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 aggressively represent your interests in every forum where your employment and professional interests are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ UPDATE
Board Meeting This Week. The CASE Board of Directors will conduct their quarterly meeting in Sacramento on Friday. CASE members may attend via Zoom. To learn more, visit the CASE website, no later than 12 noon on Thursday, May 19.
Daphne Departs. With happiness for her (but sadness for us), we announce that Daphne Lee departs the CASE Board of Directors this week, having accepted a position as Assistant Chief Counsel with the Department of Toxic Substances Control. While Daphne can (and plans to) remain a proud CASE Associate Member, the Dills Act prevents those in managerial classifications from serving on union boards. Daphne has provided immeasurable value in her short time on the Board, ably representing her Administrative Law Judge peers at the Bargaining Table. Per the CASE Bylaws, because the next CASE election will be held within six months of her departure, no special election or appointment will be made. Her seat will be filled at the next election. Please join us in congratulating Daphne on this exciting new position and wishing her well.
STATE BUDGET UPDATE
The May Revise. Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday unveiled his revised budget proposal for the 2022-23 fiscal year, which envisions a record $300.7 billion in expenditures ($227.4 billion General Fund) with a $97.5 billion surplus and a $23 billion deposit into the state’s “rainy day fund.” About half the surplus is already claimed by mandated spending, such as schools, leaving $49.2 billion to invest as the Legislature and Newsom see fit.
The governor said he wants to spend nearly all the extra money on one-time expenditures to avoid long-term commitments that could drag down the state if the economy sours.
Still, California’s immediate fiscal outlook is so positive that Newsom’s general fund budget proposal for next year is 15% bigger than the draft plan he presented in January, as the government continues to collect record revenues from individuals taking profits on their investments. In addition, Newsom would devote billions of dollars to a massive tax rebate, fighting drought and wildfire conditions, subsidies for low and middle-income medical plans, affordable housing, and a record level of per-pupil school funding.
The revised budget plan also proposes $193 million in new public-safety spending, including a new Fentanyl Enforcement Program at the Department of Justice.
The May Revise starts the clock on the final stretch of negotiations with the Senate and the Assembly, which must pass budget legislation by June 15. The state’s fiscal year begins July 1.
Meanwhile, the Newsom Administration also is bargaining with CASE and five other unions whose Memoranda of Understanding have expired or will expire in late June or early July. The Governor’s budget summary addressing General Government and Statewide Issues does not break out proposed funding for Unit 2 salaries or those of any other state bargaining unit. Instead, the money for those expenses will be allocated in separate “trailer bills” when CASE or any other union reaches a tentative agreement.
This week’s CASE Bargaining Report delves further into the details of the May Revise and what it does or doesn’t tell us about potential salary increases. If you’re not receiving the Report, a members-only benefit, join today.
STATEWIDE ISSUES
How Remote Can You Get? During Emergency Telework, some departments or supervisors explicitly greenlit out-of-state telework. CASE has heard that some departments are now asserting that approved telework can only be performed within California. Though CASE disagrees with the state’s interpretation of applicable statutes and regulations, we wanted to make you aware in case you are planning any big moves or have decamped to out-of-state locations during the pandemic. Some departments have started issuing directives that employees violating the in-state telework requirement (absent an approved exception) may face discipline. If you are contacted by your department regarding your telework location, reach out to CASE right away.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Discounts! CASE members can access discounted admissions to fun activities all over California, from Los Angeles County’s Natural History Museum to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in San Francisco. For a partial list of venues offering special deals for members – and only members – please click here. .
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.