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Feb 8, 2012

Don’t be fooled... your voice matters!

As we draw closer to election season, dozens of initiatives are being screened by the Secretary of State's office for inclusion on the primary and general ballots.

During its signature gathering phase, we previously reported on initiative 1487. (11-0010), which has since been cleared to appear on the 2012 general election ballot.

This "Political Censorship" ballot measure would severely limit the ability of supervisors and managers to work together to protect their pensions, fix salary compaction issues, and generally keep their careers protected. The sponsors of the ballot measure have cleverly made it appear that they want to limit the political influence of big corporations; however, if the measure is passed our voice will be silenced while corporations continue to spend billions lobbying for their own agendas.

Get the facts, spread the word, and get involved!

See the up-to-date list of qualified ballot measures from the Secretary of State: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures.htm

Want to fight to protect your career and benefits? Join ACSS at Lobby Day 2012: http://www.acss.org/lobbyday

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Feb 6, 2012

Are you registered?

The deadline to register for Lobby Day is drawing near.

Lobby Day is our chance to gather hundreds of supervisors and managers in the Capitol and show California how important we truly are.

Register now! Remember, you need to attend the training on March 13th (the night before), so plan accordingly and let us know if you need a hotel room for the 13th.

NOTE: Travel, lodging, and meal expenses for members attending Lobby Day are covered by ACSS.

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Feb 3, 2012

ACSS establishes California Supervisors and Managers Advisory Council

Your ACSS is pleased to announce the official formation of the California Supervisors and Managers Advisory Council, a group dedicated to improving the careers of excluded employees statewide.

ACSS President Arlene Espinoza worked in conjunction with Assemblymember Joan Buchanan and DPA Director Ron Yank to establish the Council as a forum for ACSS and other excluded employee organizations to work together with DPA to develop and implement solutions to excluded employees issues.

The Council will meet quarterly to address the problems that supervisors and managers face on a daily basis: pay inequity, pension attacks, and generally implementing and running the State's public programs in light of budget cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs.

Read more about the first meeting of the Council after the jump.

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Feb 1, 2012

The furlough fight - not quite finished

As you may have seen today, SEIU Local 1000 reached an agreement with the Brown Administration to settle lingering lawsuits challenging the furloughs imposed by former Governor Schwarzenegger on non-general fund agencies in 2009 and 2010.

The settlement affects only SEIU members in agencies that receive no appropriations from the state’s General Fund, specifically:

  • First 5 California
  • Prison Industry Authority
  • California Earthquake Authority
  • California Housing Finance Agency
  • California State Lottery

The affected employees will receive back pay, with interest, for the days they were forced to take off without pay.

Now that precedent has been established, your ACSS will be petitioning DPA to provide a similar adjustment for the eligible excluded employees in the non-general fund agencies.

UPDATE:Though the Sacramento Bee initially reported that the impacted employees would receive back pay with interest, the Bee has since corrected their story, indicating that the agreement will not include interest.

UPDATE #2: The Sacramento Bee also stated that the Office of Administrative Hearings was one of the affected agencies. This is incorrect. The fifth impacted agency is California State Lottery.

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Jan 31, 2012

ACSS @ EDD Hollywood Feb. 9

Your ACSS Labor Relations Team is stopping by for a
WORKSITE VISIT

Thursday, Feb. 9th
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
EDD
7116 Melrose Avenue, Room B
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Swing by your ACSS table during lunch time.

Labor Relations Representative Rocio Garcia-Reyes will be addressing current anti-state worker initiatives, pensions attacks, and much more.

Stop by to chat or ask any questions you may have about your career as a state supervisor, manager, or confidential employee.

Have a question now or just want to let us know you'll be stopping by?

Email us and let us know.

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Jan 27, 2012

UPDATE! CNN "financial makeover" eligibility expanded

CNN's Money Magazine is looking to feature an ACSS member who meets certain criteria in a "financial makeover" story in which they will work with a financial planner to overcome economic difficulties that have resulted from state budget cuts.

UPDATED CRITERIA! Members must meet the following criteria:

* Annual household income of at least $80k
* Currently employed as a state worker
* Between 40-69 years old
* Your financial plans have been negatively impacted by furloughs, pay cuts, the possibility of pension cuts, etc.
* You must be comfortable with your real name, photograph, and financial details being published

If you meet the above criteria, email ACSS at kglidden@calcsea.org with the subject "Financial Makeover", include your full name, age, household salary range, and describe in 100 words or less how state budget cuts have impacted your current or future financial outlook.

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Emails must be received no later than Thursday, February 2nd.

NOTE: Final selections of eligible members will be made by CNN Money.

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Jan 27, 2012

Court upholds citizens' redistricting

The California Supreme Court unanimously agreed on Friday to uphold the revised Senate districts drawn by an independent citizens commission for use in the June primary and November general election.

A Republican-backed initiative attempting to throw out the maps drafted by the non-partisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) is expected to qualify for the November ballot. Opponents of the public commission filed the lawsuit, arguing that the independently redrawn Senate map should not be used until the ballot measure challenge passed before voters.

Acting CCRC Chairman Peter Yao - a registered L.A. County Republican - called the high court's decision to uphold the redrawn districts "a great victory for the people of California."

Read more on the participatory democratic efforts of the CCRC: http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/

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Jan 27, 2012

ACSS stands up for safety at DMH

The Association of California State Supervisors (ACSS) met with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) on Friday, January 13, 2012, to discuss the Department's transition plan to become the Department of State Hospitals (DSH).

ACSS continues to raises concerns over the impact of decreasing staff ratios on the safety of patients and staff. DMH stated that the changes will enhance safety of both staff and patients because staff is being redirected back to the units. However, ACSS believes simply showing on paper that added staff will be assigned to the units will not necessarily result in greater safety.

Read more about the work we're doing for excluded employees at DMH after the jump.

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Jan 27, 2012

Do you trust a risky market for your state pension?

Attacks on your earned pension are heating up.

At a public hearing this week, opponents of the "hybrid" pension shift proposed by Governor Brown primarily highlighted the volatile, risky nature of defined contribution schemes.

"The 401k experiment hasn't worked," said SEIU spokesperson Terry Brennand. "Look at your own 401k? Are you ready to retire?"

Read more and watch KGO-TV's story on the hearing after the jump.

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Jan 26, 2012

DMH layoffs - ACSS fighting for your rights

The Association of California State Supervisors (ACSS) met with the Department of Mental Health (DMH) on Friday, January 13, 2012, to discuss the Department's transition plan to become the Department of State Hospitals (DSH).

DMH stated that the Department is initiating layoffs; specifically DMH will be submitting a proposed layoff plan to DPA with in the next 30 days. The layoff plan includes the elimination of those excluded employee positions already identified in the cost savings measures provided to ACSS. DMH stated that there are vacancies currently at Coalinga State Hospital and Salinas Valley Psychiatric Program, which may be filled by voluntary transfer to help mitigate layoffs.

Read more about what ACSS is doing to preserve excluded employee rights at DMH after the jump.

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