News

CAPE Night: Worker's Compensation Event

The Partners of Ford & Wallach, one of California’s preeminent workers’ compensation law firms, will be holding a special CAPE Night: Worker’s Compensation training session on Wednesday, May

Investing in Our Health: The Importance of Regular Dental Check-ups

We often hear the saying, "Health is wealth," and it couldn't be truer.

New CAPE Representation Handbook Available Now

We are a successful and thriving union, but a strong contract means little if members aren’t aware of our rights in the workplace and empowered to exercise them.

DPW Construction Inspector Unit at 100% CAPE Membership!

With the struggling economy and continued high unemployment levels, the past few years have been difficult for workers everywhere. Now, more than ever, it is vital for union memberships to remain strong and united.

Overall, CAPE members deserve a great deal of credit for taking steps to increase their collective strength over the last year as we head into what could be a very difficult round of contract negotiations in 2012. Exact figures on our union’s membership growth will be shared at the upcoming Membership Meeting & Dinner on March 8th.

Public Employee Pensions from All Points of the Compass

The combination of Assemblyman Warren Furutani's Joint Legislative Committee Hearing in late October, the Governor's release of his 12-point Pension Reform Plan on October 27, and the announcement of two more ballot measures targeting public employee pensions kept the so-called pension "reformers", those attacking secure retirements for working families, on the front pages for much of the last month.

State Budget Pushes Deficits to Next Year and Pension Reform Advocates to the Ballot

State legislative leaders adopted a FY 2011-12 State Budget in June that is already out of balance by billions of dollars. The spending plan was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor on time, but the measure anticipated $4 billion in new sales, property and income tax revenues. Unfortunately, that money has so far failed to materialize.

CAPE Election Results—Incumbents Prevail, Bylaws Amendment Approved!

The 2011-2012 CAPE Board of Directors Election ballots were tallied on Wednesday evening, August 31st, at the CAPE office.  The vote tally was overseen by California Elections Company, an independent election vendor, and assisted by CAPE member volunteers of the CAPE Nominating and Election Committee.

CAPE Prepares for 2012 Contract Negotiations; Protecting County Services Emerging as Key Priority

CAPE members provide a wide variety of vitally important services for County residents and businesses.  Properly identifying those services, especially the work that expedites the region’s economic recovery, has become a primary task for CAPE representatives as they prepare for 2012 salary and benefit contract negotiations.

Annual Benefits Enrollment is Coming!

This year’s annual benefits enrollment is quickly approaching and CAPE Union members are encouraged to plan ahead in their review of the Choices Annual Benefits Enrollment program. Choices Annual Benefits Enrollment is October 1 - October 31, 2011, for coverage as of January 1, 2012. As a reminder you will have the chance to enroll by online enrollment or telephone. Both enrollment systems will be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week over the course of the enrollment period.

CAPE Political Endorsement Committee (PEC) Meeting slated for October 26th

There will be an unprecedented number of open seats and competitive incumbent seats up for election in the State Assembly and Senate in the June 2012 Primary and November 2012 General Elections. CAPE representatives have already received several requests from candidates for our support. Those requests, and many that will follow, will be reviewed by the CAPE Political Endorsement Committee -- CAPE PEC.

CAPE Wins Arbitration Against DPW; Member Wrongfully Disciplined by Management is Vindicated

On March 22, 2006, a DPW CAPE member was called into an investigation meeting believing he was being interviewed as a potential witness to a retired former DPW employee’s misconduct. Thinking he was a witness, the CAPE member felt that he did not need representation and did not assert his Weingarten Rights (his right to have a union representative present).  However, he soon found himself the target of the investigation.