Union
March 23, 2010
CCPOA Town Hall Meetings
January 30, 2010
CHP union exec: lower pensions for new hires?
The chief executive of the trendsetting California Highway Patrol union told a CalPERS forum last week that he is thinking about negotiating lower pension benefits for new hires, a move to protect them from a greater rollback by a future initiative.
Jon Hamm, the CEO of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, said he is concerned about "pension envy" among private-sector workers with dwindling retirement security as corporations switch to 401(k) individual investment plans.
Hamm said "public employee unions are becoming villains" because some are playing on public fears. He also said assuming that economic growth will return to "normal" and generate the big pension investment earnings of the past could backfire…
LINK - CalPensions.com
January 25, 2010
Schwarzenegger coming after unions - again
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has put organized labor squarely in his cross-hairs in 2010, opening a fight that will largely determine the shape of his final year in office.
Schwarzenegger's proposals would cut the size of the union workforce, reduce pay, shrink future pensions and roll back job protections won through collective bargaining.
Labor and the unions' Democratic allies are already girding for battle.
"It's a continuing jihad against organized labor," said Steve Maviglio, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist. "The governor thinks public employee unions are Enemy No. 1."…
LINK - LATimes.com
January 22, 2010
OC Republicans, public employee unions
County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh's dramatic call Monday for Republican candidates to stop taking union money is turning out to be thorny. The formula sounds simple - say "no" to public union campaign donations and remove a key incentive to approve sweetheart contracts for them.
But as I wrote in this item, plenty of Republicans have taken public union money and plenty are reluctant to give it up. And now, I've learned that the county party itself took $30,000 in 2008 from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association - that is, the prison guards. Along with the teachers union, the prison guard union the most powerful public employees union in the state - and one of the most roundly criticized for having undue influence on legislation.
Baugh was quick to respond to my call, confirm the contribution - in fact, correct the date I'd given for it - and offer an explanation both for contribution to the county party and for union contributions to him while he was an assemblyman (1995-2000)…
LINK - FreedomBlogging.com (Total Buzz)
December 22, 2009
Union says overtime hours at PDC skyrocket
Hundreds of psychiatric technicians at the Porterville Developmental Center have accumulated massive amounts of overtime, according to new statistics that one union says cost taxpayers up to $180,000 in November alone.
The California Association of Psychiatric Technicians (CAPT) found that its 759 local members worked 5,900 hours of overtime in November—a 257 percent increase since September.
The state-run hospital for the severely mentally disabled is grappling with maintaining a staff-to-client ratio while implementing unpaid furloughs.
"This is a big concern for us," CAPT consultant Brady Oppenheim said. "Our concern is for the taxpayers who are having to foot the bill…"
LINK - RecorderOnline.com
December 3, 2009
OC Register advocates for “Paycheck (deception) Protection” to return to the ballot
California Attorney General Jerry Brown's office was expected today to authorize signature collection for a 2010 ballot measure that would make it illegal for public employee unions to automatically deduct money from members' paychecks and use that money for political campaigns. A similar "paycheck protection" initiative was placed on the ballot in 2005 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but failed along with the governor's other reform measures. This time around, the political climate is much different, and paycheck protection could pass. We hope it does.
Backers of the initiative, including the Lincoln Club of Orange County, Tea Party activists and a number of private citizens, filed the request to qualify the initiative for the 2010 ballot. It would amend the California constitution to (a) outlaw automatic deductions from public employees for political activities and (b) disallow labor unions and other entities that receive such monies from using them to influence politics…
LINK - OCRegister.com
October 14, 2009
Union protests prison teacher layoffs
About 30 union members Wednesday protested the upcoming layoffs of prison teachers and staff members, saying the job cuts will lead to more crime and cause parolees to return to prison because they will lack education and skills.
The protest by members of Service Employees International Union Local 1000 specifically targeted Assembly Member Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, because his district includes 14 prison and rehabilitation facilities.
Union members say about 230 of the laid-off workers, who could lose their jobs in January, live in Gilmore's district. About 800 prison teachers, supervisors and support staff in the adult rehabilitation programs statewide could be laid off, said Elizabeth Figgins, a spokeswoman for the adult programs of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation…
LINK - FresnoBee.com
December 24, 2008
O.C. plans 60 more layoffs amid protests
Faced with a gaping budget deficit, Orange County officials disclosed plans Tuesday to lay off nearly 60 Probation Department employees and to start releasing some juvenile criminal suspects rather than holding them in juvenile hall.
Word of the cutbacks came the same day that 1,000 angry workers stormed the Orange County Hall of Administration to protest previously announced plans to lay off 210 social services employees.
The social services cuts stem from a steep reduction in state funding that county officials said left them with no option but to eliminate jobs. In addition to the layoffs, the county has disclosed plans to require 4,000 social services employees to take two weeks off without pay next year….
LINK - LATimes.com (The Los Angeles Times)
September 19, 2008
Schwarzenegger’s Fundraising Appearance Draws Union Protest
A couple of dozen workers carrying placards, marched and handed out leaflets outside the Oregon Convention Center.
They called for an end to international trade deals like NAFTA and to what they call Smith's 'union busting activities.'
Ken Allen, of Oregon AFSCME, told the crowd he is insulted that Smith would even invite Schwarzenegger here…
LINK - News.OPB.org (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
June 4, 2008
Union Dispute: San Luis Obispo settles police suit over suiting up in protective gear
The city of San Luis Obispo has settled a "donning and doffing" lawsuit with its police union for $55,000 in back pay and legal fees, and it will allow officers 10 minutes of paid time during each shift to put on and take off protective gear.
The union had asked for 15 minutes at the start and at the end of each shift in the federal case filed last year and had sought an unspecified amount in back pay.
"There was a decision out of Los Angeles, where they found after trial that it took approximately 10 minutes total," said Alison Berry Wilkins, the attorney for the union. "While we contended and still do that it takes longer, the settlement was factually in line with what a judge in Los Angeles found." The negotiated settlement will be added to the contract between the police and city and will include a provision for five minutes—coded as one-tenth of an hour — of overtime pay at the start and another five minutes of city-paid time (at regular pay levels) at the end of their shift…
LINK - SanLuisObispo.com
June 4, 2008
Opinion: “Prison funding high”
Now that Governor Schwarzenegger is in his final days of office, we finally get to see him for the "girly man" he is.
Why else would he cut the state's education budget while refusing to stand up to the all-powerful California Correctional Peace Officers Association? This is one of the most powerful unions in California. It lobbies for increased wages and perks, even though the Department of Corrections has some of the highest paid jobs in the state.
Don't believe it? Go onto the Sacramento Bee's Web site and search for highest paying state jobs outside the UC system. And be prepared to get angry. There you will see page after page of psychiatrists and other Department of Corrections officials earning in excess of $200,000…
LINK - PasadenaStarNews.com
April 22, 2008
Puryear judicial nomination draws clash
The battle over the Bush White House's nomination of Corrections Corporation of America General Counsel Gus Puryear to a federal judgeship has turned to charges between supporters and opponents of conflicts of interest and hidden business agendas.
Activists opposing private prisons and Puryear's nomination sent a formal letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee questioning the business ties of law firms whose attorneys have offered their own formal support of Puryear to the committee, including quite a few Democrats.
Puryear's employer shot back, saying Private Corrections Institute (PCI) is simply an extension of the larger Florida Police Benevolent Association, a Florida police union that also represents correctional officers and openly opposes prison privatization…
LINK - NashvilleCityPaper.com
April 3, 2008
Trim state expenses, improve prison system with AB900 reforms
By Marc Bautista, Cindie Fonseca (published Thursday, April 03, 2008)
California's $8 billion deficit is forcing the state to make some hard choices. But our union's research estimates that we can trim hundreds of millions in waste from the California Department of Corrections each year and improve our prison system at the same time. Last April, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 900-the landmark prison reform law that provided $7.7 billion in general fund and bond money to reduce overcrowding and expand rehabilitation programs in our state prisons.
After a year of meetings, reports and news releases, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has failed to make significant progress in the implementation of key reforms. This failure is in part due to persistent waste and mismanagement and the inability of CDCR to competently manage and oversee its programs, contractors and prisoners. This is costing California taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year…
LINK - CapitolWeekly.net
View the SEIU's 4-page Prison Reform Report: LINK - TheCABottomLine.org
November 29, 2007
Opinion: “Prison Guard Lockdown?”
How could a Schwarzenegger administration plan to introduce a bill giving a 5 percent pay raise to prison guards fail? Let's count the ways… First, the state faces an estimated $10 billion budget shortfall next year, which could grow into an even more serious problem if the economy weakens further. Second, the union thinks the pay-raise bill will contain proposals for "give backs" on work rules at the heart of a dispute that has left the union without a contract since July 2006…
LINK - SignonSanDiego.com
September 1, 2007
Chapter 1: “Are We Getting Anywhere in Mediation?”
By now most members of CCPOA should be aware that the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) has declared that negotiating with CCPOA over the terms and conditions of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is futile. As such, DPA sent a request to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to grant them a declaration of "impasse" and assign a mediator to assist with negotiations.
Their request was granted. A shocking turn of events in light of the fact that the presiding members of the board responsible for rendering the decision are all Gubernatorial appointees. I'll bet you'll never guess which Governor appointed them. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed them all. He even has the authority to make temporary appointments to the Board. Theoretically, he could appoint someone for as little as one day, or even for just one decision. These might be difficult decisions to defend publicly, but in light of the current tone of mediation, nothing would be a surprise.
That ought to give you some idea of how the mediation process is moving along. We are proceeding in "negotiations" with the assistance of a PERB assigned mediator. At the onset, which has been the only time we actually sat in the same room with the state's team, the mediator informed us that he expected complete confidentiality from both parties while mediation is going on. Under most circumstances this might be understandable. But our MOU, if we manage to get the state to negotiate in good faith and reach agreement, will be subject to legislative hearings, judicial review, and intense media scrutiny of every detail of the final product.
Considering the attention the "prison crisis" has received in California, and CDCR's inability to stay under the radar, the thought of not commenting about the specifics of negotiations had never once crossed my mind. It has always been the expectation to be grilled about our MOU in every forum possible. But for now, we are expected to be quiet.
My comments about restricting external communications are not meant to criticize the mediator; it appears to be part of the process. But as it turns out, secrecy, or perhaps silence, seems to be exactly what the state representatives need to continue down their current path towards impasse. That is precisely where they have been headed from the onset of bargaining for our new MOU. That's why it doesn't make sense for CCPOA to remain silent, and that's why we haven't.
You may remember when we started bargaining, we brought in camcorders and audio equipment. We wanted to establish an objective record of the proceedings. We believed at that time, based on the way DPA had tried to swindle us on our pay in the 2001-2006 MOU, that they would play fast and loose with language, intent, and the substance of any agreement made. DPA refused to allow any recording of the process.
They said we "ambushed" them with the recording devices. We didn't, we had them out in the open. This is unlike the session when DPA hired a transcriber, who unbeknownst to the entire DPA team, ran a tiny microphone under the table and secretly recorded an entire negotiation session. They apologized repeatedly at the time. We have a letter that says they had no idea that she was recording. They felt so bad about it; they could hardly wait to use it as evidence in their request for impasse.
It didn't get any better after that incident. Every day of bargaining, DPA would show up less prepared than the day before. They were unable to answer even the most basic questions about their 300 plus page proposal. They weren't able to provide any information about what the background was to their proposals and they refused to bring anyone that could. Generally, after about an hour (or less) they would remove their team for a caucus, and then leave for the day. No real negotiations ever occurred. We have spent less than 24 hours bargaining. The last MOU took somewhere in the area of 1000 hours to finalize a deal. DPA has no intention of putting in that kind of effort.
As stated earlier, their intentions were obvious from the start. The mediation process that Dave Gilb swore would help things move along hasn't provided a single signature on a proposal. DPA wont even put their names on a "sign in sheet." It looks like they are just going to spend enough time and taxpayer money to make it look like they tried and then they will request a formal declaration of impasse. That's bargaining in bad faith. We could file an unfair labor practice charge against DPA, but that goes in front of PERB too. So we have a bit of a problem on our hands don't we?
Some of you may ask, "Why don't we just take the 18% pay raise they offered us and call it good?" The truth is they never offered us 18% in the first place. That's the story for the media and the legislature to consume. It's for the members' consumption as well. They want the media and Legislators to accept once and for all we are just a bunch of "greedy prison guards." They want the CCPOA membership to believe our negotiating team walked away from a great deal. Neither is true and neither will survive the disinfectant properties of daylight.
Over the next couple of weeks while there are no meetings with the mediator or the state planned, we are going to send you information about the status of negotiations. While we are going to maintain the level of confidentiality about the mediation process that we are required to, we think its important that you know what DPA is demanding from you.
We plan on providing you with the last proposals from our last meeting on March 29, 2007, (you can't really call it negotiations), with some analysis from CCPOA along with hyperlinks to the proposals and background information as well. It would be nice if DPA had exerted the effort to answer questions so we could give you the intent of their proposals, but instead we must guess about what is the truth beyond their written words. I will leave you to make up your own mind about how much your employer values and understands the difficulty, danger, and demands of the job that you do every day and night, 24-7-365.
You will also see how our employer has intentionally withheld pay and benefits from new staff while telling the Legislature, the media, and a federal judge how hard they are working to fill the vacancies. Talk about a "code of silence." Employers in the private sector face hefty fines and the possibility of criminal charges for this type of conduct. It appears that State employers are immune from criminal charges, but that doesn't mean there isn't a consequence and every single manager across the state has to be aware of that. DPA gave us a proposal to continue this inequitable practice. They expect us to agree to it. In fact, DPA is demanding we agree to it, without any compromise.
DPA expects us to waive state and federal law for future use of leave credits while we are injured, ill, or caring for one of our children. They want us to return to the days when "sick leave abuse" was what we got from the boss when we felt our worst or when our family needed us most. They want the ability to make us choose between the comfort, concern, and care of our family and ourselves and our financial security. Again, they have no compromise.
For those of us awaiting transfers, especially after CCPOA's victory in the recent arbitration decision there is more bad news. DPA has decided they shouldn't have to negotiate at the main table on this issue. Mr. Gilb couldn't possibly allow any leveling of the playing field. No, they have noticed CCPOA of their decision to negotiate on a statewide basis away from the main table. That way their ability to implement their last, best, and final offer on August 1, 2007, isn't hampered by their tactics of regressive bargaining on our master contract.
It isn't difficult to point out the obvious designs of management to continue the pattern of blaming the rank and file for all the failings of the department while enjoying significant pay raises and increased opportunities to make our jobs more difficult. They have proposals to allow every Warden to change the vacation or holiday policies and schedule in any fashion they desire without having to agree to, or honor, the new procedure for a week, a day or even an hour.
DPA is insisting that we waive our right to enforce staffing levels, workload agreements, post and bid agreements, and overtime procedures, along with many other employee rights whether guaranteed by law or not. DPA is set on eliminating all benefits associated with seniority by designing a grievance procedure that provides no enforcement by CCPOA or its members. The demand is one of absolute control and the return of management's ability to punish us without having the procedural safeguards we fought long and hard for.
And about that 18% pay raise DPA is allegedly offering, we must first all waive our rights to any back pay for wages or benefits for the current year, (potentially several thousand dollars) and then accept the new pay formula developed by DPA which cannot be enforced through their new grievance process (previously mentioned) for any amount over $250,000.00. That change alone would have reduced the $7,000.00 check we just received to $10.00 (ten dollars) each.
And in case anyone forgot, unless and until the Governor and the Legislature enact a budget that fully funds all expenditures out of the general fund, (like our MOU in 2004), any agreement we enter into would become void of additional pay and/or benefits. We would be forced to renegotiate. As long as the statute (and for that matter the Governor) that forced us back to the table in 2004 remains in place, long term contracts don't seem very wise.
Not to mention that by DPA's own projections for the next four years and new DPA formula, the CHP will get 28%-29% over the same time period they are allegedly offering us 18%. The CHP deal also has absolutely no takeaways, no retirement smoothing, no sick leave punishment, and no transfer freezes - just bushels and bushels of money. Lets be very clear, for us it's not just about money, but we all know that money is part of it.
The list just keeps going on and on. Rather than try to say it all in one letter, you will receive a new message with new information every few days for a couple of weeks. By the end of this week we hope to have an e-mail address set up for you to provide questions, comments or thoughts on DPA's proposals. We'll be happy to share your thoughts with the State team. We can remove identifiers from messages before delivery if you want, not that any retaliation might occur. After all, it is against the law for management to retaliate.
Be aware, some members of the public and most managers will see this as nothing more than complaining by a group of people, (all of us) who are used to getting our way. When this message lands in Dave Gilb's hands, rest assured that he will get it to one of Arnold's sycophant media trolls and they will try to make something out of it. That act of and by itself should tell everyone who reads this message what this fight is all about. It's about respect for men and women doing a tough job in an overcrowded negative environment, without enough staff, space, resources, equipment, or management support to get it done. It's about DPA and this Governor recognizing and acknowledging the effort that goes into the comfort and safety they feel when they go to bed each night. The CHP doesn't get it done all by themselves!
Thank you for helping us get information to you by providing us with an e-mail address for contact. You will receive the most updated information available, right from the horse's mouth, (so to speak). Feel free to share the information and also to respond when our public mailbox is set up.
We do have a plan for success, but it will need the support of our members. This is not a union of one; it's a union of 30,000 men and women working the toughest beat in California. In our minds and hearts it's our union, in the state of California, and across the nation it's THE UNION!
BE SAFE! TAKE CARE.
