A bill to help resolve some of the salary compaction problems state excluded employees have endured for years has jumped a hurdle in the Assembly. AB 2835 (Nakanishi), co-sponsored by ACSS,  moved to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 19, 2006, from the Assembly Public Employees Reitrement and Social Security Committee (PERSS) following supportive testimony from ACSS Vice President Olin King (who is an Employee Program Manager I at EDD) and other excluded employee organizations. The vote was 5-0 to approve the legislation and keep it moving through the process. AB 2835 would require that all excluded employees who supervise or manage state employees receive salary increases or benefit packages that are the same OR BETTER THAN those granted to their subordinates.

Secondly, the Bill of Rights for State Excluded Employees, which is outlined in Government Codes 3525 through 3539.5, was enacted to protect and delineate the labor rights of state supervisors and managers. However, under DPA's current practice, some state managers have been prohibited from participating in meet and confers. But AB 2994 (Evans) would change this by ensuring that all managers are able to voice their concerns when changes are occurring with their individual or collective working conditions. AB 2994, which was co-sponsored by ACSS and which also moved to Assembly Appropriations on April 19 following strong ACSS testimony, would extend all meet and confer rights to state managerial employees and codify these rights by adding "managers" to Government Code 3533.

ACSS will keep you informed of these two bills' progress as they move through the legislative process.