Lobbying
During the legislative session, the TSEA lobbying team is hard at work on state employee issues at Capitol Hill. A glance at TSEA's legislative accomplishments over just the past 20 years shows just how effective those lobbying efforts are. TSEA's legislative record is one of the best on Capitol Hill.
TSEA drafts and lobbies legislation to improve state employee pay, benefits and working conditions; to provide fair employment standards and grievance procedures; to ensure job security; and to improve retirement benefits. TSEA's lobbying team then works with legislators to turn that legislation into law.
2009 Legislative Session
2009 Legislative Accomplishments:
- Faced with unprecedented tax revenue shortages, TSEA was able to postpone some of the planned layoffs and negotiate stronger rights for state employees with passage of legislation that gives more flexibility to the Administration when layoffs occur. This legislation retained grievance rights and 'bumping and retreating' rights as well as expanded the ability of employees to transfer to positions where they meet the job category criteria.
- Successfully passed legislation requiring employees' longevity check be separated from their regular pay check, unless the employee elects not to receive a separate longevity check.
- Successfully passed legislation allowing state and higher education employees to participate in a retiree dental plan upon retirement effective January 1, 2010.
- The Association retained the $50 match to 401k.
- A severance package was negotiated for all state employees laid off after April 1, 2009 that includes $3,200 cash and two (2) years of college tuition.
- The Employee Transit Card Program, also known as the Swipe and Ride program, was retained for the Nashville Metro area and expanded to include rail service. This benefit also now extends to the Memphis Metro area.
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Comprehensive Pay Plan
Included in the appropriations act is “a sum sufficient for the sole purpose of developing a proposed comprehensive pay plan. The proposed pay plan shall include provisions providing for periodic adjustment of individual employee compensation in a manner that would appropriately move state employees through their salary ranges and, thereby, would avoid future salary compression problems. In developing the plan, the department shall consult with the Tennessee State Employees Association and other stakeholders.”
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Without TSEA, these would not exist:
- Protected the safety and privacy rights of state employees with vital legislation restricting public access to personal information contained in personnel files of employees.
- Protection during mergers, consolidations and reductions-in-force
- Longevity pay
- Retiree insurance with retiree having 30 years of service paying only 20% of premium
- Grievance rights and representation without reprisal
- Medicare supplement with employer contribution toward premium
- First State to match employee contribution to 401(k)
- Sick Leave Bank with employee representation
- Bereavement Leave
- 25% discount for children of active and retired state employees to attend state colleges, universities, and technical schools
- Tuition-free course per term for state employees at state colleges, universities and technical schools
- Employees on disability retirement maintain state insurance
- Whistleblower Protection
- TSEA Representative on State Insurance Committee
- Compounded retirement COLA
- Appeals rights on evaluation process and final evaluation results
- Legal right to communicate with legislators
- Use of sick leave for family member illness
- Pay when required to work more than 90 days above your classification
- Elimination of Social Security and driver's license numbers from personnel files
- Privatization of prison system blocked
- Upgrades and classification compensation
- 50% year-round discount for all state employees on camping fees charged in state park system
- Reorganization cannot result in loss of civil service rights, compensation or benefits
- 90 day notice before lay off
- Blocked privatization of Tourism
- Stopped merger of MHDD with Department of Health
- Extension of TCRS credit for military service
- Protection from unjust disciplinary actions
- Purchase of prior service available on installment plan
TSEA makes the difference, but there is more to do! We invite you to join and make our voice even stronger
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