The Sacramento Bee Discusses Lack of Staff and Competitive Pay at the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Last week, the Sacramento Bee published an article titled, “Is an understaffed California labor force leaving workers at risk of wage theft?” This article discussed the backlog of wage claims that exists at the Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO). Due to a combination of “underpaid and overworked public servants” and a lack of competitive compensation, the LCO, overseen by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), is unable to process the high volume of claims it receives. CASE President, Tim O’Connor was featured in this article, commenting on the insufficient wages these CASE members receive:
“State auditors found that salaries for hearing officers, who preside over hearings, listen to witnesses, and issue decisions, was $4,000 per month less than that of administrative law judges who have similar qualifications and responsibilities. When auditors compared salaries of LCO employees to those with similar positions in other public sectors, it reported the state’s compensation isn’t competitive.
As a result, employees have sought promotions or transfers out of low-paying roles, the audit reported.
The union representing hearing officers urged the state to offer recruitment and retention incentive pay. Another strategy to financially encourage qualified applicants to join the labor division would be to hire new employees above the minimum pay for those positions.
While there’s no quick solution to the compensation challenges, these changes would be a step in the right direction, said Tim O’Connor, the president of California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment, which represents hundreds of employees at the LCO.
“The bottom line is: Find ways to offer more money, to get people into the job and to retain people in the job,” said O’Connor.”
To read the article in full, click here.
CASE Insurance Open Enrollment. We are pleased to announce that we have received approval for OPEN ENROLLMENT for your Supplemental Life Insurance for yourself and dependents, Long Term Disability Insurance for yourself (to replace your income if you become disabled and unable to work) as well as Critical Illness and Accident Insurance, all with The Standard Insurance Company. Also, Trustmark is open for your Universal Life Insurance that includes Long Term Care for yourself and dependents.
The Standard’s Open Enrollment is from Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 22, 2024. The effective date of your coverage will be December 1, 2024.
Trustmark’s modified underwriting enrollment ends on Thursday, November 21. This policy will start on January 1, 2025.
Premiums will be paid via payroll deduction, and evidence of your coverage will be sent to you from Nancy Bond Insurance Services.
To enroll, please use this “How To Enroll Guide” that includes a link to the electronic enrollment system. Your Username is your first initial and your last name, all lower case. The PIN number is CASE2022.
We urge you to use the electronic system for more robust policy information. If you prefer, please complete this paper application CASE Enrollment Form rev. 6.2024.pdf and email to Monica@NancyBondInsurance.com.
If you were previously declined coverage due to medical reasons, you will need to complete the Evidence of Insurability again for approval.
You are invited to call Monica at Nancy Bond Insurance Services at 800/685-4519 or direct at 626/599-8559 or email her at Monica@NancyBondInsurance.com if you need assistance!
Don’t Wait! Save the Date – Open Enrollment begins November 4, 2024, and the final day to enroll is November 22, 2024.
Hiring Above Minimum. CalHR has updated the Human Resources Manual. Section 1707. Hiring Above Minimum (HAM). This policy revision reflects the elimination of the delegated authority to provide HAM rates on an individual basis.
Government Code section 19836 authorizes the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to allow an exception to provide a rate above the established minimum salary range of a classification in a limited number of situations.
Effective October 1, 2024, departments are only permitted to appoint employees above the established minimum salary if they are being appointed to one of the authorized classifications as listed in the Civil Service Pay Scales, Section 5.
Departments are required to do a salary determination following the rules in the California Code of Regulations. A rate greater than the salary determination is not permitted for any individual, unless it is for one of the listed classifications approved in the Civil Service Pay Scales, Section 5. To be eligible for a discretionary HAM rate, the appointment effective date must be prior to October 1, 2024.
The utilization of a “Hire Above Minimum” (HAM) salary on an individual basis, rather than a specific group or classification, could result in salary disparities amongst the civil service workforce and perpetuate the gender pay gap. To combat this, CalHR continues to identify best practices that will ensure fundamental equity for all workers.
To help achieve this, CalHR has eliminated the delegated authority to provide HAM rates on an individual basis. At the same time, CalHR has added additional classifications to the Civil Service Pay Scales, Section 5 listing as appropriate to assist departments experiencing recruitment difficulty for specific classifications.
Employees who are appointed to one of these classifications would receive the HAM rate specified for the department/location listed. Also, any current employee already in the classification will be eligible for the authorized rate if they are currently below the rate specified. Receiving a HAM rate will reset the employee’s anniversary date as specified in Section 5. Any employee who was appointed with a discretionary HAM salary rate prior to October 1, 2024, will retain their salary or be moved to the new plus rate, whichever is greater.
CASE Balloting Now Open. All rank-and-file members who joined prior to the August 27 deadline for this election cycle received a ballot on Friday, October 11 to vote in the 2024 CASE Board of Directors election. Seven Director-at-Large positions are on the ballot. Election information was emailed to the preferred email address that you have on file. For more information on the election, visit the Elections page in the Member Center (password: membersmatter22). Balloting closes Friday, November 1 at 5:00pm.
Strengthen Your Union and Get a Little Gift for Yourself. It’s a good time of year to remind everyone about our Member Recruitment Incentive Program. When you invite a colleague to join CASE and they list you as the person who referred them, they get the protections and benefits of CASE Membership, and you get $100. (Referral must be listed on the new member’s application at the time of submission). Top referrers each quarter get a bonus reward, too.
CASE’s Free Privacy Protection Benefit is Extended Until October 31! As part of CASE’s commitment to providing the most value for your membership, CASE is now offering an online privacy protection benefit for our members. The company CASE has hired to manage this new benefit is OneRep, a company that scrubs users’ private information from over 190 online search engines. OneRep is free to CASE members until the end of this month and also offers a family plan. You should have received an invitation from One Rep on September 9 to sign up for their privacy protection program. More information about OneRep can be found here.
REMINDERS:
MOU Suggestion Box. While we are still a few months 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).
Next CASE Board Meeting is Friday, November 22. Members are invited to attend all CASE Board Meetings. The next quarterly Board Meeting is Friday, November 22. If you are interested in attending, please register here. (pw: membersmatter22).