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
Help the Bargaining Team Make the Case for CASE. As members know from our weekly Bargaining Reports, the CASE Bargaining Team and CalHR continue to negotiate the next CASE MOU. While we await a CalHR counterproposal on salaries, paid family leave, and more, here’s one way all Unit 2 folks can assist the Bargaining Team’s efforts.
CalHR puts a lot of stock in their internal calculations of how many Unit 2 positions are vacant – in their view, few vacancies means pay can’t be that big a problem. CalHR asserts that there is no significant vacancy problem in Unit 2 because Unit 2 vacancy rates (according to CalHR, about 16.8%) are roughly in line with vacancy rates across the civil service (about 17.1%).
When we look at those numbers, we see a state operating with significant staff shortages across the board. We also hear daily from those impacted by inadequate staffing and hiring challenges in their office. Help us better explain how vacant Unit 2 positions impact the important work you carry out on behalf of Californians daily by sharing your story here.
(And, as ever, if you want to be among the first to know about what is going on in bargaining, join CASE today.)
BETTER KNOW YOUR MOU
Dues Diligence. If your job requires that you be licensed by the State Bar as a condition of employment, Article 13.7 of the CASE MOU requires the state to either reimburse you or directly pay the State Bar the cost of your bar dues each year. For those members who are not required to maintain bar membership as a condition of employment, the MOU gives you two options: the state will still cover the cost of your bar dues or provide you 2 days per calendar year of professional leave. And yes, that’s in addition to the 5 Professional Development Days provided in Article 13.24. Unlike PDDs, which are available each fiscal year on July 1 and expire on June 30, the 2 days of professional leave under Article 13.7 are available each calendar year.
Local and Specialty Bar Dues. In addition to the basic bar renewal fees, for those required to maintain their license as a condition of employment, the MOU also provides for reimbursement for membership in a job-related bar association or for job-related specialty sections of the State or a local bar up to $100 annually.
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.