BILL ANALYSIS
AB 385
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Date of Hearing: May 16, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
AB 385 (Ruskin) - As Amended: April 26, 2007
Policy Committee: P.E.R. &
S.S.Vote: 6-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Personal Administration
(DPA) and the exclusive representative of State Bargaining Unit
10 to jointly survey salaries in scientific classifications in
California public agencies. Specifically, the bill:
1)Requires the surveys be conducted one year prior to the
expiration of a ratified collective bargaining agreement
between BU 10 and the state.
2)Requires state and the exclusive representative for BU 10 to
meet and confer regarding the methodology to be used in
conducting the survey.
3)Declares it is the policy of the state to consider comparable
salaries prior to making salary recommendations, and requires
DPA to take into consideration the salary of other scientists
in public employment as determined by the survey.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)DPA indicates that similar joint-survey provisions have been
included in the BU 10 MOUs since 2003. Thus, the additional
requirements would be minor. By codifying the provisions,
however, the bill could have future impacts on DPA costs, to
the extent that joint-survey provisions could be deleted from
future MOUs.
2)By codifying provisions requiring DPA to take into
consideration the jointly surveyed salaries of other
scientists in public employment, the bill could place
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additional cost pressure to raise salaries for BU 10 members
and excluded employees. As an illustration, a 5% average
increase in the classifications covered by BU 10 translates
into about $8 million in state costs.
COMMENTS
1)Background . Existing law requires DPA to set and adjust
salaries for each classification in state service.
Additionally, at least six months before the end of the term
of an existing MOU, DPA is required to submit a report
containing the department's finding relating to the salaries
of employees in comparable occupations in private industry and
other governmental agencies. Current law does not, however,
require DPA to meet and confer with BU representatives or use
comparable salary information when making salary
recommendations. DPA indicates, however, that similar
joint-survey provisions have been included in the BU 10 MOUs
since 2003
BU 10 consists of about 2,300 scientific employees working in
areas of scientific research, investigation, testing, and
analysis in the life, earth, and environmental sciences.
Among the largest classifications are environmental
scientists, hazardous substances, specialists, industrial
waste management specialists, industrial hygienists, chemists,
and marine and fish biologists.
2)Rationale . Supporters of this bill assert that substandard
state scientific salaries threaten California's environmental
and public health programs because state agencies are unable
to recruit and retain skilled scientific personnel. This bill
is intended to inform the Legislature of the relative salary
levels of state-employed scientific professionals and help
them assess the impact of these salary levels on state
environmental, natural resources, and public health programs.
3)Prior Legislation . This bill is similar to AB 284 (Bermudez)
of 2005 that required DPA and the exclusive representative for
BU 10 to jointly survey scientific classifications in the
public and private sectors. The bill was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Brad Williams / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
AB 385
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