At acting CalHR Director Julie Chapman's confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Rules Committee, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) briefly addressed the long standing issue of salary compaction - the phenomenon in which California state supervisors make less than those they supervise.
"As the economy improves and more jobs open in the private sector, it will be hard to retain higher level state employees because we're not matching the financial opportunities [they offer]," said Sen. Jackson.
"What do you think CalHR might be able to do to keep those skilled people in state service?"
Ms. Chapman answered that she thought CalHR simply "needs to tell skilled employees to be proud of their jobs."
Your ACSS has proposed a more elegant solution in the form of our pending bill.
ACSS' bill - SB 216 - will require the state to maintain a 10% pay differential between excluded employees and those they supervise, or will require CalHR to provide detailed justification and salary reports in any year in which they are unable to maintain their recommended 10% differential. SB 216 is currently pending review by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
What do you think about Ms. Chapman's solution to thousands of California's most skilled and dedicated employees earning less than the employees they supervise?
Sound off in the comments and let us know.