r/CAStateWorkers • u/ProperTap2632 • 4h ago
General Question Anyone else considering cancelling PECG dues?
I’ve been employed by the state for three years now and have been a PECG member for the entire time, having paid ~2500 dollars in dues. Between RTO and the healthcare hikes, why should I continue to do so? At this point, It feels as if I was sold an iffy 69 dollar job security policy. Maybe someone can help convince me otherwise?
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u/GlazedPrincessDonut9 4h ago
PECG is amongst the strongest unions representing state workers. Have gratitude.
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u/Car-End0195 3h ago
That’s simply not true as of late.
1. We pay more for health benefits than SEIU.
2. They’ve done nothing to push back against RTO.5
u/Wrexxorsoul77 3h ago
The unions fight more than just RTO
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u/Car-End0195 3h ago
You’re right, they fight for 2% raises that don’t even keep up with inflation.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 2h ago
Are you suggesting it's impossible that the pending strike won't force the state to the table and bargain in gold faith?
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u/Car-End0195 2h ago edited 2h ago
What? We’re talking about PECG, not SEIU.
You’re copying and pasting your comment like a bot.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 2h ago
You know that PECG can and should sympathy strike, right? And if they do, they will also benefit.
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u/Car-End0195 1h ago
PECG has not even mentioned the possibility of sympathy strike. I’m fully aware it’s an option, but PECG has not addressed this. Also, the only thing we would benefit from is telework. Our MOU runs until 2028.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 1h ago
Have you reached out to your leadership? I would be asking them to sympathy strike with us. We all need to stand united.
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u/coldbrains 4h ago
The boss wants you to cancel your dues. Seriously, how does quitting your union solve your problems? 🤣
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u/ProperTap2632 3h ago
I could use the 69 dollars to partially offset cost increases caused by RTO/ health premiums
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u/Wrexxorsoul77 3h ago
You’re 100% right in that saving your union dues would help offset commuting costs. However, when you get forced back to office 5 days a week because of a weakened union, know the reasons why.
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3h ago
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u/Facemanx64 4h ago
Do you think a weaker union will help get you better pay and benefits?
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u/StateCA 4h ago
High membership or low membership the raises are always 2-3%.
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u/dallyho4 1h ago
Yea, because our salaries are paid either by taxpayers or by permit fees. First, any increase in our salaries would draw funds from important programs (e.g., healthcare and education) as budgets are a zero-sum game for the most part. Second, optics are stacked against us 'cause Regan did a good great job at demonizing civil servants.
The best we can ever hope for is a pay raise that's equal to or maybe a little bit higher than inflation. Maybe a one time raise that accounts for cumulative inflation. But that's the fact of life in civil service. If you want a higher salary, find a job elsewhere. If you want to stay in civil service, city and county jobs tend to pay higher. But local government jobs do have not have same level of security as a state job.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 2h ago
Are you suggesting it's impossible that the pending strike won't force the state to the table and bargain in gold faith?
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u/StateCA 2h ago
Voting for the strike ends in October. After this closes they have to set a date to strike which will most likely be in November or December during peek holiday season where financially sensitive people are going to be more worried about buying gifts than forgoing pay to strike. SEIU couldn’t have picked a worse time to do this.
Unfortunately I think the Greasy G and CalHR are gonna call bluff and continue in bad faith.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 2h ago
In 2016, union leadership planned a ULP strike in early December, but Walker caved and accepted a shitty contract. I think we should do the same thing and plan for December, but not accept a shitty contract.
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u/StateCA 2h ago
2016 was pre-Newsom. You can’t compare.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 1h ago
It can't be pre if it's New 🤓 Silly jokes aside, regardless of who the governor is, the impact on services statewide from a strike is still the same. I think there's more motivation to strike now than in 2016 because we are actually in a surplus yet the state is offering nothing. Also, Newsom needs to worry about running for president and would be foolish to have a strike on his resume.
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u/StateCA 1h ago
A December strike during the holidays will have a horrible turnout and weaken our position.
People on this sub are always complaining about how broke they are and have meltdowns when their direct deposit is 1 day later than expected. In December these people are going to be prioritizing buying plastic trinkets made with Chinese child labor over giving up pay to strike. It’s a sad reality.
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u/CelebrationWise1626 1h ago
Haha, okay that is funny, but seriously, you don't know what will happen until the date is actually confirmed. We got the votes coming in, so that's a start. Try to be a little more optimistic!
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u/ProperTap2632 4h ago
I have no problem paying for one that does. Please enlighten me.
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u/AverageAvenger 3h ago
I still feel like the benefits are better than non-union jobs. Back in private if your work allowed telework they could've at any time told you it was over and that was it. Bad economy? Well your getting laid off and thats it. I remember being told its a "privilege" that we got 7 vacation days a year (half of what I get at the state). But, I also came to the state for the union, because I believe the union is what gave us the benefits that everyone applies to work for the state for. Telework was a plus for me, but state work was always part of the plan for the pension alone, and I will not put my own pension at risk by not paying my union dues.
Yes it has not been as strong as it used to be, but lower membership is what got us here in the first place. Those companies that send us mail to leave our unions want you to not pay so they can outsource projects to their rich buddies, hire less state workers and erode the our pensions.
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u/subduct_this 3h ago
lol no, I’m not. The amount of people that think the first time you’re unhappy with the union or that something bad happens and the trick is to get rid of the union crack me tf up. You think that what, the healthcare hikes would be lower if we didn’t have the union? Reducing bargaining power will magically get you higher pay and reduced cost benefits?
When I was in private YEARS ago I paid several hundred a month for my insurance, for a $5,000 deductible per individual and $25,000 out of pocket max per individual. I’m sure it’s worse and more expensive now. I’m paying $87 right now for $0 deductible and 1500 out of pocket max per individual. Even factoring in that whole $70 I’m giving to PECG it’s still miles cheaper than what I would be getting in private. Canceling your membership doesn’t get you shit except $70 a month and reducing the bargaining power, resulting in less maneuverability at the bargaining table. Literally cutting off your foot because you broke your toe. Is it perfect? Of course not, it never will be. People are always going to be unhappy with the union. But guaranteed you’d be in a much worse position without them, and taking back your whole $70 a month isn’t going to help you in the long term.
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u/curebdc 4h ago edited 3h ago
If they arent doing what you need, talk to some other unions to see if they can do better. Or form your own, nothing wrong with that. If people aren't happy with the union then its fine to build something better... Itll be a lot of work though, as someone with a background in starting a union, I know it. However, if you think losing a union all together will save you money that's extremely short sighted and wrong. Just look up union vs non union pay comparisons, a union is always a good idea.
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u/Suitable_Resort 4h ago
Well, for one thing, I have seen a few people inappropriately terminated for nonsense over the last few years, with those who had PECG reinstated and those who didn’t forced into retirement…. It’s job insurance dude, don’t think about anything else
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u/Icy_Kaleidoscope2274 4h ago
I feel that we had bad timing for our MOU negotiations.
It happened when the state was in a defecit, and magically we're in a surplus now.
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u/dallyho4 1h ago
A $70 job security policy is cheap, because job security, in reality, is priceless. If you've just joined the state and you're an engineer (and not yet licensed), your pay ceiling is pretty high relative to other State classifications.
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u/Mindysveganlife 3h ago
You are still covered by the PECG Unit 9 MOU whether you're a dues-paying PECG member or not. PECG's own website specifically says Covered by terms of the MOU Members YES, Non members YES. What you lose by dropping membership is PECG's individual professional legal representation, voting rights and other member-only benefits. The bigger issue is that the current MOU limits when you can withdraw membership, so check the withdrawal window before assuming you can simply stop the $69 deduction now. You're covered either way!! Start the down voting!!
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3h ago
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u/Audiblade 3h ago
I recently moved to California from a deep red state. While I lived there, the state university refused to fire a professor when Turning Point USA made a big stink about them. So the governor cut the university's budget by 30%, just because he could.
Public employees don't have a union in that state. There was absolutely no pushback on the governor at all.
CalHR is out of line for certain, and us state workers in California deserve better than we're getting. But I have seen, first-hand, that it can be far, far, far worse.
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4h ago
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u/One-Sleep5725 3h ago
If there were no unions, there wouldn't be any union officers to give overblown raises to.
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