Keeping you up-to-date on our work to increase your salary, improve and protect your benefits, and aggressively represent your professional interests in every forum where they are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
Continuing the Fight for Maximum Telework Flexibility. Only a handful of the more than 110 departments that employ BU2 professionals have insisted on an arbitrary minimum number of days that employees must come into the office. These departments include CalPERS, Caltrans, FTB, CalSTRS, among others. When the State refused to arbitrate our grievances on the matter, CASE quickly went to court and won an order compelling the state to arbitration. The State still refused, claiming it would “appeal” the order even though such orders, by statute, are not appealable. CASE moved the superior court for an order for sanctions and to hold the State in contempt for refusing to follow its order. The State recently filed a petition for writ of mandate in the Third District Court of Appeal challenging the trial court’s order.
The State is doing everything it can to avoid being forced to go before a neutral arbitrator, because it knows that we have two plus years of history during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrating that our members can, and did, efficiently work from home. Notably, Unit 2 vacancies at the departments with mandatory in-office days have soared over the last few months, as our members transfer from those departments to those honoring MOU’s telework provisions. And of course, departments with less telework flexibility have trouble recruiting replacements for the employees who depart. We’ll keep you updated as we continue to press this issue.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
News of interest to CASE legal professionals.
- California utility bills are changing but the details are still hazy – KPBS (San Diego)
- Before Elon Musk, Twitter rarely lobbied against state laws. Now X is suing California over one – CNBC
- California AG lawsuit coaxes Elk Grove to take second look at rejected housing project – Sacramento Bee/Yahoo News
REMINDERS
Don’t Miss CalPERS Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment began Monday and continues through October 13. During this period, you can make changes to your health plans. The CASE MOU provides for increases to the Consolidate Benefit (CoBen) received by each member with CalPERS coverage. The CoBen covers 80% of premiums for the member and family premiums. As a service to members, CASE has calculated members’ monthly out-of-pocket cost for all the plans available to active employees. You can review a chart of the 2024 CoBen amounts, plans, and fees here.
For more information and to explore your 2024 health plan options, log in to your my|CalPERS account or visit the CalPERS Plans & Rates page. You can also use CalHR’s CoBen Calculator to assist you with planning for the coming year.
The Department of Human Resources also hosted a two-day Open Enrollment Virtual Benefits Fair to help state employees make informed decisions about the State’s health, dental, and vision plans in 2024. The recorded sessions will be available on-demand until Open Enrollment ends on October 13.