The State Worker

California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment has told its members that union negotiators have reached a tentative labor agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown.

The deal, significant as the first reached by the Brown administration, sets out the labor terms for a 3,700-member union that has been without a current labor pact for nearly four years. The agreement also hews closely to the deal reached by SEIU Local 1000 last October.

Here are the highlights of the deal, according to a letter released to members this afternoon:

• Three-day-per-month furloughs end for all furloughed employees on April 1, 2011, conditioned upon the proposed MOU being ratified by CASE membership.

• 3% increase to employee pension contribution (total of 9% for Bargaining Unit 2 miscellaneous employees, 10% for Bargaining Unit 2 safety employees).

• 4% increase to top of salary step for all classes at end of contract (July 1, 2013), effective after employee has been at top step for a minimum of 12 months.

• All employees to receive 1.73 hours of additional leave credit per month (equal to 1% of gross salary per year) during the term of the MOU. This additional leave credit does not expire, and may be used or cashed out in the same manner as vacation leave or annual leave.

• One day of unpaid personal leave (under a program named "PLP 2010" by DPA) per month for 12 consecutive months beginning the pay period following ratification. Employees have until June 30, 2016, to use accrued PLP 2010 time, at which time it expires. PLP 2010 time must be used before any type of leave except sick leave, and has no cash value.

• Bargaining Unit 2 employees at State Compensation Insurance Fund are exempted from PLP 2010 days for the term of the contract in recognition of the successful CASE litigation and Insurance Code section 11873(c).

• Increased state health care contributions (80%-80% formula) for 2011, 2012, and 2013. Employer health care contribution for 2011 increased to $486 (employee only), $986 (employee plus one dependent), and $1,241 (employee plus two or more dependents). State health care contribution to be increased on January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2013, using the 80%-80% formula.

• Bargaining Unit 2 members will receive two additional professional development days (for a total of five professional development days) per fiscal year, to be used for either professional or personal development activities at the employee's discretion, and to be requested and granted in the same manner as annual or vacation leave.

• Consistent with legislation passed during the prior administration, the parties agree to delete Lincoln's Birthday and Columbus Day as state holidays.

• State agrees not to seek the unilateral imposition of furloughs during term of PLP 2010.

• State agrees to introduce and support legislation to continuously appropriate funding for state employee salaries and benefits during the term of the contract, to ensure employee salaries and benefits are maintained in the event of an untimely State budget.

• Employees hired after January 15, 2011, shall participate in a reduced (pre-SB400) defined benefit pension plan (2% at 60 formula).

• Contract protection ("Most Favored Nation Clause" or "Me Too Clause") which ensures that should any other bargaining unit currently without a contract receive a better overall compensation package, the members of Bargaining Unit 2 would be entitled to the difference.

• The remainder of the prior MOU, including side-letter agreements and the CUIAB caseload stipulation previously negotiated, were rolled over into the new contract.

CASE also told its members that the agreement has no impact on furlough litigation that the union hopes will eventually win back pay for unpaid days off forced on its members during former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration and carried forward by Brown.

Click here to read the CASE announcement to members.