NEWS

Weigh in: Alternatives to 4/38 workweek

We need to hear from you!

Your ACSSis preparing to outline alternatives to the 4/38 workweek for the Brown administration.

Hundreds of state supervisors, managers, and confidential employees have sent us alternative solutions and we've grouped them into the six most often suggested proposals in a convenient poll on the left.

Take a moment to consider the alternatives and weigh in with your opinion to ensure your voice is heard by the Governor!

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Note:These are state excluded employee suggested alternatives to the 4/38 workweek proposed by Gov. Brown and do not necessarily reflect the opinon of ACSS.

ACSS Primary Election Endorsements

Are you ready for the California primary?

Before heading out to vote on Tuesday, take a moment to look at ACSS' officially endorsed State Senate and Assembly candidates, carefully selected by your ACSSboard of directors after recommendations from our non-partisan political action committee.

The endorsement process included a written survey and in-person interviews to help determine which candidates would best meet the needs of state supervisors, managers, and confidential employees once in office.

See the full list of ACSS-approved candidates after the jump.

Private pension bill headed to Assembly

Retirement security may be getting a boost in the private sector.

Senate Bill 1234, dubbed the "California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Act", passed through the Senate with a 23-13 vote. It now heads to the Assembly, where it is expected to face resistance from GOP legislators.

The bill would provide a state-managed modest retirement plan for the nearly 7 million Californians who don't have access to an employer-provided retirment plan.

What do you think? Will this bill help alleviate "pension envy" among non-state employees? Or will it further strain the public pension system?

5% cuts for all?

One for all and all for one?

The California Citizens Compensation Commission voted 5-1 in favor of a 5% pay cut for Gov. Brown and dozens of other high ranking state officials, in reaction to the same pay cut that has been proposed for all state employees.

Rumors have swirled that excluded employees may face cuts above 5%.

Acting DPA Director Julie Chapman confirmed in a meeting today with your ACSS that potential cuts above 5% would target "agency secretaries and higher officials", not state supervisors, managers, and confidential employees.

Charles Murray, the "Small Business" seat on the CCCC, lead his colleagues on a vote today on the egalitarian pay cut for higher ups, in order to get the cut on the books before the Commission's June 30th deadline for action.

Murray, appointed by ex-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he thinks the state's senior lawmakers should "lead by example". He has said that if the 5% cut does not go into effect for state employees, the cut to higher ups can be reversed.

What do you think? Does knowing that Gov. Brown will make $165,000 per year instead of $174,000 make the cuts easier to swallow?

Head to the Sac Bee to read the full article and weigh in: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/panel-cuts-pay-for-jerry-brown-lawmakers-other-california-officials.html

How will the reduced workweek impact taxpayers?

Attention ACSS members and fellow state excluded employees,

We need your help!

Your ACSS is - as always - committed to preventing attacks on your career. We are preparing to meet with Governor Brown to discuss how his proposed 4-day, 38-hour workweek will unfairly target supervisors, managers, and confidential employees.

We recognize that the reduced workweek will affect all of you personally: It will affect the way you pay your mortgage, the way you raise your children, the way you plan for retirment, and so much more.

However, in order for us to make a successful case against the reduced workweek that will resonate with the public, we need to show how California will suffer if the plan goes into place.

We need to present the Governor and the public with facts. Specifically, we need to show how the reduced workweek will impact California taxpayers.

Read more about how you can fight back against unfair budget cuts after the jump.

Reduced workweek will cost citizens now and later

Though Gov. Brown has pitched his reduced workweek as a means to save around $830 million, it is now clear that those savings will not be as great as expected.

If the state implements Brown's plan, which the Legislative Analyst's Office has called "problematic", not only will public services suffer a drop in quality and excluded employees face greater workload issues, but hidden costs will in fact reduce the savings Brown hopes to achieve.

Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer confirmed in an interview with the Sacramento Bee that taxpayers will have to foot the bill for Gov. Brown's cuts in the near future.

The Bee's Jon Ortiz breaks down the savings drain:

"Let's say for the sake of easy math that state worker Hy Pothetical earns $1,000 per month in pensionable income. Like most employees, Hy contributes 8 percent to his pension, or $80 per month.

Then Brown's four-day, 9.5-hour workweek kicks in. Now Hy earns $950 per month and pays $76 in pension contributions, 8 percent of his new lower wage.

Since the retirement benefit will be calculated as though Hy still earned $1,000, the state - i.e., taxpayers - picks up the $4 difference."

Report: 40-hour workweek doesn't work

A 2010 report analyzing Utah's 4-day workweek that was implemented in 2008 shows that Gov. Brown's plan may not only jeopardize the level of services Californians will receive should his more drastic plan go into effect, but may in fact lead to greater costs due to productivity losses.

In 2008 then Utah Governor Jon Huntsman instituted a 4-day, 40-hour workweek in order to cut costs. A report by Utah's Legislative Auditor General states that savings from the plan - less severe than Gov. Brown's proposed 4-day, 38-hour workweek - were significantly less than expected.

Furthermore, the report states that "evidence suggests that a single work schedule may not be appropriate for all units of state government."

Your ACSS maintains that a reduced workweek will unfairly impact supervisors, managers, and confidential employees more so than rank and file employees.

As we prepare to bring your case to the Governor, we need to hear from you. Last week we asked how the 38-hour workweek would impact you. Now we need to hear how it will impact the services you provide to California taxpayers.

Tell us how the services you provide will suffer. As much as possible, give us numbers and facts.

Don't just tell us "It will be hard to meet quotas", tell us "My DMV office will process X fewer applications per week", or "My office will be able to hold x less hearings per week and utility costs will rise by x%" or "We will be able to process X fewer tax returns per month" or "It will take x weeks longer for California taxpayers to receive their returns", etc. etc.

Email us with the specific ways services you provide will suffer at budgetcuts@acss.org now!

Want ACSS at your event?

Thanks to all the supervisors, managers, and confidential employees who stopped by the ACSSbooth at the 2012 California State Employee Association Member Benefits Fair!

ACSSMembership Coordinator Diane Wolff and Sacramento area Labor Relation Representative Jim Franco talked with around 500 excluded employees, answering questions and handing out free goodies.

Missed us at the Benefits Fair? Check out other upcoming events at www.acss.org/EVENTS

Have an upcoming event that you would like ACSS to attend? Email Membership Coordinator Diane Wolff at dwolff@calcsea.org today and let us know!

Budget Cut FAQs

ACSS has been flooded with questions after the announcement of Governor Brown's revised budget and the millions of dollars in cuts therein.

Here are some of the most common questions we've received, and the best answers we have at this time.

Have a question not listed here? Send it to budgetcuts@acss.org

The 5% cut plan - namely the four-day, 38-hour workweek - seems to be tailored to rank and file employees. How will supervisors be affected?
Your ACSS is preparing to meet with Gov. Brown to discuss how his plan will affect all excluded employees. We'll have more details for you soon.

I work at a facility that never closes, how can I be expected to close it one day a week?
The budget stipulates that for those employees in 24/7 facilities, "commensurate reductions in work hours and pay" will be applied in lieu of closures.

Read more FAQs after the jump.

ACSS Board Member talks cuts on CBS

How will the revised budget - and the four-day, 38-hour workweek - impact you as an excluded employee?

ACSS Board Member Danilo Sanchez spoke with CBS Bay Area about the unique challenges that supervisors, managers, and confidential employees will face in light of the layoffs and reduced workweek proposed in the Governor's newly released budget.

Watch the interview here (Mr. Sanchez's portion begins at around 1:05)