BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 455
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 455 (Campos)
As Amended March 31, 2011
Majority vote
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES 4-2
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|Ayes:|Furutani, Allen, Ma, | | |
| |Wieckowski | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Mansoor, Harkey | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Specifies how the membership of public agency merit or
personnel commissions must be appointed. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Requires, in public agencies that have established merit or
personnel commissions, the memberships of those commissions to
be appointed half by the employer and half by the recognized
employee organization. If there are multiple bargaining units
represented by different recognized employee organizations,
the one representing the largest number of employees will be
the one to designate commission members, as specified.
2)Requires the commission members to jointly elect one
additional member of the commission to act as chairperson.
EXISTING LAW as established by the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act
(MMBA), contains various provisions intended to promote full
communication between public employers and their employees by
providing a reasonable method of resolving disputes regarding
wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment
between public employers and public employee organizations.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : A merit system is a personnel system based on the
overriding principle of employment and promotion on the basis of
merit for the purpose of obtaining the highest efficiency and
assuring the selection, retention and promotion of the most
qualified persons in the job. Many local public agencies have
AB 455
Page 2
established merit or personnel commissions to promulgate and
administer the rules and regulations for operating these
systems.
According to the sponsor, American Federation of State County
and Municipal Employees, "Despite the importance of merit and
personnel commissions to employment relations, the MMBA, the
statutory scheme governing employment relations in public
agencies, is silent as to how these commissions should be
composed. Oftentimes commission members are appointed solely by
the employer. A requirement that personnel and merit commission
appointments be shared by the employer and the employee
organization would ensure that the commissions will be more
balanced and more fair."
Analysis Prepared by : Karon Green / P.E., R. & S.S. / (916)
319-3957
FN: 0000145