Find contact information for your local Labor Relations Representative
Helpful documents to learn more about your rights
Step-by-step guide to the Grievance Process
A guide to help you through the Probationary Period
Learn more about salary issues
A list of Senators, Assemblymembers, and Government Officials that ACSS Endorses
Support Candidates that protect the best interest of Excluded Employees
Periodic updates on Legislative Bills that ACSS monitors
ACSS meetings held at YOUR Department
Annual Event held in the State Capitol
Upcoming Board Meeting Information and forms
The Triennial event for ACSS Elections and Policy Changes
Compared to the January Budget, in the May Revise, released on 5/14, Governor Brown disclosed $6.7 billion more dollars available to put to use for 2015-16. While this is good news that there is more money available, the vast majority of it will go to public elementary schools, lower-income households, the rainy day fund, CSU and the UC school system (to cover pension debt). Very little of the May Revise was new material for state workers, and revealed more depth of the same proposals we have already known about.
On the hot topic of heathcare and retirement, the Administration continues to move forward with their more cohesive “3-pronged approach” to managing the $72 billion unfunded liability. 1) Prefunding retiree healthcare is most certainly pushing forward. 2) Newly hired state employees will be required to work longer to receive retirement compensation. And 3) more affordable healthcare plans (hinting towards HSA plans) will be implemented. Again, these concepts are not new, but they are becoming more concrete into an impending reality.
As for civil service, the May Revise proposes $57 million in new state employee compensation and reduces contributions to CalPERS down by $110 million. Proof that pension reform is indeed working. It also reiterated the proposals to streamline classifications, abolish vacant positions and broaden recruitment efforts in civil service.
Click here to download the official full version of the May Revise.
CalPERS has provided a list of Myths versus Facts to address common misconceptions. Test your knowledge on the following CalPERS issues related to pensions, investments, accountability, ethics, and health care.
MYTH -or- FACT? Most Police and firefighters retire at age 50 with 90 percent of pay.
MYTH -or- FACT? CalPERS doesn't promote a public pension database so it can hide pension amounts.
MYTH -or- FACT? CalPERS Long-Term Care Program is financially unstable.
MYTH -or- FACT? Taxpayers pay 100 percent of retiree health care costs.
For more Myth or Fact questions and to see answers to the questions above, click here to read the full article on the CalPERS website.
Hurry! Time is running out to cast your vote for your local ACSS Chapter leaders! Ballots MUST be returned to ACSS headquarters no later than 5pm on Wednesday May 20, 2015*. Don't forget to SIGN the outside back of the return envelope. Unsigned ballots are deemed invalid. Click here to learn more about ACSS Chapter Elections and candidates. If you are a member and did not receive a ballot, please contact ACSS immediately at (800) 624-2137.
*NOTE: Chapter 503 Sacramento Area ballots must be returned to ACSS Headquarters by 5pm on Monday June 8th.
There are several Chapter meetings coming up in the month of May. Don't forget to RSVP and join your local ACSS Chapter for a casual discussion and FREE dinner. Check the ACSS Events Calendar to RSVP to your Chapter's next meeting.
Chapter 513 - Orange County/Mission Viejo @ Antonucci's Italian Restaurant
Chapter 509 - Bakersfield @ Hodel's Country Dining Restaurant
Chapter 511 - L.A. Area/Monterey Park @ Marie Callender's
Chapter 507 - South Bay Area/Monterey Bay @ The Whole Enchilada Moss Landing
Chapter 505 - Bay Area @ Don Ramon's Restaurant San Francisco Chapter 508 - Stockton @ The Old Spaghetti Factory Chapter 514 - Ontario @ El Torito
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) notified the Association of California State Supervisors (ACSS) of its intent to modify the existing policy and procedures to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) effective June 1, 2015. The modifications includes changes to the DOM as well as several new and revised CDCR Forms. Click here to view a copy of the notice to ACSS. All CDCR DAI staff will receive training on the updated PREA policy and procedures. This will also impact CCHCS staff. The proposed modifications may impact your working conditions.
To preserve your rights and address the concerns of our members, ACSS requested a meet and confer with CDCR and CCHCS. Under the Bill of Rights for State Excluded Employees Government Code Section 3533 a “Meet and Confer” means that the state employer shall consider as fully as it deems reasonable, such presentations as are made by ACSS - the verified supervisory employee organization - on behalf of its supervisory members prior to arriving at a determination of policy or course of action.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the PREA modifications that you would like ACSS to address, please contact Nellie Lynn, ACSS Assistant Director of Representation via email at nlynn@ACSS.org by May 8, 2015. Your thoughts and input regarding these proposed modifications are important to ensure that the concerns of all impacted members are addressed.
Have you received your ACSS Elections ballot in the mail? If you are a member of ACSS and have not received your ballot in the mail, please contact ACSS HQ at (800) 624-2137. Visit the ACSS Elections Listing of Candidates page on our website for more details of the candidates running for positions in your chapter.
ACSS is happy to report a huge milestone achievement in the resolution of compaction for some critical supervisory classifications at CDCR. Over the past several years, ACSS has diligently spent a tremendous amount of time and effort advocating for the end of compaction in classifications where supervisors were drastically underwater. One of the most egregious examples of this was in the Office of Correctional Education where supervisor’s salaries were 13% less than the teachers they supervised. In a March 25, 2015, meeting, CDCR informed ACSS that they submitted a compaction proposal to CalHR requesting a salary increase for Supervisors of Vocational Instruction (2370), Supervisors of Academic Instruction (2305), and Supervisors of Correctional Educational Programs (2303) for a total of 99 impacted excluded employees state-wide. The proposal provides for a special salary adjustment to finally bring those classifications up to a 5% salary differential above the employees they supervise. CDCR stated that the funding for the salary increase has already been included in the current budget proposal. The proposal may still require legislative approval, however ACSS is pleased that our tireless efforts on behalf of our members finally resulted in positive action on this critical matter. ACSS continues to fully support this compaction resolution and work tirelessly to push the issue into effect in alliance with CDCR, CalHR and the Administration.
>> See related article on CDCR Quarterly Meetings
Posted: 4/21/2015
CDCR and ACSS meet on a quarterly basis to discuss various workplace issues. At the last quarterly meeting held in late March 2015, the following topics were reviewed:
Upward Mobility: ACSS has been working with concerned CDCR members in efforts to preserve upward mobility opportunities. We have have made strides towards consolidating classifications so that promotion opportunities remain intact and are not abolished. This reevaluation of classifications ties in with the Administration’s Classification Improvement Project.
Administrative Officer Duty: On behalf of ACSS members, we raised concerns for pay equity amongst all of the CDCR classifications that perform Administrative Officer of the Day Duty (AOD) duty as per the Department Operations Manual (DOM). ACSS shared with CDCR some general information from a recent survey of members who perform AOD, which provided solid reasoning for the members’ concerns. CDCR will take closer look at “managerial” levels or ranks in comparable classifications, and not necessarily salary levels, to resolve this issue.
Starting May 1, 2015, excluded state workers can apply to cash out their unused paid leave time into money. Cashing in on this opportunity is helpful for both taxpayers and the government and actually helps curb increases to the state's liability, since unused time cashed out at the end of employment is based on final salary. Excluded employees are allowed to cash out up to 40 hours.
>> Click here to read more on this topic from the SacBee article
>> Click here to see CalHR's memo PDF on the Excluded Employee Leave Buy-Back Program
Posted: 4/17/2015
In order to make the state more efficient and nimble, CalHR is working with the Administration to abolish unnecessary classifications that have been unused over the past 24 months. Cal HR submitted a Classification Consolidation Project strategic plan to the State’s Personnel Board on January 8, 2015 in alignment with the Governor’s 2015-16 Budget Summary to “streamline the state’s job classifications”.
In 2007, SPB and DPA identified over 4,200 separate classifications, of which, 1,000 were vacant. The lengthy list of classifications proposed for the chopping block are the first phase in improving the Civil Service System by consolidating the classifications into broader, more usable occupational families. According to CalHR, “each classification will be reviewed to ensure we do not take away opportunities for upward mobility, restrict entry into state service, eliminate necessary bridging classifications, or negatively impact current or future state employees/members”. Click here to see the entire list of classifications proposed to be abolished.
By removing unused classifications, we anticipate that the complicated task of ending salary compaction may be simplified. In the Classification Consolidation Project report, an item in the Post-Project Implementation Challenges section states “salary compaction issues will occur, but consideration should be given to offering safety and pay differentials for supervisors and managers.” ACSS is determined to work with CalHR to make this project progress smoothly and with utmost fairness.
As always, ACSS will update you on progress with this important issue.
Tags
Date
To report an error on this page or leave a comment about the website, email the webmaster at communications@acss.org or visit our Contact Form.