On July 1st, state employees received their first raise in 4 years!

TSEA Update – February 21, 2012

As you know, the TEAM act was on calendar today in both the House and Senate State and Local Government committees.

In the Senate:
SB2246 – was rolled one week so that all amendments could be filed. There was no discussion about the bill. The chairman of the committee has indicated that he hopes to have a vote on the bill next week.

In the House:
HB2384 – the Governor’s amendment was discussed in length, section by section, however time ran out before the entire amendment was covered. Discussion will continue about the Governor’s amendment and on other amendments filed by TSEA at next week’s committee hearing. A vote on the bill is anticipated at that time.

We will send a full recap tomorrow afternoon including instructions for our members. For now, everyone needs to continue to contact their representatives on the Senate and House State & Local Committees to express their concerns with the bill. It is also important that everyone expresses their views and concerns to the Commissioner of Human Resources. Legislators need to know how important this bill is to state employees and how important it is to the continued good services they provide. State employees want to provide quality services and be good public servants, which the Administration seems to understand. Nevertheless, we need to inform them why many of the changes contained in the TEAM Bill are misguided. We all know that if seniority is eliminated from the equation, the State will become a training ground for workers. People will come to the State for a few years and then leave for a better paying job. Without seniority rights, there is very little incentive for anyone to want to become a career employee, and dedicate their working lives to serving the needs of the citizens of this state. The state will spend taxpayer dollars training a workforce that will eventually end up in the private sector.

It is important for you to contact the sponsors of the bill. TSEA has met with all the sponsors on several occasions, and they have indicated that it is important to hear directly from state employees on the good and bad parts of this bill. Please express to them what you like about the proposed changes and what you are unhappy with in the bill. It helps if all parties are educated on the issue. These sponsors must answer to their constituents and they need to know how you feel to make decisions that are in the best interest of their district and for all citizens of the state. Please contact them, especially if you live in their district.

Thanks for all that you do,

TSEA

Legislative Update on Civil Service – February 16, 2012

Results of Wednesday’s Sub-Committee meeting:
The actions taken by the House State & Local Subcommittee on Wednesday were very disappointing for TSEA and all state employees. TSEA was led to believe that House Committee Procedures would be followed and the TEAM Bill would be heard to simply add the Amendment to the bill, and then be rolled to give members of the committee time to review the amendment before voting on it. Instead, within hours of the committee meeting, the House Leadership (at the insistence of the Governor’s Administration) chose to circumvent the committee system and force their fellow members to send the Civil Service Bill to the full State & Local Committee. If the committee had followed protocol, both the Administration’s amendment and various amendments submitted by TSEA would have been heard by the subcommittee next week.

Less than 2 hours before the committee hearing, the Governor’s office informed TSEA that the bill and the amendment would be heard and moved to full committee. TSEA insisted the amendment had not been filed timely, therefore could not be heard by the subcommittee and insisted that the bill should be rolled. Speaker Harwell and her top staff attended the meeting and agreed that the amendment could not be heard in the sub-committee because it had not been filed timely, but still insisted on fulfilling their commitment to the Administration to move the bill on to the full committee without the Amendment. An agreement was made that the amendment would be put on the bill in the full committee next week and it was agreed to roll it for one week in the full committee.

The subcommittee urged all parties to continue to negotiate on the bill so that all compromises can be heard in the full committee. Regardless of the failed committee system in the House, in the end this will give TSEA adequate time to draft amendments to the provisions on which we do not agree and adamantly oppose. TSEA Government Affairs Director Sarah Adair will continue to discuss our positions with the Administration.

The Amendment:

The latest amendment drafted by the Administration includes several improvements sought by TSEA. They have agreed to our suggestion that performance evaluations cannot be used to address layoffs or merit pay until July of 2013. This gives the Dept. of Human Resources adequate time to implement changes to the evaluation system and to see if the new system will be successful. TSEA believes the Dept. should appear before the Legislature with documentation of the new system’s success before July 2013, so the Legislature can determine if the process is adequate. Key members of the Governor’s Staff have promised that TSEA will be part of the team that develops this new performance evaluation system, on the condition that we all continue to negotiate and work to get the best bill possible. It is understood that in the end we may have philosophical differences in two important areas: the RIF process and the Hiring Process. However, it is hoped we can reach some common ground on the other issues. Although we are deadlocked on those two issues, we hope the Administration decides to change the two items that it added to the bill late in negotiations: 1) the burden of proof would now be on the employee in the grievance process, and 2) all suspensions less than five days will be appealable only in the first two steps of the grievance process, and will not be heard by the Board of Appeals/existing Civil Service Commission.

Regarding Layoff/RIF policies, the present bill does not include any recall list for employees who are laid off. It also still reduces the layoff notice from 90 to 30 days and it still eliminates Bumping and Retreating. We understand that the Administration wants all layoffs based primarily on performance instead of seniority, and we disagree completely with this shift in policy. However, we do want to recognize employees who are high performers. TSEA has proposed a compromise to still allow bumping and retreating based on seniority, but a junior employee could not be bumped by a senior employee who has a lower performance score. This compromise was offered with the condition that the present performance evaluation system be completely overhauled. We are still trying to find a compromise, but to date the Administration is firm on is position and will not accept any compromises.

In addition, the reasoning behind lowering the RIF notice to 30 days is based upon the practices of surrounding states. Tennessee is the only state in our region that has a 90 day layoff notice policy. Most other states have a 30 day notice. We will continue to ask for a 90 day notice, but again, it does not look like we will reach a compromise. In reference to the recall list, the Administration has agreed to keep a list of all employees laid off, but the list will not have a priority ranking. They will use this list to call people back for an interview, should the position be restored or reopened. TSEA believes the recall list mandated in the present code is very important to state employees and hopes to maintain it in the Bill.

Next Steps:

Please contact your representatives on the Senate and House State & Local Committees (listed below) to express your opposition to the above provisions that we are fighting. If you agree with our suggested compromises, please express that as well to your legislators. It is also important to notify the Commissioner of Human Resources of your views and concerns. Your legislators need to know how important this bill is to you and how important it is to the continued good services you provide. State employees want to provide quality services and be good public servants, which the Administration seems to understand. Nevertheless, we need to inform them why many of the changes contained in the TEAM Bill are misguided. We all know that if seniority is eliminated from the equation, the State will become a training ground for workers. People will come to the State for a few years and then leave for a better paying job. Without seniority rights, there is very little incentive for anyone to want to become a career employee, and dedicate their working lives to serving the needs of the citizens of this state. The state will spend taxpayer dollars training a workforce that will eventually end up in the private sector.

It is important for you to contact the sponsors of the bill. TSEA has met with all the sponsors on several occasions, and they have indicated that it is important to hear directly from state employees on the good and bad parts of this bill. Please express to them what you like about the proposed changes and what you are unhappy with in the bill. They need to know this before TSEA proposes amendments to the bill. It helps if all parties are educated on the issue. These sponsors must answer to their constituents and they need to know how you feel to make decisions that are in the best interest of their district and for all citizens of the state. Please contact them, especially if you live in their district.

________________________________________

Next week, the Senate State and Local Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 21st at 10:30 AM in HHR12.

The House State and Local Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 21st at 1:30 PM in HHR 16.

Please go online to view these hearing at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/ and select “Videos” on menu bar.

We hope some state employees will be able to attend these hearings in person. If you do plan on attending, please make sure you have taken appropriate leave from work.

________________________________________

House – State and Local Government Committee Members

Rep. Bob Ramsey
Rep.Bob.Ramsey@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3560

Rep. Ryan Haynes
Rep.Ryan.Haynes@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2264

Rep. Tommie Brown
Rep.Tommie.Brown@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4374

Rep. Jim Cobb
Rep.Jim.Cobb@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1450

Rep. Vance Dean
Rep.Vince.Dean@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1934

Rep. Bill Dunn
Rep.Bill.Dunn@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1721

Rep. Joshua Evans
Rep.Joshua.Evans@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2860

Rep. Jim Gotto
Rep.Jim.Gotto@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-6959

Rep. Gerald McCormick
Rep.Gerald.McCormick@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2548

Rep. Larry Miller
Rep.Larry.Miller@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4453

Rep. Antonio Parkinson
Rep.Antonio.Parkinson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4575

Rep. Mary Pruitt
Rep.Mary.Pruitt@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3853

Rep. Harry Tindell
Rep.Harry.Tindell@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2031

Rep. Curry Todd
Rep.Curry.Todd@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1866

Rep. Mike Turner
Rep.Mike.Turner@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3229

Rep. Eric Watson
Rep.Eric.Watson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-7799

Rep. Kent Williams
Rep.Kent.Williams@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-7450

Senate – State and Local Government Committee Members

Sen. Ken Yager
Sen.Ken.Yager@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1449

Sen. Jack Johnson
Sen.Jack.Johnson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2495

Sen. Lowe Finney
Sen.Lowe.Finney@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1810

Sen. Stacey Campfield
Sen.Stacey.Campfield@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1766

Sen. Mike Faulk
Sen.Mike.Faulk@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2061

Sen. Thelma Harper
Sen.Thelma.Harper@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2453

Sen. Joe Haynes
Sen.Joe.Haynes@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-6679

Sen. Bill Ketron
Sen.Bill.Ketron@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-6853

Sen.Mark.Norris
Sen.Mark.Norris@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1967

You can call your Legislator Toll Free @ 1-800-449-TENN (8366) then follow the instructions given.

NOTE: It is important to let the Legislators know your name and/or where you work, otherwise your emails will be discarded.

FINAL REMINDER: TEAM Bill heard today at House State & Local Sub Committee Hearing

FINAL REMINDER: All state employees who are able to attend are asked to join TSEA Staff and Field at the House State & Local Sub Committee Meeting today at 3:30pm, HHR30. The TEAM Bill will be heard and we need as many employees there as possible to show your concern for this attack on Civil Services.

Press Release: TSEA: TEAM bill discussions end. Governor’s administration unwilling to compromise on key provisions.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/14/12

Over the past several weeks, the Tennessee State Employees Association has participated in a series of meetings with high-ranking members of Governor Bill Haslam’s administration to discuss the Governor’s TEAM bill, which is aimed at dismantling the present civil service system. “Unfortunately, the Governor’s people were unwilling to remove or compromise on the provisions most harmful to state employees and to the people of Tennessee, leaving TSEA no choice but to announce our strongest opposition to the bill,” said TSEA Executive Director Robert O’Connell.

The TEAM bill’s features include the elimination of RIF (reduction-in-force) rules that allow bumping and retreating, effectively allowing the administration to get rid of employees they don’t like under the rules of eliminating a “position.” This removes seniority as a prime protection for state employees when layoffs are deemed necessary. The bill also does away with the right of a laid-off employee to be called back to work once improving economic conditions make that possible. Other aspects include the elimination of scoring job applicants on their experience, training, education, and test results and moving to a “pass-fail” system where administrators can hire any applicant who possesses the bare minimum qualifications for the job. Also removed would be an employee’s right to appeal most suspensions without pay.

Both sides in these discussions have agreed that the present system of annual evaluation of state employees’ performance is broken and ineffective and needs to be overhauled. Because so much of what the Governor is trying to accomplish depends upon the ability of administrators to compare one employee’s performance with another’s, TSEA believes a new evaluation system needs to be devised and installed, and ought to have produced a year’s worth of evaluations before the rest of the Governor’s proposed changes are considered.

“Although we appreciated very much the administration’s meeting with us and listening to our concerns, in the end they were not willing to bend in the areas of the bill that are most harmful to state employees and the citizens of Tennessee,” said TSEA President Phil Morson. “In scrapping seniority, the new bill would waste the considerable investment the citizens of this state have made in their most experienced employees. We hope their representatives in the General Assembly will not pass the bill in its present form.”

The first test of the bill will be on Wednesday afternoon before the House State and Local Government General Subcommittee.

TSEA is a nonprofit association existing to provide a strong unified voice with which it advocates the work-related interests of members. The attainment of association objectives will ensure a better life for our members and will attract and retain an effective, efficient state workforce to provide services for all Tennesseans. TSEA was established in 1974. For further information, visit the Web site at www.tseaonline.org.

Update on the TEAM Bill

Yesterday, TSEA met with the Governor’s administration for a fourth time regarding the TEAM bill that, if passed in its current form, would make major, and what we believe to be dangerous, changes to the civil service system. The administration sought our response to last week’s meeting where their amended bill was presented to TSEA. After four meetings between TSEA and the Governor’s administration, by decision of the TSEA Board of Directors we have decided that there are too many points of concern remaining in the bill to support it. It is our opinion that the administration has missed the opportunity to work with us on a bill that will protect state employees, and negotiations have ceased. TSEA will send out an official Press Release on this issue today.

To review, in our second meeting TSEA outlined all of our concerns and proposed some suggestions and changes to the bill. During the third meeting the Administration provided their responses to our suggestions and what changes they were willing to work through with TSEA. Unfortunately, the Administration did not return to that meeting including any significant changes. While they did agree to make a few of our minor suggestions (ex. to keep a face-to-face, second level hearing during appeals and to include some definitions here and there throughout the bill) nearly all major points of contention remained.

Click HERE to download a chart listing all of the concerns we initially brought to their attention and their responses point by point.

As the chart demonstrates, the Administration did not consider any compromises on our core issues, including the proposed RIF policy and proposed hiring policy. We offered compromises that were spurned and the Administration chose to bring to the table a revised bill that is actually worse than the first draft on the subject of grievances – The new bill removes the right to grieve any suspension under 5 days. To be clear, at the last meeting the Governor’s administration came to the negotiation table with a new bill that included a couple of minor changes, refused to negotiate on any of our major issues, and to make matters worse actually stripped more of state employees’ rights away during a negotiation process. It appears that the meeting was not for negotiation purposes, but rather to buy the administration time to pressure legislators to vote with them and against state employees. Let it be noted that the Administration, while in discussions with TSEA, had meetings last week with key committee members and leaders, Republican and Democrat, to garner support for their bill.

We are not at a crossroad. TSEA is opposed to this bill in its current form. Since the administration refused to budge on the bill language for any of our major issues, we now must focus our attention on negotiating with the legislators to amend the bill. This process may take some time, but we must try to amend the bill in committee. We have already begun contacting legislators and have a lot of support in the Legislature. Sarah Adair, TSEA Government Affairs Director, will meet with the bill sponsors and all members of the State & Local Committees this week. TSEA will offer amendments to the bill that restore our rights. It is now time for you to help in this process, as we must educate the committee members on our issues and why the bill must be changed or stopped.

If you live in the district of any of the legislators listed below, we urge you to please call or email your legislators sometime before Wednesday’s committee meeting (scheduled for 3:30 PM CST in HHR30).

Your message should be simple: “Do not allow this bill to move forward out of your committee and please listen to TSEA”. You should also tell them why you think this bill is bad. Focus on why it is bad for the public (e.g. devaluating seniority is a waste of tax payer investment) and how it negatively impacts your ability to consistently provide a quality service to the public (e.g. the bill removes the protections that allow you to enforce workplace rules in an impartial fashion, etc.) instead of simply job protection. We must reinforce our position that this proposed reform of civil service will have a negative impact on the citizens of Tennessee and the services that are provided by the State.

House – State and Local Government Committee Members

Rep. Bob Ramsey
Rep.Bob.Ramsey@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3560

Rep. Ryan Haynes
Rep.Ryan.Haynes@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2264

Rep. Tommie Brown
Rep.Tommie.Brown@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4374

Rep. Jim Cobb
Rep.Jim.Cobb@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1450

Rep. Vance Dean
Rep.Vance.Dean@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1934

Rep. Bill Dunn
Rep.Bill.Dunn@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1721

Rep. Joshua Evans
Rep.Joshua.Evans@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2860

Rep. Jim Gotto
Rep.Jim.Gotto@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-6959

Rep. Gerald McCormick
Rep.Gerald.McCormick@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2548

Rep. Larry Miller
Rep.Larry.Miller@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4453

Rep. Antonio Parkinson
Rep.Antonio.Parkinson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-4575

Rep. Mary Pruitt
Rep.Mary.Pruitt@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3853

Rep. Harry Tindell
Rep.Harry.Tindell@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2031

Rep. Curry Todd
Rep.Curry.Todd@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1866

Rep. Mike Turner
Rep.Mike.Turner@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-3229

Rep. Eric Watson
Rep.Eric.Watson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-7799

Rep. Kent Williams
Rep.Kent.Williams@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-7450

Senate – State and Local Government Committee Members

Sen. Ken Yager
Sen.Ken.Yager@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1449

Sen. Jack Johnson
Sen.Jack.Johnson@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2495

Sen. Lowe Finney
Sen.Lowe.Finney@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1810

Sen. Stacey Campfield
Sen.Stacey.Campfield@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-1766

Sen. Mike Faulk
Sen.Mike.Faulk@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2061

Sen. Thelma Harper
Sen.Thelma.Harper@capitol.tn.gov
615-741-2453

You can also call your Legislator Toll Free @ 1-800-449-TENN (8366) Then follow the instructions given.

Need help with what to say?
We want to help you deliver a concise and powerful message to your Legislators. You will find a sample script for your phone conversation below to use as a guide. If you have questions or need further help determining what to say to your legislator, please email Sarah Adair @ sarah.adair@tseaonline.org or call your TSEA field representative.

Sample Script:
My name is ____________ and I live at __________________ in your legislative district. I am a state employee and work at _________________________. I am calling to express my opposition to the Governor’s TEAM Act, which will change the civil service system. I believe there are faults in the system, but this bill will not make the system better.It will have a negative impact on the services I provide in my job, and the citizens of Tennessee will ultimately suffer if this bill passes. Please do not support this bill in your committee, until all of our issues have been resolved.

Here are some samples of what to say if you are asked why the bill is bad (please use these as a guide for your own examples):

I believe state workers deserve a 90 notice if they are going to be laid off. State employees work hard to provide a public service, and we work for little pay. Also, our seniority cannot be ignored. This bill eliminates the value of career employees. The state taxpayer has made an investment in having trained employees who want to work for the public good. If seniority is eliminated, then the state has wasted taxpayers’ investment.

And/or

The governor’s goal is supposed to be recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest workers. This bill takes away all incentives to being a state employee. It will be hard to recruit state workers if this bill passes. It will be harder to retain the workers you do have if their institutional knowledge is no longer valued.

And/or

The governor wants government to run like a business. This bill creates a hiring and firing system similar to the private sector, but then assumes people will want to work for the state when the state wages are not similar to the private sector. There are no incentives left to keep and retain state workers. The state will become a training ground for the private sector. People will come and work a few years and then leave for a better paying job. This will make the state lose in the long run. You will no longer have workers that care about the public and the citizens of Tennessee. Instead you will create a workforce of people who are only trying to get ahead.

IMPORTANT:
The bill is scheduled to be heard in the House State and Local Sub-Committee this coming Wednesday, February 15th, at 3:30 pm in HHR 30. It is very important that we have as many state employees in attendance as possible. If you are able to be there, please attend.

TSEA Legislative Update – January 31, 2012

TSEA bills to watch:

Retirement Voter ID (HB3195 Cobb/SB3195 Yager)
This bill would allow retired state employees to keep their state ID upon retirement to use as a valid ID for voting purposes.

Study Committee on Hazardous Duty Pay (HB3436 B. Ramsey/SB3199 Yager)
This bill would create a special joint committee to study hazardous duty pay for state employees. The goal of this bill would be to identify positions in all departments that are hazardous and pose a threat to the state employee.

No Parking Fee for Higher Ed Employees (HB3224 Hill/SB 3614 Southerland)
This bill would prohibit state institutions of higher education from charging a fee to any higher education employee for parking. Presently, many schools charge employees to go to work, while all other state employees are provided parking at no charge.

Bills from last year still active:

State Employees Not Contractors Bill (HB0478 Curtiss/SB1041 Ketron)
This bill is on hold in House State & Local Committee. Rep. Curtiss has worked very hard on this bill to move it forward. The bill is opposed by the Governor, and the Committee asked Rep. Curtiss to address TDOT concerns before considering it again. Rep. Curtiss has drafted an amendment. TSEA proposes an amendment to prohibit state contracts with contractors that have a misconduct record and another amendment that would prohibit one contractor from overseeing another contractor, requiring oversight by a state agency.

Death Benefits for Noncontributory TCRS Members (HB0558 Harrison/SB1230 Yager)
This bill will establish an equalization of death benefits for non-contributory retirees and will cost the State roughly $800,000. This bill was sent to the Finance Committee with no recommendation by the Council on Pensions & Insurance only because it had a fiscal note. TCRS brought this issue to light several years ago and agrees that this needs to be rectified.

Expect a list of bills that TSEA is opposing in next week’s legislative update. In addition, several emails will be sent this next week providing specific information on each major section of the civil service bill, outlining what protections are still in the bill and what TSEA is doing to restore other protections, especially those involving the RIF process.

We know you are concerned about the proposed changes to Civil Service. We suggest you call the state senator or representative from your area regarding your concerns about the attack on civil service. All contact information is on the TSEA website, and if you need help identifying whose legislative district you live in, please email info@tseaonline.org or call your TSEA Field Representative for assistance. It is very important that you determine whose district you live in and be prepared to reach out to your elected officials this year. We will be asking for calls to legislators all session long, so try and get this information ready beforehand.

Press Release: TSEA Response to Governor Haslam’s State of the State Address

The following press release was sent to the press today. 

# # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1-31-2012

The Tennessee State Employees Association listened with interest to what Governor Haslam had to say in his second State of the State address on Monday evening.

His proposal of a 2.5% raise for state employees was well received. Although it is still below the increase in the cost of living over the past year (3%), it is an improvement over last year’s 1.6% and certainly better than the several previous years with no raise at all. State employees are grateful for the inclusion of the raise.

Another proposal from the governor is his market salary study and the $30 million his budget sets aside to fund pay discrepancies discovered by the study in January, 2013. TSEA has long been a proponent of such a study and has, in several meetings with the governor, urged him to conduct one.

We are opposed to the administration’s intention to cut 803 filled positions. Even though this number will be somewhat offset by the hiring of 472 persons in new or previously unfilled positions, such major cuts will necessarily affect the delivery of important services to the public.

Governor Haslam also spoke about his TEAM bill, which would dismantle much of the present civil service system and eliminate many of the protections that system offers state employees and the citizens of Tennessee (for instance the opportunity for state employees whose positions are eliminated to move to other available positions with the state). He believes that the bill will make the hiring and retention of state employees more efficient and business-like. TSEA is in the process of discussing this bill with the governor and his staff. We are encouraged by their openness and appreciate the constructive nature of our talks to date.

When we have had the opportunity to analyze the governor’s detailed budget proposal, we will have further comment.
# # #

ATTENTION ALL STATE EMPLOYEES

As you know, TSEA will be meeting with high-ranking members of the Governor’s administration this Wednesday, January 25th, to outline the serious concerns we have with the TEAM bill. In its current form, the proposed bill cripples current Civil Service protections.

We now have thoroughly studied this bill, and at this meeting will be discussing every instance where changes in the new rules result in a negative impact to state employees and to the citizens of this state.

How can you help right now? We want to hear from you.

Have the current civil service protections helped you in your job to provide quality services to the public? If so, we are asking state employees to email their story to TSEA Communications Director Chris Dauphin at chris.dauphin@tseaonline.org by Monday afternoon, January 23rd.

These stories will be presented to the Governor’s staff, along with our line-by-line changes to the new bill in an effort to demonstrate the importance and value these long standing civil service protections represent to both state employees and the citizens of Tennessee.

Thank you,

Tennessee State Employees Association

Davidson County Chapter Meeting – Monday, January 23rd

Davidson County Chapter Meeting
Monday, January 23rd – 5:30 PM

Ramada Inn Stadium
303 Interstate Drive
Nashville, TN

Guest Speaker: TSEA Field Representative Gary Pinson

Topic: Worksite Representative Training

Gary will also being addressing the Governor’s TEAM bill and its proposed changes to the Civil Service System

Attorney General’s Opinion of 1.6% Denials

Nashville – In 2011, TSEA solicited the opinion of the Tennessee Attorney General regarding the 1.6% denials that occurred, affecting a number of state employees. The Attorney General weighed in, releasing the opinion in early January 2012. For now, TSEA will not be pursuing legal challenge to the Governor’s policy. The Tennessee Attorney General upheld the Governor’s policy, stating that disciplinary history could be considered as work performance, that the policy was reasonable, and that it did not violate State Law.

We have little recourse at this point for those denied this year, but TSEA is committed to correcting this policy in the future by lobbying legislators to include language in this year’s budget to ensure that any across-the-board raises issued will be truly across-the-board. Another course of action we may consider is to continue pursuing a shift in policy with the Department of Human Resources and the Governor, providing the opportunity for any employee denied a pay raise based upon discipline to “earn back” the raise after a time with no infractions.

The Governor’s 2012 Legislative Package includes raises for state employees and a plan for a salary study with funding set aside for further appropriate raises in January 2013. TSEA will continue to keep you updated regularly over the course of the Legislative Session when developments with the raise and budget amendments occur.

TSEA would like to thank Senator Beverly Marrero from Memphis for requesting this opinion on our behalf and for her efforts and years of commitment to state employees.