Review Your Pay Stubs Carefully

December 29, 2025

CAPT has been notified of ongoing payroll errors at DSH-Patton involving time usage, leave balances, and holiday credits. These issues appear to be systemic rather than isolated mistakes and may affect multiple pay periods for some employees.

In one recent case, a member conducted a thorough review of her payroll history and found errors in 22 of 24 pay periods involving time usage and leave accounting. CAPT has raised these concerns with management and is actively monitoring the situation. However, individual payroll discrepancies must still be identified and reported to ensure they are corrected.

Your Contractual Rights
Our MOU requires that wages, time usage, and leave credits be calculated and paid accurately. Article 4.9 (Timely Payment of Wages) and Article 4.11 (Overpayments/Payroll Errors) govern how payroll mistakes must be identified, corrected, and resolved, including errors involving time usage and leave balances. Article 6 (Leaves and Holidays) further establishes how vacation, holiday, and other leave credits are earned, used, and tracked. Payroll errors affecting these areas may be addressed through the contractual grievance process. Download flier.

CAPT urges all Psych Techs to take extra precautions during incident investigations at your workplace. Whether an investigation is already underway or anticipated, it’s crucial to protect yourself and your career by knowing your rights and following these guidelines:

Call a Union Rep Before Giving Any Statement
After any incident, management or State Hospital Police may seek an immediate statement. Before you say anything, call a CAPT representative. Under Article 2.1.B.5 of our MOU, no Unit 18 employee can be directed to make any statement or admission to be used in a disciplinary proceeding without first having the opportunity to review the matter with an Association representative, upon the request of the employee.

This right applies the moment questioning begins—not just during scheduled interviews. If anyone pressures you to “just explain what happened,” or suggests that refusing to speak is uncooperative, stop immediately and request CAPT representation. A brief, unprepared statement given under pressure can be misinterpreted and used against you in both administrative and criminal investigations.

CAPT will ensure your rights are honored and that you are not placed at risk by speaking without representation. Download flier. 

December 19, 2025

CAPT previously notified members that printed copies of the 2025–2028 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would be mailed directly to members’ home addresses. However, given the likelihood of outdated or incorrect mailing addresses and the potential for unnecessary return-to-sender costs, the CAPT Board of Directors reviewed the planned distribution process. Following that review, the Board has approved an updated distribution plan to ensure timely, efficient, and cost-effective access to printed MOUs once printing is complete.

Local Chapter Distribution
CAPT members who work at chapters with one worksite location will receive their printed MOU through their local CAPT chapter. Printed MOUs will be available during regular chapter office hours, and at scheduled chapter membership meetings. Your chapter leadership will communicate availability dates and any additional pick-up details. Download flier.

BARGAINING UNIT 18 MEMBER(S) CURRENTLY IN NEED OF C.L. DONATIONS

Integrated Community Chapter
Northern STAR

Jacqueline Castro -- SPT

CAPT got the concept of Catastrophic Leave off the ground two decades ago; the program’s been in our state Bargaining Unit 18 contract since 1989.

Article 6.9 of the CAPT contract gives state-employed Psych Techs and related professionals the right to request leave donations from coworkers in cases of financial hardship due to injury or the prolonged illness of the state Bargaining Unit 18 member or his or her family member, or for parental or adoption leave purposes.
You can help by donating vacation, annual leave, personal leave, CTO and holiday credits. Simply contact your personnel office to fill out a Catastrophic Leave donation form. And don’t forget: You can donate to state employees who work in different departments or facilities.

If you need help and have received department approval to get leave donations, contact CAPT to be included in our publications. You also may qualify for reduced union dues while you recuperate. Contact your chapter president to find out more. Download flier.

Our MOU is in Final Review

December 4, 2025

CAPT is completing the last round of revisions to the 2025–2028 Memorandum of Understanding. Once the final proof is approved and the printing process is complete, every CAPT member will receive a printed copy mailed directly to their home address on file with CAPT Headquarters.

This printed contract will serve as your official reference guide for wages, benefits, leave rights, working conditions, and all protections negotiated on your behalf. We want every member to have their own hard copy in hand. Download flier.