https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article289495952.html
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Amen brother, alot of number crunching and reading of policy from some of the members here( much appreciated).
All I can think about is what does this change for me moving forward in my day to day. I spent quite a good amount of time working in green pants and always believed they were going to make things better, once I was fully committed to the reality that wasn’t happening here in California based on cost of living vs difficulty of job load in this profession I set sail to CF.
Everything since 2019 that has changed that people were unhappy with, I could care less about just based on how much better of an experience I’ve had here in comparison. Referring specifically to compensation, outlook towards retirement, and benefits to home life/insurance…
I wouldn’t trade any of my Green years away (except if I knew when the cut off would have been for 3/50), but this whole drastic schedule thing that’s being battled for all I can ever think of from my end is I hope we don’t fracture something that’s pretty good in my eyes for the sake of working one less day per week.
That being said I have faith in those behind the scenes moving the ball around to get us better benefits, and it’s not something I have an interest in doing in the least. So probably a symptom of my anxiety is I’m not a big fan of change, that’s why it took me so long to move over however, most times I’ve experienced change under a well measured decision it’s turned out fine or better so I guess we’ll see.
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So, based on what I’m seeing here and elsewhere, funding to support the 66 hour workweek has made it through the May revise and has remained relatively untouched in the budget as it jumps through the last few hoops on its way to final approval.
My questions are:
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What other steps are left before the 66 becomes a sure thing? It seems to me like we’re pretty close if not there already.
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President Edwards has said that the membership will vote on final adoption to approve shift patterns and how it will affect base pay and such. What’s the plan and timeline for that?
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At what point will the membership be allowed to review the proposed 66 hour schedules and how it will affect compensation? The TA said shift patterns were to be agreed upon in concept by July 2023. Well, that was a year ago and now we’re just 4 months away from a November 1 implementation date. Everyone should have a chance to plan…especially because some of the implementation plan rumors I’ve heard could really tweak someone’s MOU plans.
Another aspect of it is I’m hearing some people being apprehensive to promote or transfer because they’re hearing most positions not assigned to an engine, dozer, or crew won’t be going to a 66.
With it looking very favorable that the 66 will make it into the budget, I guess I feel like we’re getting to the point that these rumors, concerns, and questions should either be validated or definitively be discredited.
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Great questions
All unanswered at this time.
Valid point in what 66hr is suppose to look like being a year old on Monday🤨 seeing how we won’t have a new agreement to vote on and approve before July 1. The current agreement gets extended automatically for 1yr, including the 66hr.
Additionally, people who bid MOU AAV last year between Nov 1 and Dec 31 bid blindly not know what the last 2+ WP of the years schedule would look like. I believe it was that reason the 66hr schedules were supposed to be released by July 2023…
Finally, seeing that the 66hr has passed the May revised, the salary and benefits numbers used for budget purposes is the current MOU agreement. I haven’t read or seen anywhere in what has been provided so far, stated that the 66hr schedule includes “no loss in PERSable compensation” only that President Edward’s and The Director have stated that is the goal. At the end of the day, goals and objectives still have to be paid for and the Dept of Finance controls the purse strings as voted upon and approved by the Legislature and Governor.
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The Director is saying the same thing the Union is. It’s important to remember the position is a at-will employee and their job is to support whatever the current political administration’s platform is. He is our Department’s lead manager. The Union leadership is CAL FIRE’s 2881’s legislative voice in what happens with our personnel and conditions. If you don’t believe me, just look at the origin of many of our gains over the past decade. As leadership in CAL FIRE they can contrast with each other but when it comes to political sway, the reach of our Department’s leadership is limited. Not saying this as a bad thing simply the reality of a situation. The Union’s job is to get our rights and benefits, the Director’s job is to implement the rights. We may not agree with legislators at times, but it is they who pass rights and benefits into budget. So when throw around support for who did what, I just want to be sure we give credit where is due, and who is along for the ride.
So we have to wait another year to vote on the new agreement if one isn’t voted in by the end of the month?
No,
Like the last agreement. Once the new tentative agreement has been negotiated and agreed to by management and labor. The union brings it to the members for a ratification vote. It is also taken to the Legislature for a vote. Once both sides vote to approve it takes effect. The starting date of the new agreement will be retroactive back to July 1, 2024 till the ending date that will be part of the new agreement.
Until that process is finished, the existing agreement remains in place for up to 1yr, June 30, 2025.
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Nice letter from President Edward’s, but missing the details on “what” a 66hr schedule looks like.
The members were supposed to know schedules by 7/1/2023. It’s been a year, crickets.
Meanwhile the current MOU expires at Midnight tonight and every member that has health insurance gets a pay cut tomorrow based on the extension that expires at Midnight.
I just hope the bargaining team gets this money rolled into base pay. Because they way it was agreed to, the state & fed tax it as “Other or OT” income and $lthe $260 gross is only about $180 after all the taxes are taken out. The remaining after tax $$ didn’t cover 25% of the increased medical costs I’ve been paying since Jan 1, 2024.
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The temporary agreement never stated the membership needed to know the work schedules on July 1, 2023. “The State and the Union agree to present a mutual agreement to the Director of Finance by July 1, 2023 to be included in the Governor’s proposal for the 24-25 budget.”
I went back through and read everything from the last agreement and I don’t see it written anywhere that members were supposed to know work schedules by July 1, 2023. I’m not perfect though so if you find it please post it up.
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Everyone should understand that a change of this magnitude is going to have starts/stops and hiccups. Some people are going to get screwed in some ways and some are going to make out like bandits. The majority of you will reap a pretty big benefit. You will never hear from those where this make a positive impact as that’s not how human nature work. But hopefully everyone will realize what a huge improvement this is. I’m a bit jealous…
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I’ve never heard that the members would know he schedules on 7/1/23. Please cite where you got this info or stop saying it…
why do you think the 260$ goes away when all aspects of the current agreement stay in place until and new agreement is reached?
Our cash stipend was exactly the same as SEIU. Theirs ended last year on the expiration date. They had extended contract talks and the stipend was not in their new contract. So they received no back pay or further payments.
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Section 11.1.7 has a specific expiration date of June 30, 2024 for the $260 health care payment. It does not mean this "automatically " extends.
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I guess I read and interpret these 3 bullet points in sequential order to mean. There would be a plan in place to reduce the work week from 72 to 66hr, it would be jointly worked on by Labor & Management and it would be submitted to the Director of Finance by July 1, 2023 for inclusion into the Governor FY 24/25 Budget proposal.
Which happens to be a public document, that was discussed in multiple hearings for the Legislature and Senate to approve and fund as part of the budget the Governor signed on Friday.
Let’s not forget that $260 month, while not PERSable, Is used to calculate an employees EDWC OT rate. With that money removed from the OT calculation, it’s about a 3.95% PAY CUT for the purpose of calculating the OT rate. The last 2yr agreement had a total of 6.5% general salery raises. 6.5 minus 3.95 is a general salery increase of 2.55% over the last two years.
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You forgot to factor in inflation.
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I stand corrected. That’s why we’re in bargaining.
So, no where did iit say that schedules will be presented to the membership 7/1/23?
No it doesn’t, God forbid the members know anything before it rolls out.
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You know we have to vote on it as a membership to adopt it right??? So we would know all the ins and outs by then and everything would retro back to the end of the previous contract date.