BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 455
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   March 30, 2011

            ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL 
                                      SECURITY
                              Warren T. Furutani, Chair
                 AB 455 (Campos) - As Introduced:  February 15, 2011
           
          SUBJECT  :   Public employment: local public employee 
          organizations.

           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 exclusive or 
            majority bargaining agent.  If there are multiple bargaining 
            units represented by different bargaining agents, 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 
          established merit or personnel commissions to promulgate and 
          administer the rules and regulations for operating these 
          systems.

          According to the sponsor, "Despite the importance of merit and 
          personnel commissions to employment relations, the MMBA, the 








                                                                  AB 455
                                                                  Page  2

          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."

           






          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 
          (Sponsor)
          California Labor Federation
          Service Employees International Union California
          Service Employees International Union Local 1000

           Opposition 
           
          None on file
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Karon Green / P.E., R. & S.S. / (916) 
          319-3957