Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The 2015 Legislative Session for the SDSEO has been one of both calm and furor. While we were not faced with a barrage of negative original bills, and for the first time in what feels like forever our healthcare wasn't going to cost us even more, we caught more than our fair share in proposed amendments to the general bill, HB 1208. The amendments are here. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are bitter pills.
Yes, combined, they add up to $15.055 million. But they don't go together like that, as the second and fourth each have components that are the same: a 50% reduction in movement toward market value.
And while the "savings" for the general fund is a slim $2.2 million for the second and under $2 million each for the third and fourth, that leaves the remainder of federal and other funds forever being lost to the employees and the state's economy. That lost sum is $3.57 million for the second of the amendments, $2.879 million for the third, and $2.653 million for the fourth. The state's economy will not receive a single cent of those millions. In fact, due to the loss of federal funds, we can't even recoup the federal tax dollars we paid into the system. Does that make any sense?
Categories: Appropriations Committee, LegislativeWednesday, January 29, 2014
The SDSEO has been at every hearing of the Joint Committee on Appropriations this session. There were two hearings today, one from 8 a.m. to noon and one later in the day. The first was Day 2 of the Department of Social Services briefings, and the second was a second round for the Bureau of Human Resources. BHR basically went through the present state health plan today, with assistance from contractors like Dakotacare. The 2015 proposed health plan was mostly not a topic. The materials presented are here, under "1/29 BHR Follow-up Presentation." This was the fourth day, overall, for BHR hearings with JCA.
More links:
JCA agendas
JCA minutes
Tomorrow, you can find the SDSEO at the morning JCA hearing, which is Day 3 for Social Services. The agenda is here. You can listen in here. And we'll also be at the 3 p.m. Senate Retirement Laws hearing, where the four South Dakota Retirement System bills will be heard. The agenda is here. The SDSEO will testify in support of each of those bills, all of which are supported by the SDRS Board of Trustees, including the support of the state employee and BOR employees on the board. You can listen to the hearing here.
Categories: Appropriations Committee, Bureau of Human Resources, Legislative, South Dakota Retirement SystemTuesday, January 21, 2014
- House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Room 464, 7:45 a.m (Depts. of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Game, Fish and Parks briefings) - Agenda
- Joint Appropriations, LCR 1, 8 a.m. (Dept. of Education budget briefing) - Agenda
- Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Room 412, 10 a.m. (Depts. of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Game, Fish and Parks updates) - Agenda
- Senate Commerce and Energy Committee, Room 423, 10 a.m. (South Dakota Lottery Commission overview) - Agenda
Categories: Appropriations CommitteeMonday, January 20, 2014
The first week of the 2014 South Dakota Legislative Session, the 89th session in South Dakota history, started with the South Dakota Joint Committee on Appropriations taking state government employee proposals. The committee heard from the Bureau of Finance and Management's commissioner Jason Dilges and Bureau of Human Resources commissioner Laurie Gill. The Thursday BFM testimony was pretty much laid out in Gov. Daugaard's state budget address, and showed raises in compensation. The slides used are here. Compensation is on page 11. Below is a chart based on info from page 11:
Recommended Increases General Federal Federal Other
3% Across the Board and
Market Increases $9,772,471 $5,442,344 $11,678,982
3% Adjustment Toward Job Worth (PACE) $2,797,040 $1,346,040 $1,828,3780
4.5% Pay for Performance (Career Bands) $585,673 $544,366 $1,587,957
Targeted Compensation Adjustments $454,727 $224,340 $304,730
Employee Health Insurance Increase $6,756,462 $3,902,062 $7,286,652
Total Cost of Recommendation $20,366,373 $11,459,152 $22,686,699
Remaining FY2014 Compensation Pool $(32,711) $(190,766) $(464,725)
Total Increase for Compensation Plan $20,333,662 $11,268,386 $22,221,974
So we see that the proposed salary policy leads to a raise in compensation across the spectrum. But the Friday BHR-centered hearing showed that raises in compensation may have been proposed, but so have increases in deductible and out-of-pocket costs for the employee and dependents. That proposal would see families paying prohibitively more for health care. The slides used are
here.
Under the BHR proposal, deductibles would rise from a low of $500 to $750, and from $1,000 to $1,250 (no change on $1,800 HSA). And out-of-pocket costs would rise from $2,500 to $3,250, from $3,500 to $4,250, and from $3,600 to $4,350. In addition, higher prescription drug costs, the halving of the retirement subsidy, and the elimination of the COBRA subsidy were offered. Altogether, it totals $5.8 million, and that's all born by the employees, straight out of their pockets. That's a problem.
The worst of it is, though, that these costs would disproportionately affect the lowest paid workers. I think of the families that really comprise the backbone of South Dakota, those helmed by heads of household earning less than $40,000 per year. I'd say most of those families have children, and you know how it is to be a parent: children regularly go to the doctor. Then I imagine having to pay an extra $250 per person for the deductible (so, at least an extra $750 to $1,000 per family), and $750 per person for the out-of-pocket (about $2,250 to $3,000 per family). That all adds up to an extra $3,000 to $4,000 per family per year. As far as family finances are concerned, that's a catastrophic health plan. And for families in the $20,000 to $60,000 range, it's just catastrophic.
The SDSEO will be working hard to see that legislative amendments or other remedies are made. We need your help. One thing you can do is join the SDSEO, as we need your voice with us in the Capitol. Another thing you can do is talk about the SDSEO, and how we're working for you: spread the word about the SDSEO. Yet another thing you can do is talk to your district legislators; you can find them here. An email, phone call, visit, or letter about your concerns goes for more than a session's worth of lobbying by the SDSEO.
Categories: Appropriations Committee, Bureau of Finance and Management, Bureau of Human Resources, Legislative, Movement to Job Worth, RetireesWednesday, May 22, 2013
One of the items discussed during the 2013 House of Delegates was the need to expand the SDSEO's reach and presence. The decision was made during HOD to open an office in Sioux Falls during the interim session, with an evaluation of the results of the move to be made during the 2014 HOD. I will continue to work in Pierre for South Dakota Retirement System meetings, Board of Finance meetings, interim legislative hearings, and the entire legislative session.
The driving forces for opening an office in Sioux Falls are the need to push recruiting and chapter activity; working from Sioux Falls allows for me to make working with the SDSEO easier, as we have chapters in Brookings, Mitchell, Vermillion, Yankton, Springfield, Watertown, Sioux Falls, and Madison that have languished without access to the executive director. The hope is that more involvement with the executive director will lead to more recruiting and chapter activity, which are the lifeblood of the SDSEO. The fact of the matter is that the SDSEO needs to start adding members and getting more active, or it will fold.
A couple more benefits of working from Sioux Falls in the interim: 1) The SDSEO will still have its main office in Pierre, and the combined cost of the Pierre and Sioux Falls offices will actually be less than the cost of the current Pierre office. 2) Greater access to legislators. There are 12 districts west of Pierre, with state employee concentrations in just 5 of those. There are 23 districts east of Pierre, with state employee concentrations in 18 of them. It's much easier to arrange meetings with legislators when distance and time are not so large. 3) As with reason #2, more media outreach possible from Sioux Falls. 4) Reduced travel costs. The cost of one round-trip to almost anywhere East River is slightly less than the cost of one month's office rent in Sioux Falls.
Categories: Executive Board, House of Delegates, Legislative, Member, SDSEO Chapter, SDSEO OfficeWednesday, May 22, 2013
The SDSEO held its first ever forum for an entire district's current legislators last night. It was for District 24, which is plum packed with state government employees. Senator Jeff Monroe and Reps. Mary Duvall and Tim Rounds were in attendance and eager to hear from state employees. Did they have people to interact with? There were a few state government employees who showed up to interact with the folks who make the laws that govern the employment of state employees, but not many. Considering it was a rainy night with lots of events canceled, and considering we blitzed the radio airwaves and the daily newspaper with advertising, and considering the event was specifically for state employees and SDSEO members, the turnout was disappointing. However, those who attended had great ideas, and those are the ideas we'll move forward with. We'll have another forum in Pierre, and we hope for better attendance. Here's the Pierre Capital Journal story on the event: Legislators Discuss Issues With State Employees.
Categories: Legislative, Media, Meetings, Member, SDSEO Chapter, SDSEO OfficeThursday, May 2, 2013
A common question for an organization such as the SDSEO is "What do you do?" It's a question with a lot of answers: the SDSEO lobbies for, works for, discovers for, researches for, and exists for the South Dakota state government employee. But what does all of that "mean"? Well, it means everything we accomplish, we accomplish for you. Take a look at our "Accomplishments For You" flyer to really see what that has meant for the last 41 years. You'll see that every major benefit for state government employees has been either begun or has been extensively lobbied by the SDSEO.
Make positive change and become an SDSEO member today. We need your membership to help make your career better. Membership information is here.
Categories: Board of Regents, Bureau of Human Resources, MemberFriday, April 19, 2013
Took a couple calls and Facebook messages this Wednesday. One retiree called about issues related mostly to current state government employees. I was taken by how much this person still cares about what current state employees must endure: 1) A human resources system that many employees feel does not work for or care about them. 2) The absence of an official, impartial, legislatively sanctioned body that can independently evaluate and recommend disciplinary and grievance procedures from the front of an issue to its back. 3) The perception that the deck is stacked against the average state employee.
I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with the retiree, maybe 45-50 minutes, with most of my time spent listening (while I also researched some of the issues). The retiree asked what could be done about the various things mentioned. I gave the following advice, and it's the same advice I have for all SDSEO members: 1) Contact the SDSEO about the issue(s), so that we may begin to do research and formulate a plan to explore or deal with the issue. Most often, if you have an issue or question related to your employment as a South Dakota public servant, I can have your answer(s) and your solution(s) within moments. 2) The first step determines the second. If you contact the SDSEO first, you'll have a better second step.
I also spent quite a bit of time that day Facebook messaging an SDSEO member about issues related to the ACES evaluation system, specifically as it relates to compensation when the new fiscal year begins on July 1. Over several hours, I made phone calls, checked state websites for relevant info, messaged PDFs and webpage links, and really gave the issue a good going over. By the end of the day, the member thanked me for my work and time and stated that I'd for sure earned that person's $5 in dues for the pay period. I was happy and thankful, but it got me to thinking. Was I working for that member's $5 in dues alone, or was I working on behalf of all SDSEO members and their dues that day? I like to think that I was working for everybody, but on a one-on-one basis. The knowledge and information I gained from helping that member goes into my bag of tricks, and it's a bag that gets opened at the will of an SDSEO member. Have you recruited a new member or joined?
Categories: Benefits, Bureau of Human Resources, Grievance, Member, Movement to Job Worth, Retirees, Salary, TerminationThursday, April 18, 2013
The SDSEO posted a poll question on our Facebook site today. The question was, "How did you get your SDSEO membership form to become an SDSEO member?" If you're a member, please head over to Facebook and take part in the poll. There are a couple "stock" answers, but you can add your own. The reason the question is there is to stimulate members into thinking about how they became a member, to think back to what made them commit to supporting themselves and their fellow state government employees. Ultimately, we'd like you to take the same action that led you to become an SDSEO member, to reach out to your fellow state employee before or after work or while at lunch, and encourage them to join you as an SDSEO member.
If you're an SDSEO member looking for a new member form, or if you're not yet a member but want to join, the membership form is here.
Categories: Facebook, MemberThursday, April 11, 2013
Thankfully, with a winter storm for the ages hammering practically the entire state, South Dakota saw fit to close offices at noon yesterday. But what does it mean as far as compensation is concerned? How will the pay and service be figured?
On the Bureau of Human Resources side, non-salaried employees who could not report to work before noon and reported in about it will not actually have to use their leave: their leave request, up to four hours, for the after-noon work, will be swapped with administrative leave. The leave requests could have been made under any of the categories of leave, from personal to annual to sick. However, salaried employees who called in will have to use their leave, and eight hours of it. Note that this applies to most employees at most departments and agencies; there are some variations, depending on position and employer. If for some reason an employee was scheduled in advance to have yesterday or part of yesterday off, such as for vacation or an appointment, that employee will have to use their leave as they had requested. There are also many potential variations in how offices were actually operating early Tuesday, with some perhaps never even opening, so I suppose BHR will be pretty busy dealing with all of that.
For employees at Board of Regents institutions, it will be pretty much left to the individual institutions. I'd expect them to follow the Bureau of Human Resources policies and procedures, though.
Categories: Board of Regents, Bureau of Human Resources, Member, SalaryNext Page >