BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2753
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, RETIREMENT, AND SOCIAL
SECURITY
Rob Bonta, Chair
AB 2753
(Grove) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
SUBJECT: Public employment: employee bargaining
representatives: financial information
SUMMARY: Requires, by January 1, 2017, a public employee labor
organization to post an itemized version of its budget on its
Internet Web site, to provide each member of the organization
easy access to it, and to respond to members' questions
regarding organizational financial issues within a reasonable
time. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires a public employee organization that provides
representation to public employees in labor negotiations with
a public employer to place an itemized version of its budget
on its Internet Web site by January 1, 2017, and to provide
each member of the organization with easy access to it.
2)Requires the budget to be updated on an ongoing basis.
3)Requires a public employee organization to provide its members
with a means of asking questions about financial issues
related to the organization and specifies that members will
AB 2753
Page 2
have the right to receive a response to their questions, in
writing if requested, within a reasonable time.
4)Defines "public employer" as any public employer subject to
the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), the State
Employer-Employee Relations Act, known as the Ralph C. Dills
Act (Dills Act), the Excluded Employees Bill of Rights, the
Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA), the Higher
Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA), the Trial
Court Employment Protection and Governance Act (Trial Court
Act), the Trial Court Interpreter Employment and Labor
Relations Act (Court Interpreter Act), and the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transit
Employer-Employee Relations Act (TEERA).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS: According to the author, "Public employee union
members should have the right to access and review how their
union dues are being spent by union representatives."
According to supporters, "Numerous times over the years,
fiscally prudent members of SEIU Local 1000 and other unions
have made a simple request: they want to know how the union
spends tens of millions of dollars of member dues annually. As
it is their money, they deserve to know how it is spent. An
itemized budget posed online or in an accessible place seems
like a basic level of transparency that most corporations would
provide its shareholder. The same should be true of unions. It
is frustrating that even after members filed a lawsuit against
their union that this information still was not forthcoming."
AB 2753
Page 3
Opponents state, "This bill is focused neither on transparency
nor empowerment, and rather is a misguided attempt to impose
unnecessary, overly burdensome, and duplicative requirements on
labor unions, while simultaneously vilifying both public sector
employees and the unions that represent them. Public sector
unions are subject to a level of scrutiny un-paralleled by any
other non-public entity; yet this bill fails to impose similar
requirements on corporate entities, many of which are in
desperate need of this type of transparency (from which
corporate shareholders would surely benefit.) It should be
noted that out-of-state pro-corporate interest groups have
promoted similar measures around the country in an attempt to
'de-fund the unions.'"
Opponents conclude, "Even more troubling, AB 2753 seeks to
impose the legislative process and waste taxpayer dollars in
order to force a specific outcome in lieu of the democratic
process available to all union members to resolve differences.
Any effort by the Legislature to force specific outcomes in any
dispute resolution represents a dangerous precedent."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
AB 2753
Page 4
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Opposition
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Association for Deputy District Attorneys
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
California Association of Highway Patrolmen
California Association of Professional Employees
California Association of Professional Scientists
California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union
California Conference of Machinists
California Correctional Peace Officers Association
California Federation of Teachers
California Labor Federation
AB 2753
Page 5
California Professional Firefighters
California School Employees Association
California Teachers Association
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
Engineers and Scientists of CA, IFPTE Local 20, AFL-CIO
LIUNA Locals 777 & 792
Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officers' Union, AFSCME,
Local 685
Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Los Angeles Police Protective League
Orange County Employees Association
Organization of SMUD Employees
Peace Officers Research Association of California
AB 2753
Page 6
Professional and Technical Engineers, IFPTE Local 21, AFL-CIO
Professional Engineers in California Government
Riverside Sheriffs Association
San Diego County Court Employee Association
San Luis Obispo County Employees Association
Service Employees International Union
UDW/AFSCME Local 3930
Analysis Prepared by:Karon Green / P.E.,R., & S.S. / (916)
319-3957