AB 874: Collective bargaining: Judicial Council.

Existing law, the Dills Act, governs collective bargaining between the state and recognized state public employee organizations. Existing law excludes certain employees from coverage under the Dills Act, including, among others, managerial employees, supervisory employees, and confidential employees, as defined. Existing law creates the Public Employment Relations Board and authorizes it, among other things, to determine appropriate state employee bargaining units, as specified. The California Constitution prescribes the membership of the California Supreme Court and requires the Legislature to create appellate court districts, all of which are vested with the judicial power of the state. The California Constitution prescribes the membership and duties of the Judicial Council and authorizes the council to appoint an Administrative Director of the Courts. Existing law creates the Habeas Corpus Resource Center for the purpose of providing representation to people who are convicted and sentenced to death in this state and who are without counsel.

This bill would apply the Dills Act to employees of the Judicial Council, subject to specified exceptions. The bill would define an employee for these purposes as any employee of the Judicial Council, except managerial employees, confidential employees, supervisory employees, and excluded employees, as specified. The bill would grant the Judicial Council the sole authority to designate state employee positions as excluded positions and would prohibit exempted managerial, supervisory, confidential, and excluded positions from exceeding ¹/₃ of the total authorized Judicial Council positions as stated in the Department of Finance Salaries and Wages Supplement. The bill would prohibit review of the designation of excluded positions by the Public Employment Relations Board. The bill would also except from the definition of employee a judicial officer or employee of the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal, or the Habeas Corpus Resource Center. The bill would define the employer, for purposes of bargaining or meeting and conferring, as the Administrative Director of the Courts, or his or her designated representatives, acting with the authorization of the chairperson of the Judicial Council. The bill would provide that references in the Dills Act to actions or decisions by the Governor, or his or her designated representative, shall mean actions or decisions by the Administrative Director of the Courts. The bill would prohibit the Public Employment Relations Board from including Judicial Council employees in a bargaining unit that includes employees other than those of the Judicial Council.