A fair and independent County Employee Relations Commission -- ERCOM -- is the goal of legislation sponsored by the 10 County employee unions of the CCU. The measure, AB 1881, is authored by Assembly Member Reggie Jones Sawyer.
AB 1881 could be one of the most important measures this year for L.A. County employees. The Bill would establish guidelines for the appointment and operations of ERCOM. The measure was made necessary by unilateral actions by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council last year that tipped ERCOM representation heavily in management's favor and eliminated the body's fairness and independence.
As amended on March 28, 2014, AB 1881 requires that appointments to the County and L.A. City Employee Relations Commissions be made from a list of jointly submitted names from both management and labor.
On May 15, the Bill was passed by the State Assembly to the Senate on a vote of Ayes 52, Noes 22. AB 1881 has also been passed by the Senate Committee on Public Employees and Retirement and will be considered by the full Senate in August. CAPE and the Coalition of County Unions are listed as proponents of the Bill. There is no opposition listed on the legislative analysis.
If passed by the Senate, the Bill would be sent back to the Assembly for concurrence, and then sent to the Governor to be signed into law. The Governor's office has not given any indication of his position on the measure.
We will keep CAPE members advised of this important legislation as it moves forward.