The Association of California State Supervisors is a corporation that provides representation to excluded state employees: managers, supervisors, exempt and confidentials. All members of this organization are voluntary and no elected officer or member of the board receives any pay. Only the staff who work for ACSS are paid employees. ACSS is “affiliated” with CSEA and has a written “service agreement” to purchase services each month based on organizational needs and the needs of our members. 

ACSS staff consists of one full-time administrator, one full-time senior labor relations representative, five full-time labor reps, one full-time communications specialist, one administrative technician, one half-time attorney, one half-time secretary and half-time membership representative. 

ACSS is comprised of 11 chapters that cover the entire state of California. The Board of Directors consists of at least one member from each chapter based on the total membership, one Director at Large, and one Alternate Director at Large. 

Since our last Delegate Assembly, ACSS has been called upon to represent and advocate for its members through turbulent and challenging times. State service has been rocked by major changes that have affected every excluded employee statewide, starting with the unprecedented recall of a seated governor, debilitating hiring freezes, departmental downsizing and across-the-board layoffs. Through it all, ACSS has been there representing, advising and encouraging its members.

ACSS continues to provide individual membership representation to members on job-related issues, including administrative actions. We testify before the State Personnel Board, the Department of Personnel Administration, the Public Employees Retirement System, individual state departments, and the Legislature on issues pertaining to state excluded employees. 

ACSS has been very visible at the state Capitol advocating for and against legislation on behalf of our members. In addition, ACSS successfully formed the Coalition of Excluded Employee Organizations, which was instrumental in sponsoring AB 2477 that created the State Excluded and Exempt Salary-Setting Task Force. This Task Force – comprised of six members from excluded employee organizations and six from DPA – met with other DPA and individual department leaders in an attempt to enhance the salaries and working conditions of managers, supervisors, exempt and confidential employees. 

On behalf of ACSS, I served as a Board member of this Task Force, which was chaired by DPA and lasted for over 18 months. With the support of ACSS staff, we were successful in producing an in-depth, first-of-its-kind report on how the State of California conducts its review of excluded employees’ salary ranges and benefit levels. In its final recommendation, the Task Force determined that a new salary-setting commission should be established to conduct annual reviews of excluded employee salaries and benefits and then make recommendations to the governor for adjustments, raises and benefit increases for all excluded employees.

To ensure that this message was carried forward, I gave testimony before the Little Hoover Commission, the California Performance Review Committee (CPR), and others explaining the need for modernization and improvement of this process.

The Task Force’s report, which is over 400 pages long and includes extensive survey and research materials, has been reviewed and accepted by both of the above agencies and has been quoted heavily in their reviews. Based on this exhaustive report, ACSS and the Coalition of Excluded Employee Organizations has sponsored Assembly Bill 1186, carried by Assemblyman Jerome Horton -- who is a member of ACSS -- to take the Task Force recommendations and enact them into law.

During the past two years, I have had to assert my role as guardian of ACSS members’ resources. When it was learned that ACSS had suffered a $650,000 loss due to embezzlement by a trusted CSEA employee, I directed that the process begin to require CSEA to reimburse ACSS for all the money lost through this fraud. The ACSS Board was resolute in its steadfastness that ACSS would not be victimized twice, and this resulted in ACSS hiring attorney Chuck Post to bring a lawsuit against CSEA to retrieve the embezzled funds. 

I am happy to report that this litigation has been successful. 

ACSS has continued exercising its leadership role by regularly polling its members in an effort to determine where ACSS must go next. The membership has responded, and I have directed staff to begin moving ACSS into a new era. Our association will continue to provide individual representation to its members, but it will begin to grow into an organization that also provides training and education for its members. ACSS will present opportunities for professional development and growth through educational forums, networking opportunities and career-enhancing seminars. 

In addition, ACSS’ membership, through the vote in a “Special Delegate Assembly” held in September 2004, clearly indicated that it is time for this organization to seek its own destiny and identity and separate from CSEA. No longer content to be overshadowed by the interests of the other affiliates within CSEA, ACSS started the process of “separation” by calling for a “special election” on this issue. Using the services of McNally Temple Associates, Inc., and Mr. Post, ACSS launched a campaign to educate the membership of CSEA as to the desires of the ACSS membership. All elected delegates from CSEA’s 2003 General Council were sent information and ballots on the issue of changing the CSEA Bylaws to allow ACSS to separate. Although this first attempt at autonomy from CSEA did not go forward due to an insufficient number of delegate ballots being received from the four CSEA affiliates, I will once again take this issue up at this year’s CSEA General Council. 

ACSS is attempting to increase its visibility through advertisements in Capitol Weekly, alerts on our Web site (ACSSonline.org), articles in our magazine and special newsletters, e-mail communication, and through attendance at new supervisor orientations and worksite visits. 

ACSS’ very active “Adopt-a-Legislator” program is designed to educate new and veteran legislators about excluded employees and their issues. This program is used to stimulate member involvement and activities at the local level. In addition, ACSS held two “Lobby Days” at the state Capitol in March 2004 and March 2005, which were great successes in enhancing the Legislature’s awareness of our issues and our members’ contributions to state government. Announcements will be sent to each chapter regarding the Lobby Day for 2006. 

The mission of ACSS for the next two years is to seek our own destiny as an independent organization, increase active membership, and work toward passage of legislation that will increase salaries, provide our members with improved working conditions and benefits, and solidify retirement expectations for all state managers, supervisors, exempt and confidential employees.