With the appointment of Paul Starkey, CalHR has finally filled out its bargaining team. In light of this development, CASE has sent a letter to CalHR to begin formal bargaining and will be setting a schedule of bargaining dates. We have also attached the “sunshining” letters that were exchanged in advance of bargaining which outline CASE’s and CalHR’s general issues and goals for the new contract for your information.
CASE is excited to announce that we are adding new members to the bargaining team! We are adding one representative each from the recently created Judges Committee and Small Department Committee. CASE has also worked to expand the local representative program over the past three years. We have asked active local representatives from departments that employ large numbers of CASE members to add their subject matter and department expertise to our bargaining efforts. The following have agreed to assist us with bargaining this year:
Tommy Leung (ALJ III, Office of Tax Appeals, Sacramento).
Colleen Monahan (Atty. IV, Dept. of Bus. Oversight, Sacramento).
Darci Houck (ALJ II, Pub. Util. Comm., Sacramento).
Jim Blevins (Atty. III, Dept. of Water Resources, Sacramento).
Michelle Biglarian (Atty., Dept. of Transp., Los Angeles).
Mark Cwern (ALJ, Cal. Unemploy. Ins. Appeals Bd., Los Angeles).
Samantha Fuller (Atty., State Comp. Ins. Fund, Riverside).
Margery Melvin (ALJ, Dept. of Soc. Serv., Riverside).
Additionally, CASE board members have reviewed the responses to the bargaining survey.[1] The message is clear – increasing our salaries is the number one priority. Unit 2 members also want to prioritize equalizing the pay disparity between attorney and ALJ salaries, improving family leave policies, and raising the abysmally low starting salaries for young attorneys. A large number of members’ comments also emphasized the need for commuter benefits and travel reimbursement rates that reflect the cost of working in California. The CASE board is comprised entirely of volunteers who work full time as attorneys and administrative law judges in state employment. We personally understand how unsustainable our salaries and benefits are and are working hard to change that.
If you are a Voting Member and have not completed the survey, please do so now. It is an important bargaining tool as it alerts us to issues we may not be aware of and allows us to show CalHR what issues are critical to Unit 2 members. We will continue to review the survey throughout the bargaining process.
Finally, if you want to vote on the MOU, you must join CASE at least 45 days before the MOU is finalized. If we are able to get a tentative agreement by the expiration of the current MOU, your last day to join and get a vote on the new MOU is MAY 16th. Please add your voice to this important decision and support your colleagues in fighting for better pay and benefits. Sign up here.
CASE encourages you to pass this email along to any of your colleagues who may not have received it. If you are not receiving CASE emails but would like to, please send an email to info@calattorneys.org and ask to be added to the distribution list. CASE also encourages you to communicate from your personal email as opposed to your state email. All responses will be kept confidential by CASE.
As always, your support of CASE and your colleagues in Bargaining Unit 2 is greatly appreciated. We are stronger together!
Sincerely,
The CASE Board of Directors
[1] This includes one member’s request that we bargain for free pizza and beer.
Click here for the Unions letter
Click here for the States letter