California State Employees Association

The largest union of California state workers has voted to rescind its strike authorization and to oust the leader who advocated a walkout over pay issues, union officials said Monday. Directors of the California State Employees Assn., representing more than 80,000 active civil servants, plus thousands more retirees and employees at state universities, met in a closed session Friday and voted to revoke the strike authorization.

Contentious elections that could have led to the gutting of state government's largest public employee association ended Sunday with the reelection of the current president and a slate committed to keeping the 74-year-old organization intact. J.J. Jelincic, president of the California State Employees Assn., was solidly reelected to a two-year term.

Contentious elections that could have led to the gutting of state government's largest public employee association ended Sunday with the reelection of the current president and a slate committed to keeping the 74-year-old organization intact. J.J. Jelincic, president of the California State Employees Assn., was solidly reelected to a two-year term.

State government's largest public employee association is under siege not only from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but also from some of its own members. This weekend in Anaheim, a convention of the California State Employees Assn. will elect new leadership that could topple the current hierarchy and make way for an independence move by its largest member union. That could effectively gut the 74-year-old organization.

A federal judge in San Francisco considering what may be the largest sex-discrimination suit in the nation's history has issued a ruling that could cost the state billions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel refused a motion to decertify, meaning that if the California State Employees Assn. wins its case, the estimated 100,000 women involved will be entitled to back pay. "That could run into the billions of dollars," Deputy Atty. Gen. Richard Tullis said.

A potentially powerful coalition of labor and business leaders Thursday unveiled a proposed constitutional amendment in what they hope will be the first successful effort to overhaul the state's voter-approved spending limit. The proposal, which also requires voter approval, would give the Legislature the authority to spend as much as $2 billion a year more than currently allowed and open the door for substantial increases in transportation expenditures.

Employees of the state Economic Development Department office in Anaheim are upset with the union that represents them and are seeking a retraction for what they call a "distorted" portrayal of their office environment. The employees say that two weeks ago, when a union representative was arrested at their office, the union used the situation to claim that workers were being unfairly treated by office management.

Members of the California State Employees Assn. voted Wednesday to reject a pay cut proposed by Gov. Pete Wilson and authorized union leaders to call a strike. With about half of the 23,000 ballots counted, about 94% favored rejecting Wilson's budget-balancing proposal, said CSEA spokeswoman Pat McConahay. Despite the lopsided vote, union officials said no strike was imminent, no date for a walkout was set and negotiations to resolve differences would continue.

A union representing almost half of all state workers reached a tentative, short-term accord Tuesday that grants the civil servants a 5.5% raise starting April 1--their first increase since 1995. Jim Hard, director of the Civil Service division of the California State Employees Assn., said union leaders will recommend that the 80,000 affected workers approve the pact, which would expire June 30. "It's definitely the best deal we could get, under difficult circumstances," Hard said. Gov.

When Gov. Pete Wilson asked state employees to help solve the budget problem by taking a 5% pay cut and making other concessions, the proposal was met with anger, derision and firm opposition by all state employee unions except one. Standing alone was the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., which represents 21,500 prison guards and probation officers.

Budget negotiations moved a step forward Sunday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made an agreement with an employees union that would allow the state to borrow nearly a billion dollars to help balance the budget. But the deal doesn't include cuts in state worker pensions that the governor had initially sought to provide money to repay the loan.

The Davis administration has negotiated an agreement with the state's largest union that would defer a pay raise yet increase the amount of money workers take home beginning in January, give them a dozen extra paid days off, and build in hundreds of millions in added costs for the state over the next 15 years. Gov. Gray Davis' top negotiator hailed the pact as a $150-million saving this fiscal year.

A union representing almost half of all state workers reached a tentative, short-term accord Tuesday that grants the civil servants a 5.5% raise starting April 1--their first increase since 1995. Jim Hard, director of the Civil Service division of the California State Employees Assn., said union leaders will recommend that the 80,000 affected workers approve the pact, which would expire June 30. "It's definitely the best deal we could get, under difficult circumstances," Hard said. Gov.

The largest union of California state workers has voted to rescind its strike authorization and to oust the leader who advocated a walkout over pay issues, union officials said Monday. Directors of the California State Employees Assn., representing more than 80,000 active civil servants, plus thousands more retirees and employees at state universities, met in a closed session Friday and voted to revoke the strike authorization.

Members of the California State Employees Assn. voted Wednesday to reject a pay cut proposed by Gov. Pete Wilson and authorized union leaders to call a strike. With about half of the 23,000 ballots counted, about 94% favored rejecting Wilson's budget-balancing proposal, said CSEA spokeswoman Pat McConahay. Despite the lopsided vote, union officials said no strike was imminent, no date for a walkout was set and negotiations to resolve differences would continue.

When Gov. Pete Wilson asked state employees to help solve the budget problem by taking a 5% pay cut and making other concessions, the proposal was met with anger, derision and firm opposition by all state employee unions except one. Standing alone was the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., which represents 21,500 prison guards and probation officers.

Employees of the state Economic Development Department office in Anaheim are upset with the union that represents them and are seeking a retraction for what they call a "distorted" portrayal of their office environment. The employees say that two weeks ago, when a union representative was arrested at their office, the union used the situation to claim that workers were being unfairly treated by office management.