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August 28, 2024 CASE Files

The Sacramento Bee Provides an Update on the Return to Office Mandate. The Sacramento Bee recently published an article discussing the status of Governor Gavin Newsom’s return to office mandate, which features CASE President, Tim O’Brien. 

“‘For unionized employees, the location of work is something that must be negotiated with the union before management can change it unilaterally, said Catherine Fisk, a law professor with the University of California, Berkeley Law. Regardless of whether there is a provision in the contract explicitly addressing remote work, Fisk added that location of work, like other conditions of work, is a mandatory subject of bargaining.  

Many of California’s contracts with the public workforce include language for telework.  

“Employee requests to telework shall not be denied except for operational needs,” reads the memorandum of understanding for CASE, the state attorneys’ union that stands for California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment.  

Tim O’Connor, the president of CASE, described this telework language as “cooperative,” meaning there is room for negotiation over the parameters. 

“If an agency says, ‘Hey, we’re just saying come in three times a week, that’s not denying telework,’ it becomes arguable,” O’Connor said.  

Unions like CASE and SEIU Local 1000 have argued over this language. The state attorneys’ shop has filed 37 grievances against various departments with the state. Of those, CASE has requested to enter arbitration proceedings with more than a dozen different departments.  

Among those grievances, only one decision has been rendered. A labor arbitrator ruled that California Public Employees’ Retirement System can order employees back to the office three days a week to meet operational needs, such as improving communication.  

The decision highlights that ultimately the state has the authority to direct workers back to the office, within reason.” 

To read the article in full, click here.  

CASE Meeting with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. CASE enjoyed a great meeting connecting with Attorney General Bonta this month to discuss common values of public service, pursuit of justice, and attaining the highest standards in our profession.  

August 28, 2024 CASE Files

Privacy Protection for CASE Members. CASE is now offering members privacy protection through Onerep at a discounted rate of $20 per year. If you are interested in utilizing this service, click here to sign up, or click here to learn more.  

CASE Summer Baseball Series Is Here! The CASE Board is pleased to invite you to an exclusive series of summer socials at the ballpark - just for CASE Members and their families. We are inviting members to join us at games across the state. For a discounted price of $15-20, you will get the chance to participate in a great summer tradition and build camaraderie with your fellow CASE Members. Here is the schedule: 

  • San Francisco Giants on Tuesday September 3 at 6:45 pm, Section 127 
  • Los Angeles Angels on Friday September 13 at 6:38 pm, Section 107 
  • Sacramento River Cats on Friday September 20 at 6:45 pm, Section 123 
  • Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday September 25 at 7:10 pm, Section 39RS 

Tickets are limited, so buy yours today at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/case-summer-baseball-series-3562059 

NDI v ENDI. Did you know?  If you have sick leave and vacation, should you become injured or ill (not due to work) and unable to work you would be eligible Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (NDI). This pays $135 per week.  You cannot use your leave credits to supplement.  There is also no disability payment available to you should you need to take time off for baby bonding time or to care for a family member. 

Did you know that if you have annual leave (AL) that the disability benefits are better?  Under AL, if you become ill or injured and unable to work, you would be eligible for Enhanced Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (ENDI) which pays you 50% of your salary.  You can also use leave credit (if available) to supplement up to 75% or 100% of your pay.  AL also makes you eligible for NDI- Family Care Leave (FCL) which gives you a disability payment for baby bonding time or to take time off to care for a family. 

Interested in switching?  You can do so once every 24 months by submitting this form https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Documents/calhr-875.pdf to your department.  

If you would like to discuss the differences between sick/vacation and annual leave further, please contact CASE at info@calattorneys.org to schedule a meeting. 

Sacramento County Attorneys Strike. Beginning Monday, approximately 250 Sacramento County government attorneys went on strike to argue for increased wages. To read more about this strike, click here.  

REMINDERS 

Tracking Return-to-Office Mandates. Your feedback on the impact of return-to-office mandates is invaluable in helping CASE prepare to meet and confer with departments and agencies as well as preparing grievances and for arbitration as necessary. Consider sharing the impact of the proposed policy changes with us via this form

MOU Suggestion Box. While we are a year away from the next round of bargaining, it’s never too soon to collect ideas for future negotiations. You have access to our MOU Suggestion Box, a place for members – and ONLY members – to contribute ideas for new or improved benefits and MOU terms at any time. We are, of course, aware of the need for the Governor to address continuing salary lags (both within the unit and between state service and local government jobs), so we are hoping to collect your ideas on non-salary MOU items. To complete a suggestion card, click here. (pw: membersmatter22). 

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