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May 25, 2022 CASE Files

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

Board Meeting Recap. The CASE Board met on Friday, May 20, and was pleased to welcome more than 15 member guests via zoom. The Board conducted regular business including committee reports detailing CASE’s amplified communications program, efforts to secure additional member discounts and benefits, and more. Watch for a new membership drive beginning later this summer and a refreshed website to better connect CASE members to available resources and benefits. The Board meets next on August 19.

BETTER KNOW YOUR MOU

The Grievance Process. You don’t need us to tell you that laws without enforcement mechanisms are . . . not very effective. The same goes for MOUs. Article 7 of the Unit 2 MOU lays out the grievance and arbitration process. A grievance is a dispute between CASE and the State regarding the interpretation, application, or enforcement of express terms of the MOU. If an informal discussion between an employee or CASE and a supervisor doesn’t resolve the dispute, there are then 4 formal steps to resolving an MOU dispute – each elevating the dispute further up the chain of command. If the parties can’t resolve the dispute, the matter may proceed to arbitration.

While employees may file their own grievances directly, CASE encourages you to reach out for assistance as soon as you think your department may have violated the MOU. Our expert representatives have decades of experience enforcing the CASE MOU. The authority to take a dispute to arbitration lies solely with CASE. There are deadlines by which a grievance must be filed or elevated to protect the grievance’s viability, so if you have questions ask.

CALPERS CORNER

Board Election Update. CalPERS recently announced that it had canceled the August election for the State member on its Board of Administration seat the deadline to file candidacy petitions passed and incumbent Theresa Taylor was unopposed. CalPERS will forego a vote for the open School seat as well, because only one candidate, Kevin Palkki, filed papers.

However, three candidates will vie for the vacant Retiree representative seat: Tim Behrens, Randall Cheek, and Yvonne Walker. Ballots for the Retiree seat election will be mailed August 26 and votes must be received by September 26. Only eligible retired CalPERS members (excluding survivors and beneficiaries) will be able to vote online, by phone, or by mail in that election.

In related news, Mullissa Willette was declared the unofficial special election winner for the Public Agency seat on the CalPERS Board of Administration, pending certification of the vote. Willette, a tax exemption investigator with the County of Santa Clara, defeated Richard Fuentes, a special projects manager with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.

The 13-member CalPERS Board sets policy for retirement and health benefits on behalf of California public employers, employees and retirees. The fund’s assets total roughly $447 billion.

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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.

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