Welcome to this week’s CASE Files, part of our commitment to keep you up-to-date on our work to increase your salary, improve and protect your benefits, and to aggressively represent your interests in every forum where your employment and professional interests are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ UPDATE
What Happens on June 30? Further details about recent efforts at the bargaining table were discussed in this week’s Bargaining Report. (Not getting the report? Join CASE today). We received a number of questions after last week’s Special Edition CASE Files, however, about what happens when the current Unit 2 MOU expires on June 30.
Under Government Code 3517.8, CASE and the State are required to continue to give effect to the provisions of the expired MOU. This means the MOU’s rights, protections, and obligations continue to apply until either a successor agreement is reached or impasse, a legal term of art defined and decided by the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), is declared.
For more info on how you can help put the “collective” in collective bargaining, check out the reminder section, below.
STATE BUDGET UPDATE
The “Placeholder.” The Legislature approved a record $300 billion state budget last week, but it was generally acknowledged around the Capitol as a “placeholder” while legislative leaders and Governor Gavin Newsom continue to negotiate over a handful of politically difficult issues, including a proposed multibillion-dollar rebate to taxpayers.
The budget bill includes about $236 billion in general fund spending, with contributions to the so-called “rainy day” reserves growing that pot of money to $38 billion. Roughly half of a record $100 billion in anticipated surplus revenues is claimed by various legal and constitutional imperatives, such as schools. Newsom has insisted on putting nearly all of the $49 billion in discretionary surplus revenues toward one-time expenditures, such as infrastructure.
Lawmakers passed the measure on June 13, two days ahead of the constitutional requirement to send a balanced budget to the governor by June 15 or forgo their pay until they do. While the 2022-23 Fiscal Year begins July 1, the budget process will extend for weeks beyond that date as the Legislature and Newsom continue to negotiate.
The biggest sticking point remains how to provide inflation relief to Californians. Newsom wants to send every registered auto owner a $400 debit card, up to two per person, at a cost of roughly $9 billion. Legislators want to issue a $200 rebate to every state taxpayer and their eligible dependents, but limit payments to couples earning $250,000 or less and individuals earning $125,000 or less. That would cost an estimated $8 billion.
As of this writing, the Newsom Administration is bargaining with CASE and five other unions whose Memoranda of Understanding have expired or will expire in late June or early July. The budget does not break out additional funding for Unit 2 compensation or that of any other state bargaining unit in contract talks. The money for those expenditures will be allocated in separate “trailer bills” as unions reach agreements with Newsom’s Department of Human Resources.
REMINDER: CASE NEEDS YOUR INPUT
Two Chances to Help the Bargaining Team. We need your input!
- SURVEY CLOSES JUNE 30. Take our Member Action Survey: Now that CASE and CalHR have made their respective economic proposals, the time for collective action is imminent. We need your input on the actions in which you’re most likely to participate because there’s no point in planning a party if no one will attend.
- Help us answer the question: What does California lose if it loses you? It’s vital that the people of California – and leaders in Sacramento – understand what you do for them. Our fight isn’t just about improving your salary and benefits so you can better provide for your families and future. Our fight is about preserving California’s values – protecting natural resources, enhancing opportunity, and more. Share your story today.
JOIN CASE TODAY!
For now, CASE Files will continue to be delivered weekly to all Unit 2 employees, but our Bargaining Updates are delivered only to members. Stay informed on the important decisions that will impact your salary and benefits by joining CASE today. Join today.