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July 3, 2024 CASE Files

CASE Awards Five Academic Scholarships. CASE recently awarded five $1,000 academic scholarships to members or their dependents. These awards honor applicants who are currently in a career or plan to pursue a career in government or another form of service supporting the common good or applicants who can demonstrate a meaningful commitment to serving others by participation in service-oriented academic pursuits, volunteer, or community service. This week, we highlight scholarship recipient Lelosa Aimufua (pictured below).

July 3, 2024 CASE Files

CASE scholarship recipient Lelosa Aimufua recently graduated from Swarthmore College where she majored in educational studies and political science. Ms. Aimufua will continue her academic career at Columbia Law School this fall. As commitment to service is one of her core values, she envisions herself using her law school education to effect change, and ultimately create a better society. One experience that informed this desire occurred during her time in undergrad, where she worked as a teacher’s assistant. Her eyes were opened to just how foundational, yet inequitable and inaccessible, education is. No matter how intelligent or hard-working an individual may be, their life circumstances can determine what opportunities are available to them. With this in mind, Ms. Aimufua hopes to explore how to use the law to create systematic change in education. She also hopes to explore the subject areas of employment and international human rights – all underscored by the desire to make the world a better place for present and future generations.

2024 Special Salary Adjustments Take Effect. With the arrival of the new fiscal year on July 1, the maximum salary range of all Unit 2 classifications except Attorney level III classifications (see class codes identified in below) will increase by 4.5%.  Employees who have been at the current maximum for 12 qualifying pay periods or more shall be moved to the new maximum of the range. All other employees shall retain their salary and salary anniversary dates.

Also effective July 1, the maximum salary range of the Attorney level III classifications (see classifications below) will increase by 10%:

·              5795 Attorney III

·              5706 Deputy Attorney General III

·              5789 Deputy Attorney III, Caltrans

·              6180 Industrial Relations Counsel III (Specialist)

·              5812 Public Utilities Counsel III, CPUC

·              5537 Real Estate Counsel III (specialist)

·              6274 Senior Board Counsel, ALRB

·              6115 Senior Fair Employment and Housing Counsel (Specialist)

·              6733 Tax Counsel III (Specialist)

·              5763 Deputy State Public Defender Range C (only)

·              6204 Sr. Commission Counsel (Specialist) FFPC

Employees who have been at the current maximum for 12 qualifying pay periods or more will be moved to the new maximum of the range. All other employees will retain their salary and salary anniversary dates.

We expect to see the increase reflected in the pay you receive for time worked in July, issuing on or about August 1. CASE will continue to monitor CalHR and the State Controller’s work to implement the raises through required pay letters. 

Note: The SSAs effective on July 1 will allow employees who have not been at the maximum of their pay scale for the last 12 months, to receive their MSA on their regular anniversary date. MSAs generally increase by 5% but cannot exceed the top of the pay scale.

Update on the WCJ Grievance. As to the former WCJ classification, an arbitrator has been selected regarding the grievance for the retroactive 4.5% raise from July 2023 to February 2024. Until a resolution or decision regarding this grievance, the next 4.5% raise will not begin until February 2025. As the arbitration proceeds forward, CASE will keep you updated.

Do you have an ongoing health issue or injury?  Did you know that your leave credits do not protect your job?  If you have an ongoing health issue or injury that causes you to take a lot of time off of work, including unexpectedly and/or to attend medical appointments/treatments, it is imperative that you apply for and upon approval for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)/California Family Rights Act (CFRA). (Note that there are requirements that must be met in order to qualify for FMLA/CFRA.) These are the laws that protect your job.  Use of your leave credits does not protect your job.  Information regarding FMLA and CFRA may be found here.  You can also check your department’s intranet site for information and for the paperwork that is necessary to complete a request for FMLA/CFRA. FMLA/CFRA can run concurrently with receiving a disability payment and/or use of your leave credits.  Information regarding disability payments for Unit 2 members may be found here.  If you would like to speak with a CASE representative about your situation, please send a request to info@calattorneys.org.

Check Your Pay Stubs and Leave Balances.  CASE encourages members to check their pay stubs and leave balances each month to ensure accuracy of items such as the telework stipend, health insurance payments and that leave balances are up to date.  If you find an issue with your pay stub or leave balance, please make an inquiry to your department’s Human Resource Office.  If you are unable to resolve an issue, please reach out to CASE at info@calattorneys.org.

Professional Development Days – Use ‘Em or Lose ‘Em. CASE Members receive professional development days (PDD) each year. Unlike other types of leave that can rollover from year to year, your PDDs expire each fiscal year on June 30. You can check to see how much PDD time you have on the books by referring to the Leave Balances box in your CalConnect Account. Unlike other leave balances which get lower with use, the “TRNG/DEV” line item that reflects PDD use counts up with usage. If the number in the far-right box is less than 40, then you have PDD time to use.

Reminder: As we begin a new fiscal year, we would like to remind Rank and File members that they receive 5 new PDD days to use in this fiscal year.

MOU Suggestion Box. While we are a year away from the next round of bargaining, it’s never too soon to collect ideas for future negotiations. You have access to our MOU Suggestion Box, a place for members – and ONLY members – to contribute ideas for new or improved benefits and MOU terms at any time. We are, of course, aware of the need for the Governor to address continuing salary lags (both within the unit and between state service and local government jobs), so we are hoping to collect your ideas on non-salary MOU items. To complete a suggestion card, click here. (pw: membersmatter22).

REMINDERS

Next CASE Board Meeting is Friday, August 9. Members are invited to attend all CASE Board Meetings. The next quarterly Board Meeting will be Friday, August 9 in San Diego, California. If you would like to attend, please click here to register online. (pw: membersmatter22).

Tracking Return-to-Office Mandates. Your feedback on the impact of return-to-office mandates is invaluable in helping CASE prepare to meet and confer with departments and agencies as well as preparing grievances and for arbitration as necessary. Consider sharing the impact of the proposed policy changes with us via this form.

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