2012

Here are the internal ACSS elections results for 2012, broken down by chapter.

ACSS Vice President Elnora Fretwell oversaw the independent ballot counting process and reviewed the tallies to ensure accuracy. Ties were resolved in accordance with the ACSS policy file. Vice President Fretwell signed each chapter's results page to confirm the accuracy of the counts.

All candidates were notified of the election results in late May. The protest period for elections ends on June 11th.

ACSS endorsed candidates headed to General Election

The California Primary has wrapped up, and 90% of the candidates endorsed by ACSS will continue on to the November General Election.

Your ACSS Political Action Committee (PAC) identified 60+ candidates that are most likely to meet the needs of state supervisors, managers, and confidential employees when they take office.

Curious about another race? See the full list of statewide election results, courtesy of the Sacramento Bee: www.sacbee.com/electionresults