From Arlene Espinoza, ACSS President

Once again, state employees -- especially excluded employees -- are being forced by the governor and the Department of Personnel Administration to bear an unfair share of the financial burden of the economic downturn and budget crisis. ACSS strongly opposes the cuts in salary and benefits the governor has proposed. We urge our members to join together to fight this unfair action.

Our lobbyist, Sherrie Golden, will be working with legislators to defeat this proposal. But you can help, too. Our annual Lobby Day this year is March 17. That's the day we descend on the Capitol to meet face to face with our legislators to tell them what's on our mind. This is a perfect time for you to make your concerns known. The larger our numbers, the more force our message will have. Many or all of your travel, food and lodging expenses will be covered. Watch our Web site and your emails for more information about attending Lobby Day.

Our board of directors is meeting this weekend in San Francisco, and we will be looking at other actions, including possible legal action related to the furloughs. As you probably know, state worker unions have been successful in several recent cases opposing Gov. Schwarzenegger's furlough order.

We will report on any decisions we make. We would like to hear your comments, as well.