Supervisor’s Committee Met with CalHR. The CAPS 2021-2023 Supervisor’s Committee met with the Governor’s Representative from CalHR last week to discuss items of importance to CAPS Supervisory Members, including: balancing all State Scientist Supervisors’ salaries. Thirty-three classifications of CAPS’ 52 supervisory classifications were left out of the Like Pay for Like Work Lawsuit, which was funded in 2014. The 176 Supervisory State Scientists not included in the decision work in highly specialized fields, often with minimum qualifications required that are higher than those of their peers. Your CAPS Supervisor’s Committee made sure the State understood that CAPS’ top priority is to balance their salary with that of their peers. Additional salary topics discussed included a request for a General Salary Increase (GSI) of 8.5% for all State Scientist Supervisors, to account for the inflation seen this year, and an additional unit-wide 5% GSI to ensure State Scientist Supervisors do not continue to earn the same amount they have been, when the State is amidst their second historic surplus. 

Rank and File Bargaining is a matter separate from Supervisory Representation, per the Excluded Employees Bill of Rights. There has been no word from the Administration regarding whether any supervisory employees will be receiving increases for FY 2022-2023 yet. The membership will be updated if that changes.

Aside from salary discussions, your CAPS Supervisor’s Committee discussed a need for the State to limit the number of direct reports who can report to a single supervisor; a need for geographic pay for employees in counties where the median home price ranges above $750,000; more EAP sessions for CAPS’ supervisory members; encouragement of physical fitness via stipends toward gym memberships and/or other health promotion activities; and departmental approval for necessary travel to banned states for demonstrable scientific endeavors. The Governor’s Representative listened politely to the Supervisor’s Committee’s presentation, and promised to provide the requests to the appropriate decision-makers within the Newsom Administration. Per the “Excluded Employees Bill of Rights,” the State is required to meet with Excluded Employee Organizations, like CAPS, on “all matters relating to…employment conditions and supervisory employer-employee relations, including wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.” You can view the slides from the Supervisor’s Committee’s presentation here. 

Quarterly Board of Directors’ Meeting Held. The quarterly CAPS Board of Directors’ Meeting for the 2021-2023 Board of Directors was held last Saturday, August 20, 2022. Actions by the Board of Directors included:  

• Approving the minutes of the May 21, 2022 Board of Directors Meeting, as amended live.
• Committing the Elections Committee to conduct a census and review a possible modification to the District Director provisions, as prescribed by the CAPS Bylaws. Results of the census and any recommendations will be provided to the Bylaws & Policy Committee by February 4, 2023 for their review and consideration. 
• Approving CAPS Local Representative Beverly Hill and CAPS Supervisory Member Ryan Kinsella as members of the CAPS Elections Committee. 
• Approving CAPS’ endorsement of Malia Cohen for State Controller in 2022. 
• Approving CAPS’ endorsement of legislative candidates, as outlined in the PAC-amended August 19, 2022 memo from CAPS PAC Chair Kris Wiese to the CAPS Board. 
• Continuing CAPS’ membership in Californians for Retirement Security (CRS) to protect the defined-benefit pensions of CAPS members and all public servants by approving CAPS’ 2022 membership dues to the organization.
• Approving CAPS’ endorsement of Proposition 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment.
• Approving an increase in member benefits to include $10,000 in Basic Life Insurance and $15,000 in Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage for members automatically upon joining CAPS, and providing additional optional benefits to members in the form of Critical Illness coverage, Hospital Indemnity coverage, and Accident Insurance coverage programs.  

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 2022 (location TBA). 

Staff Quarterly Report Posted. The Quarter 2 Report detailing representation items of interest is now posted on the Members-Only Section of the CAPS Website here: https://capsscientists.org/members/. The password is ChooseCAPS! – it IS case-sensitive.

In Solidarity, 

CAPS Supervisor’s Committee

Kelley Aubushon, Chair California Department of Food and Agriculture	Scott Bauer California Department of Fish and Wildlife	Gina Ford California Natural Resources Agency
Rebecca Garwood California Department of Fish and Wildlife	Dr. Edie Marshall California Department of Food and Agriculture