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
It’s May! You probably have Star Wars Day (that’s today – May the 4th be with you!) and Mother’s Day (May 8) on the calendar. Here are other dates of note for the month:
Weekly – CASE Bargaining Team meets with CalHR to negotiate a successor Memorandum of Understanding. (Our weekly Bargaining Report, with news from the table, goes only to members. Click here to join today.)
May 15 – The traditional date governors, including Gavin Newsom, release the “May Revise” proposal for the coming fiscal year’s State Budget. The Legislature has until midnight on June 15 to pass a budget bill.
May 20 – CASE Board of Directors meeting in Sacramento. Open to all CASE members via Zoom. To learn more, visit www.calattorneys.org/board-meetings.
May 29 – The deadline for Unit 2 employees to submit a written request to cash out Vacation/Annual Leave if their departments announced participation in the program by May 1. See Article 9.23 of the CASE MOU for more details and contact CASE if you have any questions.
May 30 – Memorial Day Holiday.
BETTER KNOW YOUR MOU
Professional Development Days. You have two months left to use your 2021-22 Professional Development Days (PDD). Unlike Vacation, Annual Leave, or PLP credits, PDDs are use-em-or-lose-em. Here’s how the benefit works and why you should plan right away to take time off if you have unused hours on the books:
Article 13.24 of the CASE MOU provides up to five days/40 hours of PDD each fiscal year “for activities such as, but not limited to, professional association activities, professional or personal development activities and seminars, other types of activities to enhance or promote the personal and professional growth, productivity, and goals of the employee.” In other words, PDDs are unrestricted and requested in the same manner as vacation or Annual Leave.
However, unlike vacation or Annual Leave, PDDs don’t accumulate. So, when the 2022-23 fiscal year begins on July 1, any unused PDDs from the prior fiscal year vanish.
On the upside, there’s no minimum length of time that you must be in Unit 2 to receive PDD. Part-time employees earn PDD on a prorated basis.
Questions about PDD? Contact CASE.
CALPERS CORNER
Pathways for Women. CalPERS is sponsoring its annual Pathways for Women conference, which it describes as “a dynamic forum meant to inspire and inform women who aspire to reach new heights in their careers.” CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost and many other women leaders will share what it takes to achieve their leadership goals and navigate their career paths.
While this event will address the issues that have traditionally impacted women, anyone is welcomed to attend, regardless of gender identity or background.
The conference is scheduled for August 23 at the Hilton Anaheim. For more information, please check out the conference’s webpage or email calpers_events@calpers.ca.gov.
MEMBER BENEFITS
Supplemental Employee Assistance Program. Life has many ups and downs and sometimes we need to learn about new tools to better manage life’s stressors. That’s why one of the many benefits of CASE membership is complimentary access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through The Standard. CASE’s program supplements the State’s EAP benefit.
EAP services can help you and your dependents (including children up to age 26) deal with depression and grief, family relationship issues, addictions, anxiety, financial or legal concerns, and more. There’s no added charge to access services, which are immediate, confidential, and available 24/7 via telephone and the web. Please visit The Standard’s HealthAdvocate website or contact CASE for more information.
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. Apply here