AB 1186 passed its first legislative committee, the Assembly Public Employees Retirement and Social Security Committee, on a 4 to 2 vote. Subsequently, the bill was heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Because there was a price tag of $205,000 for Commission staffing and travel estimated by the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA), the Appropriations Committee placed AB 1186, along with dozens of other bills that require funding, in the suspense file. The bill will most likely remain in the suspense file until mid-May when all bills requiring appropriations will be heard by the Appropriations Committee.

PECG is sponsoring AB 742 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, co-authored by Assemblyman Ross Bogh. This bill would provide that all state employees will be paid their full salary on time, in the event the State Budget is not passed by July 1. In 2003, the State Supreme Court decided in White v. Davis, an action brought by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, that state employees are only entitled to the federal minimum wage if the State enters a new fiscal year on July 1 without a budget. Although the employees would be paid in full retroactively once a budget is passed, the ruling raises the possibility that state employees would have to live on drastically reduced income for several weeks or months.

AB 742 would continuously appropriate an amount necessary for the payment of salary and benefits for represented and excluded employees in the event the State Budget is not approved by July 1.

PECG is opposing two legislative bills, SB 265 (Campbell) and SB 1063 (Ashburn). SB 265 would reduce the number of holidays observed by state employees from fourteen to twelve. The bill would require the Governor and the head of each State Agency, Board, or Commission to designate the twelve state holidays to be observed by employees. This bill is currently being held under submission in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee.

SB 1063 would allow that during any fiscal year in which a fiscal emergency is determined by the Department of Finance to exist, the Governor, by Executive Order, may direct that employees of any State Agency be placed on furlough, defined as unpaid leave of absence, for up to forty hours during the remainder of that fiscal year. Employees who the Governor deems necessary based on public safety, level of care, revenue production, or other operational considerations would be exempt from the furloughs. This will next be heard in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee.

NEW SUPERVISORY MEET AND CONFER TEAM MEMBER

PECG is pleased to announce that Refugio Dominguez has been selected as a member of the PECG Supervisory Meet & Confer Team. As a long-time Vice President, Supervisory for the Los Angeles Section, Refugio has demonstrated his dedication to representing supervisory and managerial members of PECG.

IF YOU'RE NOT CURRENTLY A PECG MEMBER, NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN

Supervisory and managerial employees working for the State are often incorrectly referred to as "non-represented." This term is incorrect and can mislead engineering and related supervisors and managers into believing that they should not join PECG or drop their membership when they are promoted to a supervisory or managerial position.

Supervisors, through the Excluded Employee Bill of Rights in Government Code Section 3531, are guaranteed the right to form, join, and participate in activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purposes of representation on all matters of supervisory employer-employee relations. Further, Section 3530 provides the employer organizations with the right to represent supervisory employee members and employment relations including grievances.