State Bar Board of Trustees Approves Tentative Agreement and Announces New, Improved Remote Work Policy!
The State Bar Board of Trustees voted December 22, 2022 to approve the Tentative Agreement. This concludes a bargaining process that began in March, and locks in wage and benefit improvements that your Bargaining Team fought for over the course of the past eight months!
The new contract will go into effect January 1, 2023, but the Bar has confirmed that all salary adjustments in the new MOU will be effective December 26, 2022. The complete contract will be available on the SEIU Local 1000 website soon. Scroll down on this page to read a summary of the Tentative Agreement.
Additionally, your Bargaining Team and the State Bar have concluded bargaining over effects of the new Remote Work Policy that was announced today. The new policy includes improvements that many members had voiced support for. Many employees will now be required to come to the office one day per week, as opposed to two days per week under the previous policy. The Union and the State Bar also settled a dispute about whether employees with Bar-issued cellphones or internet devices would qualify for a remote work subsidy; these employees will receive a $25 monthly subsidy going forward. Remote-working employees will also receive an increased annual subsidy of $250 for work-related equipment and supplies.
FAQs Regarding the New MOU and Remote Work Policy:
Q: If I’m getting a special salary adjustment in addition to the 5% general salary adjustment, is the special salary adjustment calculated before or after the general salary adjustment?
A: General and special salary adjustments are calculated at the same time, as percentages of current salary. For example, a hypothetical Attorney whose annual salary is currently $100,000 stands to receive a 5% general salary adjustment, as well as a 2.5% special salary adjustment, for a total adjusted annual salary of $107,500 effective December 26, 2022.
Q: If I’m “topped out,” meaning my annual salary is currently the maximum of the salary range for my position, will I receive general and/or special salary adjustments in the new contract?
A: Yes, any currently topped out employee will receive the 5% general salary adjustment effective December 26, 2022, as well as any applicable special salary adjustment for the employee’s classification. For example, an Attorney whose annual salary is currently topped out at $158,020, will receive a 5% general salary adjustment and a 2.5% special salary adjustment, for a total new annual salary of $169,871.50, effective December 26, 2022.
Q: If I’m topped out, will I remain topped out under the new contract?
A: Generally, yes. Topped out employees will remain topped out, and will receive future general salary adjustments, unless your classification will have a higher salary range in the new contract. Examples of classifications that will have higher salary ranges under the new contract include employees who are currently in the following classifications: Probation Case Specialists, Clinical Rehabilitation Coordinators, Senior Administrative Assistants, Program Assistant IIs and IIIs, Office Assistant IIs and Administrative Supervisors. Employees who are currently topped out in these classifications will have opportunities for future salary advancement under the new contract.
Q: What are “red-circled employees?”
A: Red-circled employees are employees whose annual salary exceeds the maximum of the salary range for their classification, generally as a result of re-classification in prior contracts. This is a small group of employees, and the current contract doesn’t create any new re-circled employees.
Q: If I’m red-circled, how do I know if I’m receiving any salary increase, or a lump sum payment, in the new contract?
A: Whether red-circled employees receive a salary increase or lump sum payment depends on whether their salary will still exceed the maximum for the range of their classification once the new contract takes effect.
If, after the salary adjustments in the new contract are applied, a red-circled employee’s salary is still higher than their adjusted salary range, the employee will receive a one-time 2.5% lump sum payment.
If the new salary adjustments bring the red-circled employee’s salary within the new salary range, the employee will receive a salary adjustment equal to the difference between their current salary and the adjusted maximum of the salary range.
The Union will reach out directly to red-circled employees in the coming weeks to clarify the effects of these changes on each individual employee.
If you have any questions not addressed here, please reach out to the Union or your Bargaining Team!
Andrew Vasicek – andrewvasicek@gmail.com
Shataka Shores – shataka.shores@yahoo.com
Lita Abella – lita.abella@gmail.com
Ivy Cheung – ilcheung@yahoo.com
Jennifer Cantore – jencantore@yahoo.com
Brian Hoeber – bhoeber@seiu1000.org