APRIL 2013 | COLORADO WINS | LOCAL 1876
Members visit legislators for Lobby Day Exemptions head to court, WINS legal team helps draft new personnel rules HIGHER ED EXEMPTIONS Colorado WINS members in Higher Education raised serious concerns with how universities and colleges are applying the new exemption powers granted to them in 2011’s House Bill 1301. The bill allowed Universities to exempt more professional employees and also employees whose positions are not funded by state general funds. WINS legal staff assisted several employees in filing grievances challenging specific exemptions at the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Mesa University and Adams State University. They used “as-applied” challenges, which bring into question specific instances of the law being applied. In early October, WINS filed an appeal of these grievances with the State Personnel Board. The Adams, Mesa and Mines challenges have been reviewed by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), who has recommended full evidentiary hearings in all 3 cases. We expect that the Board will approve the preliminary recommendations of the ALJ and all 3 cases will be consolidated into one hearing which will begin sometime in June. RULEMAKING PROCESS Amendment S, which was passed by Colorado voters in November, altered the way people applying for state positions were hired and managed and necessitated new rules be promulgated the State Personnel Board. WINS staff worked directly with the Board and DPA to develop these new rules, which were finalized at the end of January. Changes were made to Chapters 1, 4, 7 & 8 of the Personnel Rules and can be found at Colorado.gov/spb. The other half of the legislation (HB 1321), which replaced Pay for Performance with Merit Pay and made changes to retention rights, was signed into law by the Governor on June 6, 2012. Colorado WINS worked closely with Gov. Hickenlooper on making sure the changes did not negatively affect state employees.
Salary Survey
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Throughout this process, Colorado WINS was at the Capitol, making sure that state employees receive their first raise in more than four years. Our members delivered hundreds of postcards, lobbying the JBC to increase the salary survey from the Governor’s originally proposed 1.5% to 2%, which the JBC approved in late January. They also approved funding of the new merit pay system, which will provide performance-based raises on top of the salary survey increase. In addition, the state is expected to fully cover increased healthcare premiums, which means employees’ out-of-pocket healthcare costs should actually decrease slightly. While this doesn’t make state employee whole after years of cuts, it’s a step in the right direction. If you have questions about how the 2% Proposed Performance Matrix % increase will affect you, we have put together Increase for FY 2013-14 Merit Pay an FAQ about the FY 2013-14 Compensation Salary Range Quartile Performance Plan. It includes frequently asked questions Rating about the salary survey, merit pay and 1st 2nd 3rd 4th healthcare costs. To get the latest information Level 3 2.4% 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% visit bit.ly/compfaq. Level 2 1.8% 1.6% 1.1% 0.6% This is a win for our union and Colorado’s Level 1 0% 0% 0% 0% state employees. The across-the-board increase, new merit pay system and full coverage of healthcare premium increases results in a state budget that begins a much need economic recovery for Colorado’s state workforce. ■
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APRIL 27 Unleashing Our Power workshop - Pueblo Two meetings: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Contact Hilary Chigro: hilary.chigro@cowins.org or (719) 545-0677
MAY 8 WINSday Member Orientation - Pueblo, 5 p.m. — 7 p.m. Every second Wednesday of the month.
Contact Robert Lindgren: robert.lindgren@cowins.org or (719) 545-0677
MAY 8 Dept. of Corrections call, 6:30 p.m. Every second Wednesday of the month.
Contact Dale O’Connor at dale.oconnor@cowins.org
MAY 11 Unleashing Our Power workshop - Denver , 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. Learn how to harness Union power.
Contact Tyler Gaylord: tyler.gaylord@cowins.org or (303) 937-6489
MAY 15 Retiree Meeting - Grand Junction, 2 p.m. Every third Wednesday of the month.
Contact Eric Shaffer: eric.shaffer@cowins.org or (970) 261-9096
MAY 15 WINSday Member Orientation - Denver, 5 p.m. — 7 p.m. Every third Wednesday of the month.
Contact Robert Lindgren: robert.lindgren@cowins.org or (719) 545-0677
MAY TBD Telephone Town Hall
Discussing the 2013 legislative session and other pressing issues.
Contact Brian Tanner: brian.tanner@cowins.org or (303) 937-6490
On Monday, March 11, a group of Colorado WINS members met with their legislators to talk about long-overdue pay increases, improved staffing and scheduling for correctional officers, and the state’s budget priorities around for-profit prisons. View pictures from Lobby Day. Skip Miller, who works at the School of Mines, enjoyed his conversation with Rep. Joe Salazar (D-Thornton) and urged him to support the proposed raise for state employees. “I talked to him about how much a base-building raise means to all of us, and he really listened to how the 2% increase will help Colorado’s economy by helping state workers,” Miller said. Members also lobbied for new legislation, scheduled to be introduced this week, that will implement new scheduling and staffing standards to improve timekeeping and overtime compensation for corrections officers. Larry VanGelder, a corrections officer at CSP who lives in Canon City, talked to a number of legislators about why these changes are needed and overdue. Top to bottom: Lobby Day attendees after the debrief; Rep. Ed Vigil talks with WINS members from Alamosa; Joyce Murphy speaks with Rep. Dan Nordberg; Members from Aurora speak with Rep. Jovan Melton.