Legislative Goals 2023 – TSEU-CWA 6186

Fair pay for all state employees
Initial versions of both the House and Senate budgets include $6,000 pay raises over the biennium. State employees and our agencies and universities know we need more.
We are calling on legislators to support HB 202 by Rep. John Bucy for a $10,000 across-the-board pay raise for state employees AND university workers.
It is clear that a $10,000 raise is needed to restore a decent standard of living to state agency and university workers and reverse record high turnover rates.
Ensure secure pension and quality, affordable health care – including gender-affirming care and reproductive care – for state employees, retirees, and their dependents, including domestic partners.
Oppose and reverse privatization Examine every major outsourcing contract in all state agencies and universities, cancel the ones that are not meeting expectations, and cancel planned privatization experiments.
Fully fund all state agencies and universities to meet the needs of our growing state.
Preserve and expand state employees’ rights to justice on the job Pass a grievance procedure reform bill that improves the timeline and includes due process, just cause, and a final step outside the worker’s agency/university.
Defeat all proposals to reduce due process rights on the job, especially “at will” proposals, and strengthen due process provisions for all state employees.

Texas Juvenile Justice Dept

Take steps to prevent agency turnover including: Opposing closures of TJJD facilities and privatization, full funding, hiring additional staff to cover workloads and shift standards
Include Youth Development Coaches and other hazardous positions in the LECOSRF 20-year retirement plan
Allow for Justice on the job: hazard pay, PPE, and other safety measures, a cross-agency CAPPS review and feedback that does not penalize individual agencies
Transparency in agency and facility re-organization with due process

Universities, Health Science centers

Increase state funding of each university/health science center to ensure quality public higher education for all Texans, create greater equity across the state, and preserve university jobs and services
All university/health science center employees to be included in across-the-board pay raises that state agency workers receive
Provide full healthcare, including gender-affirming care and reproductive care, for all university/health science center employees working 50% or more, and expand Medicaid to protect part-time workers
Proactively support legislation that will expand safeguards for academic freedom for all faculty, staff and students at State Universities while defending against legislative attempts to suppress academic freedom – including punishments imposed on faculty such as loss of tenure

Retiree Organizing Caucus (ROC)

Enact policy and funding provisions that will provide a pension Cost of Living Adjustment of 17.4% by raising the pension multiplier to 2.7%, and make this a permanent increase in annuity amounts and that will apply to all current and future ERS retirees
Stop any attempts to degrade our health care coverage for active employees and retirees, including plans to convert the ERS plan to a defined contribution or health savings accounts system
Repeal the sections of SB 321 from the 2021 Legislative session that created a cash balance pension system and restore the defined benefit pension for all future ERS retirees
The ROC caucus joins with other TSEU members to make an across-the-board statewide pay raise for all state employees, including university employees, our highest priority

TDCJ-Parole Division,

Enact a $6000 across the board pay raise for all TDCJ Parole staff
Hire additional staff to bring parole officers to a legislated 60:1 caseload
Require accurate monthly caseload reports by TDCJ-Parole
Better pay: TDCJ clerical staff is our frontline of defense and need to be paid fairly for their work

Amalgamated (combined) agencies

Ensure better access to state agencies to protect speech and assembly rights for state employees
Career ladders for all employees.
Preserve longevity pay

Health and Human Services

Oppose and roll back privatization and closures of human services offices and programs while increasing oversight and accountability of current HHSC contracts
Maintain and increase staffing to deal ongoing caseload growth and enact an across-the-board career ladder to reduce staff turnover
Demand the state provide the tools and flexibility to complete our work:
– safe and sanitary work environments
– adequate training and staffing levels, for both Management and Support Staff, and
– an effective grievance procedure

State Supported Living Centers and State Hospitals

A $6,000 pay raise for ALL employees, instead of targeted raises based on job titles, and increase longevity pay to $100 for every two years of service
An end to mandatory overtime by staffing our facilities to meet the needs of the population we serve. Eliminate banked overtime hours, and establish a scheduling system that allows staff to volunteer for overtime to reduce turnover
Stop drug screenings and random drug tests for marijuana except as required for certain positions Federal regulations

Family and Protective Services

Reduce staff turnover and retain staff by establishing a career ladder and paying staff for their education, language skills, on the job experience, and overtime hours worked
Fund client services and direct care to stop the use of CWOP for foster children, and stop the privatization of FPS programs protecting children and adults. Eliminate the investigation of families with transgender youth
Adopt the same caseload standards as thoserecommended by the NAEYC, NAAPSA, CWLA, and TDPRS. Decrease wait time at Statewide intake to an average of 5 minutes

Texas Workforce Commission

Hazard pay and personal protective equipment for workers required to report to work in person provided by TWC
Set up a career ladder based on classification and years of service and include all state employees and university workers in across the board pay raises
Stop further privatization because it promotes inefficiencies, fraud, and cost overruns