DJJ/POC UPDATE & HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN MAY 21 HEARING

Current update regarding DJJ/POC discussion at the Capitol

5/19/2020

  • DJJ item 116 was bifurcated:
    • Approved the savings as budgeted, but the savings amount would be adjusted reflecting new points from the LAO
    • Held open the reduction of positions
  • POC held open
  • Trigger reductions held open

5/21/2020

Sub 5 Hearing Agendas

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR MAY 21 HEARING: Due to social distancing requirements, the hearing will include the use of video-conferencing technology to facilitate panelists and will have a moderated telephone line to assist with public participation at the hearing.  The hearing itself can be viewed remotely through the live stream on the Assembly’s website.

After both panels have concluded, and after the conclusion of member questions, the public may provide public comment by using the following toll-free number: 1-877-692-8957; Access Code: 283 438.

If you encounter technical problems with accessing the public comment phone line, please contact the Assembly Budget Committee at (916) 319-2099 and a staff member will assist you.

The public may also submit written testimony to:

BudgetSub5@asm.ca.gov

Link to subcommittee Assembly members:

https://abgt.assembly.ca.gov/sub5publicsafety

Link to hearing:

https://www.assembly.ca.gov/todaysevents

Link to Agenda:

https://abgt.assembly.ca.gov/sites/abgt.assembly.ca.gov/files/May%2021%20-%20Sub.%205%20May%20Revision%20Agenda.pdf

To soften the blow of state worker pay cuts, California might suspend $2,600 health deductions

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration could offer some relief from potential pay cuts for state workers by temporarily eliminating one of the paycheck deductions workers see each month, according to an Association of California State Supervisors web post.

Newsom this week proposed reducing state workers’ pay by 10 percent on Thursday in a budget that aims to reckon with a projected $54 billion deficit.

California Human Resources Department Director Eraina Ortega told the association the state could ease the pain a little by pausing workers’ monthly contributions toward the health benefits they receive in retirement, according to the post.

The association represents managers and others who aren’t part of the rank and file workforce. CalHR plans to link pay reductions for supervisors and managers to the pay reductions of their associated bargaining units, according to the post.

Most state employees pay roughly $2,600 per year toward the benefit, although the amount varies by salary and bargaining unit, according to a State Controller’s Office report. Public safety workers, who typically retire earlier than other employees, pay much more.

The deduction shows up as “CERBT” on state worker pay checks, which stands for California Employers’ Retiree Benefit Trust Fund.

It’s a fairly new deduction for most California state workers. California Highway Patrol officers began paying it in 2009.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown insisted that unions agree to the deduction in contracts his administration negotiated. The Professional Engineers in California Government accepted it in a 2015 agreement. Workers represented by other unions, including SEIU Local 1000, began paying the deduction in 2018.

Workers and their employers each pay the same amount toward the fund each month.

The retiree benefits are massively underfunded. At the end of fiscal year 2018, the state had about $874 million set aside for retiree health care benefits, and it had liabilities of about $85.6 billion for the benefits, according to the controllers’ report.

The supervisors’ association’s executive director and attorney spoke with Ortega and Deputy Director Paul Starkey Thursday morning, according to the post.

“This does not come near offsetting the proposed reduction in take home pay, but it is a helpful mitigating step,” the association said in its post.

CalHR declined to comment, saying it does not discuss confidential negotiations with bargaining units.

Newsom’s proposed pay cut will go through the collective bargaining process if possible, but the administration would seek authority from the state Legislature to reduce pay anyway in July if bargaining fails, according to Newsom’s proposal.

House Passes HEROES Act With Limits On Student Loan Relief – What’s Next?

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the HEROES Act – a massive, $3 trillion stimulus bill. The bill is designed to provide broad financial relief to individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments who have been hit hard by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate leadership has already declared the bill “dead on arrival,” and the President has promised to veto it.

Student Loan Relief Provided by the HEROES Act

House progressives had originally pushed for $30,000 in across-the-board student loan forgiveness. The released version of the bill reduced the forgiveness, but still provided meaningful student loan student relief, including the following:

  • $10,000 in federal student loan forgiveness;
  • $10,000 in private student loan forgiveness;
  • An extension of the CARES Act suspension of payments, interest, and collections on government-held federal student loans through September of 2021, and an expansion of those protections to include commercially-held FFEL-program federal student loans as well as Perkins loans.
  • A fix to Public Service Loan Forgiveness that would allow payments made on previously-consolidated federal student loans to potentially count towards the 120 qualifying monthly payments required for the program.

Link to full article HERE

Governor Newsom announces new May revised Budget for the State (and what it means for you)

Governor Newsom proposed a $138 billion general fund budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The proposed budget is subject to approval by the legislators on June 15, 2020. In addition to across the board proposed cuts the Governor proposed the following:
  • An approximate 10% reduction in compensation across the board, for all state workers, including management, to be effective July 1, 2020. The 10% reduction is subject to negotiations by each individual union. The Governor stated that this 10% reduction can be avoided if the federal government approves The Heroes Act. If the Heroes Act does not pass or is reduced significantly, then the 10% salary reduction may still happen. Per Governor Newsom, the 10% reduction in salary WILL take effect July 1, 2020
  • Parole Outpatient Clinic (POC) (CDCR) – This department employs mental health clinicians that provide treatment to parolees transitioning out of prison. Our members make up 90 clinicians at these offices. The May revision proposes to no longer fund the POC’s. This means the POC’s will close. This is subject to a meet and confer, which is a mini-bargaining session between the union and the state to discuss ways of mitigating the effects on the members of the intended action and agree on how this change will be implemented.
  • Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) (CDCR) – The Governor’s May Revise proposes to stop intake of juvenile offenders on Jan 1, 2021 and begin the process to close all three state juvenile facilities and the fire camp through the attrition of the current population. AFSCME Local 2620 will begin to meet and confer with the State to attempt to mitigate the effects on impacted clinicians.
  • Ongoing plan of closing two state-operated prisons within CDCR, over the next four years. This has been a developing plan since the population of inmates has decreased from 189,000 to approximately 122,000. The Governor did not identify the prisons. This means that one prison may potentially close in 2021-2022 and the second prison will close next following year. This too will be subject to a meet and confer.
Moving forward, the Negotiating team will advocate for what is right by you, the member!
What can you do to help:
Ensure your contact information is up to date: click here
Write your congress member:

Free Low Cost Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program

In response to the current economic and health uncertainty, AFSCME, for a limited time, is offering this normally low-cost benefit completely for free! All students who begin or continue their academic program with the Summer term are eligible for a last-dollar scholarship, which allows students to complete their degree (through graduation) with no out-of-pocket cost for tuition, fees, or e-books. So, don’t delay – enroll in the summer term today.

Click FREE Low Cost Bachelors degree for more info

We’re living through a tragedy of historic proportions.

Full article can be found HERE.

“The first two bills passed by Congress have been important initial steps. But we need to think bigger and act more boldly. The House and the Senate must move quickly to include robust general grant assistance to states and municipalities, so they can maintain services now and into the immediate future, when they are needed most.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT AFSCME EFFORTS

WRITE CONGRESS AND TELL THEM TO FUND THE FRONT LINES