SEIU 1000

Members press management for return of flex schedules

2012-02-03T21:00:18Z

When unemployment in California was skyrocketing, some Local 1000 members at the Employment Development Department (EDD) accommodated the department with flex schedules, allowing more work to be done. Now employees want flex schedules to return.

"We accommodated them to get work done," said Ray Shoblom, EDD employment program representative. "Now it's time they gave us a little consideration and let us start an hour earlier."

Members say years ago management demanded extra hours and days of work--sometimes up to 100 hours of overtime per month--to make them look good. Employees were accommodating for the cause. But management took away flex schedules, forcing employees back into 8-5 shifts. ]]>
The facility where members gathered is one EDD facility with no public interaction. Members say that's one reason they can start prior to 8:00 a.m.

About 90 people work inside this facility. Management has so far said "no" to member requests to begin work earlier, but failed to provide reasons why the flex schedules can't return.

SEIU Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker talks with the Sacramento Bee about furlough lawsuit settlement with Jerry Brown (The Sacramento Bee)

2012-02-01T19:06:13Z

Our report in today's Bee quotes SEIU Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker talking about the union's decision to settle its furlough litigation against the state. Here are highlights from her interview with The State Worker:

Read more at SacBee.com >>

Channel 1000 News - Special Report: February 2, 2012

2012-02-01T18:43:08Z

Legal victory for non-budget departments

Narrow legal exemption restores pay for several hundred members More than 700 Local 1000-represented employees at five state agencies will receive back pay for all the days they were furloughed in 2009-10 under a legal agreement reached by our attorneys.

Download today's transcript of the Channel 1000 News [PDF]

Franchise Tax Board: Victory on stewards' rights, supervisors to be re-trained

2012-02-01T16:08:43Z

Local 1000 activists won an 18-month battle at the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), where some supervisors will receive mandatory training on the rights of union stewards as part of a legal agreement to guarantee member rights at work.

The Jan. 10 agreement, signed by FTB, Local 1000 and the Department of Personnel Administration, settles an unfair labor practice charge before the Public Employment Relations Board. The agreement ends a long period in which Local 1000 fought a pattern of harassment, discrimination and threats at an FTB computer network support unit in Sacramento.

]]>
Confronting the boss

The dispute first arose in the summer of 2010. The unfair labor practice alleged a supervisor harassed, disciplined and demoted steward Jim Hufnagle, an IT worker at FTB, for representing his coworkers and informing them of their rights.

Estey and other activists confronted the supervisor to no avail. Local 1000 filed grievances and the unfair labor practice on the steward's behalf and continued to pursue the case even after Hufnagle retired last year.

"I knew I was in the right all the way along," said Hufnagle. "I'm very happy we finally won. It was worth the wait."

Under the agreement, supervisors at Hufnagle's former section must attend regularly scheduled training sessions on the rights of Local 1000 members and stewards. The agreement also reaffirms the right of our members to engage in all activities protected by our contract and the Dills Act.

Union Update: February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T14:00:00Z

Members quiz legislative hopefuls
Franchise tax board: Victory on stewards' rights, supervisors to be retrained
Nominations still open for vacant General Council delegates

02.01.12_update.pdf

Nominations open for vacant General Council delegates

2012-02-01T14:00:00Z

There is still time for you to help out your union by running for vacant delegate positions to the three-day General Council, which starts Aug. 31.

The open nomination period to fill vacant District Labor Council (DLC) delegate positions at General Council (GC) begins Feb. 1.

You can download and print out your General Council delegate nomination form here [PDF]. There, you can also see which DLCs have vacant delegate positions and where that DLC is located.

Submit your completed General Council delegate nomination form and your 100-word candidate statement by fax (916.554.1282), email - Local1000elections@seiu1000.org or traditional mail to 1808 14th St., Sacramento, CA 95811.

Nomination forms must be completed and received at Local 1000 headquarters in Sacramento by 5 p.m., Feb. 24. If you have additional questions, email Local1000elections@seiu1000.org.

Furlough litigation

2012-02-01T03:25:33Z

Legal victory for non-budget departments

Narrow legal exemption restores pay for more than 700 members

More than 700 Local 1000-represented employees at five state agencies will receive back pay for all the days they were furloughed in 2009-10 under a legal agreement reached by our attorneys.

All five agencies fall outside the state's budget process, and are: California Lottery, First 5 California, Prison Industry Authority, California Earthquake Authority and the California Housing Finance Agency.

"Our position has always been that furloughs were unfair to all state employees and to California taxpayers, and we vowed to keep fighting as long as there was a shot at overturning furloughs for any of our members," Local 1000 President Yvonne R. Walker said. "We fought hard to stop furloughs altogether but the courts ruled against us. Our attorneys took a narrow legal path that the Supreme Court left us and used it to benefit more than 700 state workers and their families."
]]> Legal fight continued, despite Supreme Court ruling

Local 1000 filed seven lawsuits in an effort to overturn the mandatory furloughs first enacted by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in January 2009. Each lawsuit used different legal arguments to try to exempt as many state workers as possible from furloughs and restore lost pay. One lawsuit succeeded in ending furloughs for more than 6,000 workers at the State Compensation Insurance Fund in the fall of 2009.

In October 2010, the state Supreme Court ruled that furloughs were legal as long as the governor received approval from the legislature. That court decision applied to all departments receiving an appropriation from the annual budget act regardless of whether the agency received money from the General Fund, special funds or was self-funded -- with a few very narrow exceptions.

"This is a prime example of why "politics matters" to all state employees," Walker said. "Furloughs were a political decision by Schwarzenegger, not a financial decision. We helped elect a governor, Jerry Brown, who recognizes his predecessor's policy was a failure and is willing to work with Local 1000 to make government work."

Furlough Settlement FAQ [PDF]

Members quiz legislative hopefuls

2012-01-31T19:54:03Z

Open candidate town halls give opportunity to influence process

Local 1000 is joining with other SEIU locals to offer a series of "One Voice Town Hall" election meetings in cities up and down the state where candidates for public office make presentations and answer questions from our members.

The town halls are being held throughout February and March as part of an open endorsement process in which rank and file union members discuss the candidates and vote on recommendations to SEIU's California State Council.

"Interacting personally with candidates is crucial," said Sophia Perkins, a Department of Health Care Services employee who attended the first town hall on Jan. 18 in Sacramento. "It's important to see who will best represent state employees and our families." ]]> Many legislative seats open

An unusually high percentage of legislative seats are open due to redistricting, term limits and open primaries.

Political analysts say 42 of 80 Assembly seats may have a new legislator after November. In the state Senate, there is a chance to elect a two-thirds majority of labor-friendly lawmakers - a threshold necessary for passage of spending bills such as our contract.

"State workers have a huge stake in this year's elections," said Local 1000 President Yvonne R. Walker. "We must mobilize our membership to defeat potentially devastating ballot initiatives and continue to elect a strong majority of legislators who value state services."

Crucial ballot issues

The November ballot is expected to have at least three initiatives with a direct impact on Local 1000 members. One measure, which would effectively silence our union politically, has already qualified. There is also expected to be at least one measure to cut public employee pensions. The governor is also promoting a proposition to raise revenue for schools and vital state and local services.
The Jan. 18 town hall was the first political event ever for Dee Dee Munson, an Employment Development Department (EDD) employee since 2009.

"It's amazing that we are able to ask questions face-to-face and see what they have to say about issues that affect state workers,"said Munson."I feel better about the election process, knowing that I can really make a difference."

See the complete schedule of Town Hall Meetings on the events calendar >>

Viewpoints: Pension-cutting plans on ballot promise savings but don't deliver (The Sacramento Bee)

2012-01-31T19:29:15Z

By Steven Filling

Sometimes the truth hurts. In this case, the truth is that the two pension-slashing ballot measures that may face voters in November would provide no effective reform while dramatically increasing taxpayer costs by as much as $1 billion a year for as long as 30 years.

As the Legislative Analyst's Office's detailed analysis points out, these ballot measures would shift pensions for new public workers into insecure 401(k)-type plans that would not be able to guarantee workers' retirement security.

Read entire article at SacBee.com >>

Channel 1000 News: January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T21:49:55Z

Some Local 1000 members working at the Employment Development Department once had flexible schedules. Now they want them back.
Local 1000 stewards at FTB score a major victory for union protection that will force management to change their ways.
Plus, we'll tell you how to meet some of the candidates running for office near your home.

Download today's transcript of the Channel 1000 News [PDF]

Brown's Tax Plan Wins Favor From Most Californians, Survey Shows (Bloomberg Businessweek)

2012-01-25T18:53:57Z

by James Nash

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Californians, including a majority of Republicans, favor Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to raise taxes to help close a $9.2 billion deficit, a new poll shows.

More than two-thirds, or 72 percent, of those surveyed backed the Democrat's proposed November ballot initiative that would raise sales and income taxes, according to the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California poll released yesterday.

Read entire article at Businessweek.com >>

Know your rights: Underpaid or Overpaid

2012-01-25T16:59:56Z

1) The state notified me that I was overpaid. What are my rights?

In order for the state to collect from you, the overpayment has to be within the past three years. The state is required to issue an advance notice to you with the exact amount owed and the reason for the overpayment.

You can dispute the amount of an overpayment notice if you believe it is in error, or you may use leave credits (other than sick days) to satisfy the overpayment.

2) I did not receive my paycheck-- what can I do?

If you do not receive your pay check on payday, contact your departmental payroll office and request a salary advance. If the departmental payroll office is unable to help you, contact your Local 1000 steward or call the Member Resource Center at 866.471.SEIU (7348). ]]>
A. When there are errors or delays in processing the payroll documents and the delay is through no fault of the employee, a salary advance will normally be issued within two work days after payday for an amount close to the actual net pay (gross salary less deductions) in accordance with departmental policy.

B. When a regular paycheck is late for reasons other than those above (e.g., AWOL, late dock) a salary advance of no less than 50 percent of the employee's actual net pay will normally be issued within five work days after payday. No more than four salary advances per calendar year may be issued under these circumstances.

C. The difference between the employee's net pay and the salary advance shall not be paid until after receipt of the State Controller's warrant for the pay period in question.

How to take action

Contact your Local 1000 steward if you feel your rights have been violated. Your steward will work with you, management and our contract to determine the best course of action. You can also call the Local 1000 Member Resource Center at 866.471.SEIU (7348).

For more information regarding payment issues, view contract Section 11.4-Timely Payment of Wages

Union Update: January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T14:00:00Z

New weapon in outsourcing fight
Martin Luther King Jr. honored
Know your rights: Underpaid or Overpaid

01.25.12_update.pdf

New weapon in outsourcing fight

2012-01-24T14:00:00Z

AB 740 holds agencies accountable for illegal private vendor contracts

AB 740, the Local 1000-sponsored outsourcing bill went into effect Jan. 1, and stands to be a powerful tool in our fight to prevent wasteful spending on private contractors.

After a strong push by Local 1000--which included members lobbying legislators and nearly 5,000 emails sent to lawmakers--the bill passed in both houses of the legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 9.

AB 740 requires state agencies to be accountable and change their business practices after the State Personnel Board (SPB) rules that a private vendor contract is illegal.

"Future contract challenges will be more effective because of AB 740," said Local 1000 President Yvonne R. Walker. "We will be more successful at protecting state jobs while preventing needless spending of tax dollars." ]]> 80 percent success rate

Local 1000 has challenged more than 100 state vendor contracts since 2006--winning approximately 80 percent of the time. In many cases, these victories led directly to state workers being hired to perform work previously handled by private contractors who often worked at a higher cost. This includes two veterans homes where 70 food service employees were hired last year after a successful challenge.

On Feb. 21, the legislature is scheduled to hold a public hearing on outsourcing during which Local 1000 will present evidence of private contracts that
are more expensive than hiring state workers.

Challenges ahead

Despite victories, it is still a struggle to stop outsourcing. Last month, the SPB ruled in favor of a Local 1000 challenge to a contract at the California Science Center in Los Angeles over maintenance services for the center's buildings and grounds. The SPB decision said science center management had offered no proof that it was cheaper to hire contractors and had apparently made no serious effort to hire qualified state workers.

Even though Local 1000 won the challenge, the science center has refused to hire more state employees. Instead, management has sent out State Restriction of Appointments (SROA) notices to 21 custodians with the aim of laying off seven of them.

Hire employees, not contractors

Local 1000 is fighting the proposed layoffs on multiple fronts, but the science center case shows how hard it can be to win against entrenched administrators who prefer to hire contractors instead of state employees.

"We really need our members on the front lines to step up and help us identify contracts that need to be challenged," said Marie Harder, a Department of Public Health employee who has trained fellow members to research private vendor contracts as part of Local 1000's outsourcing task force. "These are tough cases, but we are thorough and persistent. We usually win--and it's worth it to protect state jobs and save taxpayer dollars for vital programs."

General Council Nominations & International Nominations

2012-01-21T00:00:00Z

Below are those members who submitted a timely nomination form for CSEA General Council Delegate. An election will be held in some DLCs to determine who will be a delegate and who will be an alternate

CSEA General Council Delegate Election [PDF]

Below are those members who submitted a timely nomination form for SEIU International Delegate. Ballots will be mailed March 12, 2012. Sixty delegates will be chosen to attend the SEIU Internatinal Convention in Denver, Colorado, May 27 - May 31, 2012.

SEIU International Delegate Election [PDF]