Published Date: 2020-06-21
State counters CAPT’s compensation reduction proposal
Hello to all of my fellow CAPT Brothers and Sisters. I am Eric Soto, your CAPT State President. I am writing to give you the latest updates on the status of our contract as well as the governor’s May Revise and its impact on our bargaining unit.
On May 26, CAPT met with the state representatives to discuss the governor’s May Revise, which included considerable budgetary revisions to help address the projected $54 billion deficit created by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
At that meeting, the state presented a plan to implement two monthly furlough days for one year. More shocking was the governor’s plan to freeze state worker wages as of July 1, 2020.
CAPT representatives spent a considerable amount of time working on a counter-proposal mindful of three critical principles: our social responsibility to be part of the solution to the state’s economic downturn, the value of our work as essential state personnel, and upholding the terms and conditions of a contract bargained in good faith. CAPT’s proposal included a monthly two-day furlough for one year and a one-year postponement of our July 1, 2020, general salary increase. CAPT sought to mitigate the impacts of a potentially prolonged recession by limiting the furlough program and GSI deferment to one fiscal year.
Sadly, the state’s counter seeks to extend the furlough program to two years and suspends our negotiated raises to possibly 2023 and 2024. While we all understand the unprecedented events that the state and the nation face, it is CAPT’s duty and responsibility to mitigate the impact on our bargaining unit as much as possible.
For all the years I have been a state employee, and for all the years I have been with CAPT, our bargaining unit and our union has continuously strived to achieve the common good—the good of our patients, the good of the state, and the good of our members. That is why CAPT can proudly say it offered a plan that balanced the interests of the state with those of our members and the people we serve. CAPT’s proposal provided significant savings to the state while maintaining the value of our work as vital and essential state employees. CAPT’s proposal met the state’s fiscal year’s demands, yet it was not good enough. The state now wants more. The state wants to extend its state employee compensation savings plan into the years ahead.
Our members continue to work in developmental centers, state hospitals, and in prisons throughout the state. We work in dangerous conditions, subjecting ourselves to innumerable injuries. During this pandemic, we continue to go to work, risking health, life, and limb. Every day, all in the service of the state, we risk contracting COVID-19 and bringing it home to our families and loved ones.
While other bargaining units have agreed to the state’s terms, we sit at a crossroad and will continue to fight the good fight. Your prayers, support, and solidarity are more important than ever, as your bargaining team meets in the coming days to prepare a counter-proposal that respects the dignity and sacrifice of our profession.
In solidarity,
Eric Soto, CAPT State President
June 20, 2020 | Download Flier
© Copyright
|