CAPS Secures Side Letter for Healthcare Facility Employee Retention Payment. CAPS Agreed to a Side Letter Agreement with the State of California this week, attached to the 2018-2020 CAPS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will provide $1,500 to Unit 10 employees who meet the following eligibility criteria: 1) employees must have been employed by the State on January 1, 2022, and remain employed upon the first day of the pay period following ratification (August 1); 2) employees must have worked in a correctional facility, correctional health facility, State Hospital, Veterans home, and/or Developmental Services Facility; and 3) employees must have worked in-person more than 50% of the time during the pandemic. The one-time payment agreed to by the Team applies to State Scientists in the Hazardous Materials Specialist classification at all CDCR and DSH facilities.
During the Meet and Confer, the CAPS Team discussed interest in finding ways to provide additional pay to other State Scientists who worked diligently during the pandemic, going above and beyond their traditional duties to ensure the State kept running amidst all the shutdowns, including Research Scientists and Public Health Microbiologists at Department of Public Health, Health Care Services and other departments. The State and CAPS will be discussing that matter in a potential future meeting.
Waterboards Recants Blanket Requirement. Recently, it was shared that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) would implement a 2-day requirement for in-office work as a result of the CalEPA Telework Policy allowing for such restriction. CAPS submitted formal objections to that part of the policy, along with others, and held a Meet and Confer focused primarily on that issue. This week SWRCB released a statement from the Executive Director rescinding the 2-day in-office requirement, instead opting to leave the decision up to supervisors, stating, “I am not mandating that every employee automatically work in person for a minimum number of days per week. However, supervisors may require staff to work in person for a minimum number of days to support operational and business needs of the Water Boards.” CAPS has received information that some programs are still planning to require the 2 days in-office. If you’re in one of these programs, contact CAPS as soon as you can (caps@capsscientists.org).
Join us to Stand UP for Scientists on FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022! RSVP HERE! CAPS is holding a rally on Friday, July 29, 2022, on the West Lawn of the State Capitol from noon – 2pm in support of our Bargaining Team’s efforts to negotiate a successor contract. The rally is open to anyone who supports the work of State Scientists – colleagues, friends, family, and, of course, YOU!
In Review. Check out what you may have missed from past CAPS Updates here:
July 19, 2022. Sign the Petitions Supporting Maximum Flexibility for Telework TODAY. Active CAPS members have created petitions to advocate for departments to support maximum flexibility for telework now and into the future. CAPS intends to send these petitions to the CDFW and the Waterboards on August 1, 2022 – a month before their “return to work” deadline. The petition for DWR will be sent on August 15 to allow for 1 month of signatures.
CAPS has seen the rumored limits of telework for employees without consideration of their individual duties or job classification come out from some departments across-the-board formally, from supervisors specific to their unit and from department executives in some instances. CAPS objects to establishing a maximum number of days for telework at any State Agency or Department. The practice would directly conflict with the statewide telework policy which requires departments to allow employee participation in telework to the fullest extent possible, and arbitrarily declines telework for employees not based upon their job duties, as defined in the Statewide Telework Policy. When CAPS receives notifications that have these limitations, CAPS submits inquiries and objections. However, the departments retort that they have no formal complaints. The petitions are step two! And should it be necessary, CAPS will file disputes on a case-by-case basis.
You can view the petitions here: Petition to CDFW, Petition to Waterboards.
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.