STATE NEWS
From the Capitol
CSEA has successful legislative session
by Shannon Carr
It has been a very productive legislative session as every one of CSEA’s sponsored bills that CSEA brought to the Capitol this year has resonated with lawmakers and passed out of the Legislature! Of the six bills presented, all were signed into law. This is a significant achievement demonstrating the widespread support the governor has for CSEA and the hardworking, essential members we represent. CSEA’s top-priority bill, AB 438 (Reyes) Layoff Notice Parity*, was signed into law October 8. This bill will finally create layoff parity between classified staff and their certificated and administrative colleagues, standardizing the layoff process so all school employees receive the same March 15 layoff notice and hearing rights, regardless of job title. Association President Matthew “Shane” Dishman recently penned this op-ed about AB 438 and why classified employees deserve the same rights as their colleagues. “Imagine having a job where your co-workers have greater job security than you — not because of merit or seniority, but simply because of their job titles,” Dishman says in opening the EdSource piece. “That’s the reality for California’s classified school employees, who feed and transport our students, ensure our schools are clean and safe and keep our students learning through technical and educational support.” He continues to explain the injustices of the current system and how AB 438 will “right decades of wrongs by treating all California school employees, including the lowest wage earners, equitably when it comes to layoff protections.” In addition to AB 438, here are updates on CSEA’s other sponsored bills that have been signed into law by the governor:
Maria Elena Durazo, Senator, District 24
SB 270 (Durazo) Employee Contact List: This bill enforces existing law that requires public employers to provide employee organizations with contact information for their employees. It’s important for CSEA to have this information so we can inform new employees of their rights, including their right to join our union. The Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) is given the discretion to assess an appropriate penalty of up to $10,000 depending on the employer's size and severity of the violation. This bill was proposed by our CSEA Legal Department.
Jose Medina, Assemblymember, District 61
AB 275 (Medina) Probationary Period Parity*: This bill sets a six-month maximum probationary period for community college classified employees working in non-merit districts. This conforms the rules in those districts with those for community college classified employees working in merit districts and in K-12 districts. This bill was proposed by CSEA’s Governmental Relations team.
Kevin McCarty, Assemblymember, District 7
AB 22 (McCarty) Transitional Kindergarten: This bill expands transitional kindergarten to all four-year-olds regardless of birth date. More students will be phased in each year until the program is fully universal for all four-year-olds in 2025-2026. This bill was proposed by two CSEA chapters and approved by delegates at CSEA’s 2019 annual conference. The appropriations and much of the policy from this bill were incorporated into the state budget enacted in early July.
Lisa Calderon, Assemblymember, District 57
AB 289 (Calderon) Merit System Election Reform: This bill will ensure fairness in district merit system elections and remedy problems with the existing process by:
- Only permitting ballot counters to use a uniform stamp to mark ballots to avoid ballot tracking and maintain privacy of secret ballots.
- Adding classified employees on vote tabulation committees to ensure fairness and integrity of the elections.
- Requiring districts to include both sides in any employee communication related to merit system elections rather than allowing districts to intimidate employees.
This bill was proposed by three CSEA chapters and approved by delegates at CSEA’s 2020 annual conference.
Dave Cortese, Senator, District 15
SB 411 (Cortese) Work After Retirement: This bill mitigates exorbitant penalties for retirees in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) who inadvertently violate the working after retirement rules, including the work limitation of 960 hours per year. This bill was requested by CSEA retired annuitants and written by CSEA’s Governmental Relations team.
Labor plays pivotal role in recall election
by David Ngô
Governor Gavin Newsom’s victory in the gubernatorial recall election is a victory for classified staff. Newsom, a staunch supporter of public education, won 65 percent of the vote in a statement election that cements California’s commitment to public schools and school employees. Labor organizations were key to Newsom's landslide victory, including CSEA, which fiercely believes in supporting pro-labor lawmakers who support our members. “CSEA has many friends in Sacramento who understand the critical role classified staff play in the education of California students, and none are more vocal or influential than Governor Gavin Newsom,” Association President Matthew “Shane” Dishman stated in an August 10 email expressing the Board of Directors’ opposition to the recall election. “He has had our backs throughout the pandemic – from securing PPE in the early days to prioritizing school staff for vaccinations and dedicating nearly half a billion dollars to rehire laid-off paras and hire more.”
“He has had our backs throughout the pandemic – from securing PPE in the early days to prioritizing school staff for vaccinations and dedicating nearly half a billion dollars to rehire laid off paras and hire more.”
- Matthew "Shane" Dishman, Association President
Liz Shuler, the first female president of the AFL-CIO, attends a precinct walk with AP Matthew "Shane" Dishman in Oakland, Calif., in support of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The silver lining to the recall election that may have cost taxpayers upwards of $300 million is that the results should inspire people across the state and nation regarding the important role that labor groups representing working people can play in the electoral process. CSEA and other affiliates of the AFL-CIO propelled Newsom in the waning days by making phone calls, knocking on doors, and doing what union workers do best: organizing. “The labor movement is strong and getting stronger,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement. “We showed that to California when we defeated the anti-union recall.” The contributions of labor unions played a major role in this recall election, and CSEA played a major role in labor outreach efforts to garner support for Newsom.
"The labor movement is strong and getting stronger... We showed that to California when we defeated the anti-union recall.”
- Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President
The Association made nearly 70,000 calls to members and retirees to encourage members to vote no on the recall. AP Dishman reached out to tens of thousands of members via email, and CSEA mailed postcards to thousands more. This recall election came at a critical time for the recovery of California, and CSEA’s impact in Sacramento has not gone unnoticed.
Just in the past year, CSEA and our pro-labor allies in Sacramento, like Governor Newsom, have achieved major legislative victories, including:
- Historic layoff protections for classified staff
- Unprecedented funding for public education
- Direct resources to support classified employees
- Universal Transitional Kindergarten
- Universal School Meals
- Protections for retirees who work after retirement
Governor Newsom made a special appearance at this year’s conference and directly addressed members, thanking them for their commitment and dedication to serving their school communities during a pandemic. “Look, California school employees are really the unsung heroes of our education system, doing the critical work to make our schools run every single day,” Newsom said. “Your incredible services throughout this last year, throughout the pandemic, have not gone unnoticed.”
