Category: News

<!-- Decorative image -->

PERB Holds Meeting at State Bar Conference

Those of us who attended the annual State Bar Labor & Employment Law Section Public Sector Conference on May 3 got a special treat.  The four members of PERB held a special meeting of the Board during a lunch-time question and answer session.  With almost 300 people in the audience it was the best attended Board meeting in the history of PERB.  During the hour-long session, each of the four Board members answered questions submitted by the audience.  Here are the highlights: Cases on Board’s Docket:  The Board was asked the average length of time from docketing (i.e. when all…

Read More
<!-- Decorative image -->

State Bar Public Sector Conference on May 3

The 19th Annual Public Sector Conference is coming up on Friday, May 3, 2013, at the Claremont hotel in Berkeley.  The Conference is sponsored by the State Bar Labor & Employment Law section.  If you haven't gone to this conference I highly recommend that you attend.  While the sessions are great, the bigger benefit is being able to interact with public sector practitioners—union, management, and neutrals—all in one place. This year the keynote speaker is Anita Martinez, Chairperson of PERB.  Moreover, all four Members of PERB (Chair Martinez, Eugene Huguenin, Priscilla Winslow, and Eric Banks) will be present for a question and answer…

Read More
<!-- Decorative image -->

California Bucks National Trend on Unionization

  • News

Bureau of Labor Statistics News Release: "Union Members - 2012" Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the results of its annual survey on union membership. (Click here to view the release and charts.) The statistic getting all the attention is the fact that overall union membership in the nation dropped from 11.8% to 11.3% over the last year. According to a New York Times article, the 11.3% unionization rate is a 97-year low. Not since 1916, when the unionization rate was 11.2%, have fewer employees been members of a union. Undoubtedly there will be many more articles like that…

Read More
<!-- Decorative image -->

Will Public Sector Pensions Follow Private Sector Trends?

  • News

The last private industry pension plans: a visual essay, by William J. Wiatrowski Last month the Monthly Labor Review Online, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, included a fascinating article entitled, “The last private industry pension plans: a visual essay.”  (Click here for article.)  The article hammered home what most of us already know is happening to private sector defined benefit plans: they are disappearing.  Among the interesting facts: Employees Covered by a Defined Benefit Plan in 2011: Private Sector:  18% Public Sector:  78% “Frozen” Plans In 2009, the BLS began tracking information on “frozen” plans, which are…

Read More
<!-- Decorative image -->

Update on New PERB Regs

In October, PERB issued two notices of proposed rulemaking.  One set of regulations related specifically to the transfer of the State Mediation and Conciliation Service (SMCS) to PERB while the other set of regulations made various miscellaneous changes. On December 13, 2012, PERB held a public hearing on the proposed changes.  My understanding is that PERB voted to move forward with the proposed rulemaking package.  So now PERB must submit a "Final Statement of Reasons" for the regulatory changes to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).  The OAL then has 30 days to review the proposed regulations.  I don't foresee any problem with…

Read More