The quarterly CAPS Board of Directors’ Meeting for the 2021-2023 Board of Directors was held on 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.
Looking for Family Fun on Labor Day? Sacramento Central Labor Council once again is hosting their annual Labor Day Picnic at Fairytale Town in Sacramento on Monday, September 5, 2022. They extend the invitation to local unions to come out and enjoy good food, live music, activities for kids, and the opportunity to build even stronger relationships as union siblings. CAPS is a Robin Hood level sponsor of the event. Register if you plan to attend, here: https://sacramentoclc.regfox.com/labordaypicnic2022
In Review. Check out what you may have missed from past CAPS Updates here:
August 16, 2022. Know Your Rights: Weingarten Rights. State Scientists (and all state employees) have the right to request a union representative to attend a meeting they reasonably believe will result in disciplinary action. These rights are called “Weingarten Rights” which are derived from a 1975 Supreme Court Case (NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc.). These rights apply in investigatory interviews and meetings where the employee has a reasonable belief that formal discipline may result. State Scientists may request union representation before, or during, such an interview. When representation is requested the supervisor must do one of three things: grant the request and delay questioning until the representative arrives; deny the request and end the interview immediately; or offer the option of having the interview without representation. The last option is essentially voluntarily giving up one’s rights to union representation. This is usually NOT the best option.
A helpful tool to help you figure out when a meeting is “disciplinary,” and therefore subject to Weingarten Rights is this – if the meeting is held and you are being questioned about things that happened in the past, the meeting is likely disciplinary; if it’s to discuss how to handle things in the future, it’s most likely not. If you enact your Weingarten Rights, contact CAPS as soon as possible (caps@capsscientists.org).
Read the rest of the entries, or see what else you may have missed on the CAPS Website here: http://capsscientists.org/members/caps-member-updates/ The password is ChooseCAPS! – it is case-sensitive.