In response to CAPS-UAW’s counter proposal package and NEW 3.25 – Employee Donated Release Time Bank  that was presented to the State on June 6, 2024, today the State presented counter proposals on the Articles listed below: 

• Salaries: The State presented a Salary proposal with a new arrangement of GSIs (General Salary Increase) and SSAs (Special Salary Adjustments), with GSIs of 3% upon ratification, 2% in 2025, and 2% in 2026. They also proposed adjustments to increase the maximum salary ranges of employees by classification, in 3 groups: 5% for classifications in group 1, 8% for group 2, and 12% for group 3. See details on this table.
• One-Time Retention Payment: In addition to the $3,000 one-time payment for all scientists that was in the State’s previous proposal, they now agreed to include an additional one-time $500 payment for all scientists at the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California Department of Public Health. This is progress on our demand to acknowledge recent sacrifices by scientists in these departments!
• Longevity Pay Differential: ​​the State’s proposal is now much closer to ours, and now includes a percentage-based monthly differential for long-tenured employees (between 2% for 17 years of state service and 5.5% for 20 years of state service), phased in over two years.
• Employee Donated Release Time Bank: the State passed a proposal that presents further movement; the idea is to meet on implementation of a release time bank, with parameters on the timeline of the start of the first meeting and how many representatives would participate.
• Health, Dental, Vision: the State countered with a rollover proposal containing our current 5.1 language, maintaining the 80/80 employer health care benefits contribution.
• Geographical Pay Differential: A $250 monthly differential for every rank-and-file State scientist that works in six Bay area counties (Alameda, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties).

Your CAPS-UAW Bargaining Committee is working to develop our counter package. We are meeting with the State again tomorrow and will let you know more as soon as we can.