2026-01-16 Merit Appeals Board Minutes

Home

Merit Appeals Board January 16, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay, thank you. Okay, anything else on the report? If not, may I have a motion to accept and file the Divisional Activity Report for January 2026. MS. BOND: So moved. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Any discussion? If not, I’ll start a rollcall vote with Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Three ayes. Motion carried to accept and file the Monthly Divisional Activity Report for January 2026. Before we proceed, do you want to— MS. BOND: I just have a—I don’t know—have you seen the ads that they’re running, it—for state positions, but it’s the Union that’s running it? And the implication is that the State is not paying well enough or good enough and everybody—that that’s why they’re—the employee— the recruitment is not going well and there’s empty positions. And as someone who knew nothing about all this stuff two years ago—all of a sudden, I’m watching this—these ads and the implication is that we need more money for our Union people and for the State to get paid—these people to get paid in order for us to recruit people. And then, I find it to be the wrong way to go about it, to blame—my impression is that what they want to do is just up everybody else’s salaries to whatever and just—I don’t know. I don’t know if you can talk to any of these union people, but I—really, it’s very off-putting—the ad. I understand what they were trying to do and they’re trying to be very comical about, like the band. Have you seen these ads? CHR. CABANAS: I’ve seen it numerous times with the band and other commercials—the teppanyaki one— MS. BOND: Yeah, the shirt guy, yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —but I guess the point is with the minimum pay rate increasing, how does that affect our collective bargaining contracts and negotiations— Page 10