Unit 9 News

CSUEU Defends Education on March 4th.

2010-01-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

CSUEU Endorses March 4 as National Day of Action to Defend Education

On January 25, the CSUEU Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to support the March 4 National Day of Action to Defend Education, a grassroots effort to develop actions at campuses across the nation on March 4 in support of public education funding. With this resolution, CSUEU encourages its 24 chapters and 16,000 represented employees to work with local peer organizations to create actions on March 4 at each of their sites.

The text of the resolution follows below. For further details about the March 4 initiative, visit http://defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com and http://www.defendeducation.org.

CSUEU March 4, 2010 Resolution

Whereas, the deepening economic decline of California and the United States threatens the maintenance of public services, including education, healthcare and all local, regional and state jobs, and,

Whereas, the need for a unified political strategy and action plan for the defense of public education and the users of these services is critical, and,

Whereas, the continued successful efforts by anti-labor forces using this crisis to make structural changes to bring privatization of education and the outsourcing and destruction of our public services through furloughs and lay-offs in education and public services is growing, and,

Whereas, this year the need to have a united mass action that unites all 1.5 million public workers and those threatened with the loss of their public services to act together collectively is vital, and,

Whereas, the California Faculty Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the UTLA, the OEA, UESF, the California Federation of Labor, the San Francisco Labor Council, UPTE, AFSCME 444, AFT 2121, UPWA and many other organizations have called for support to the March 4 actions to defend public services and education

Therefore be it resolved that the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)/SEIU 2579 endorses and encourages the local chapters to participate in March 4 actions on their campus and communities.

On-Line Job Merging Workshop February 4th

2010-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

With the current hiring freeze and people retiring and leaving their jobs, campuses are combining job duties in some very strange and unusual combinations. This on-line workshop will help both Union Stewards and members determine at which point the employee should speak up and how to handle these workplace issues.

About the trainer

Nancy Kobata is Chair of the Classification Committee, Chapter President and Chief Steward of Fresno Chapter, and a former Unit 7 representative and Bargaining Unit council member. Nancy has previously offered workshops on Classification, and IRPs to the campuses. All of these workshops were praised highly by the attendees, and empowered our members as well as offering them a chance to interact and obtain a more global view of classification issues.

When: Thursday, February 4th, from noon until 1 pm.
Cost: Free

For more information, and to RSVP, please visit the Registration Link

CSUEU President Concerned About Governor's Budget

2010-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

Education union leaders from across the spectrum of California's public education system came together on Tuesday to call for full funding of public education in the 2010/11 budget.

The call went out prior to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's presentation of his proposed budget on Friday that is expected to include yet more cuts across the board from the preschool to university level.

"The public education system in this state is being dismantled, indeed California is sinking compared to other states, and we are expecting to hear what a shame it is to cut education again," said Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association. "So we are saying there needs to be a different approach to solving the state's problems."

The effort on the part of union leaders comes in the aftermath of an eMarch on the governor led by education unions over the holiday break that sent 5,000 messages about the urgent need to fund public education even in tough budget times.

The union leaders' fears are grounded in the fact the nation's most populous state faces a nearly $21 billion shortfall over the next 18 months, a deficit that comes after years of making deep cuts in core state programs.

As a result, California classrooms could swell even more and public colleges may further limit enrollment and raise student fees.

In July, the budget amendment approved by the legislature and the governor cut the University of California system's current
fiscal year budget by $814 million.

The California State University system lost $584 million. The cuts led the CSU to close spring 2010 admission, raise fees and at Cal Poly Pomona, shut down summer classes.

San Bernardino area school districts have also laid off teachers, increased class sizes and asked employees to take furloughs.

At Tuesday's news conference, Taiz was joined by Carl Friedlander, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 1521, Pat Gantt, president of the California State University Employees Union, Stanton Glantz, vice president of the Council of University of California Faculty Associations and others.

Gantt said he has seen budgets come and go in the 29 years he has worked for the CSU but never before has it been this bad.

"This period may be seen as the death of the master plan for higher education unless something is done," he said.

While Glantz described the University of California system as being beyond the breaking point.

"The restructuring of public higher education that has taken place under the Schwarzenegger administration may take decades to recover from," he said.

Source: SBSUN.COM

CMS - CSU Official Calls Investigative Reporter "A Twit"

2010-01-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

From the Orange County Register - Looks like someone in the CSU really dislikes talking to reporters about the CMS project!

Source: OC Register Jan. 1 2010

THE SETUP: Our intern at OC Watchdog last quarter - Lindsey Ambrose - had made a request under the California Public Records Act to the chancellor’s office at California State University. (This was in the wake of our report on David Ernst, the former CSU official skewered for taking at least $152,441 in improper expense reimbursements for “unnecessary” trips to Shanghai, London, Singapore, Amsterdam,etc.)

Anyway, the state auditor had also produced a scathing investigation of tremendous cost overruns in CSU’s new computer system, and Ernst was head of IT during that exercise. Faculty accused him of having a “serious conflict of interest,” receiving compensation from the software company that ultimately got a $39 million software contract.

This sounded interesting. So Ambrose asked CSU for:

1. All correspondence between Ernst and others concerning the contracts.
2. Change orders, internal documents, and any other documentation related to the increasing cost of the contract.
3. Any written feedback from campuses regarding the new system.

THE REACTION: csu-sealThe response came from Claudia Keith, assistant vice chancellor for public affairs at CSU.

Lindsey,
We do not have any way of pulling or organizing or locating these documents that you have requested. I would suggest, as I did last time, that we send to you the contract, which contains any amendments, change orders, etc., as well as a link to an audit of CMS. That will provide you with an overview of CMS and the associated contract. Let me know how you would like to proceed.

Claudia

Now, we’ll take some responsibility here for the broadness of Ambrose’s request. We journalist-types routinely word our requests generally, so as not to inadvertently exclude documents that might be important. This apparently drives the official types who have to deal with our requests up the wall. It’s something of a cat-and-mouse game, and you can feel the tension in Keiths’ response.

THE BONUS ROUND: Ambrose responded politely.

Hi Claudia,
Thank you. I will take that information for now, but I am not necessarily considering the request fulfilled. Let me know the next step in obtaining those documents.
Best,
Lindsey

Again, we take some responsibility here for advising Ambrose to take what she could get quickly, but to not give up on the rest.

And it is here that CSU’s Keith apparently got angry. Soon a message landed in Ambrose’s inbox, from Keith, saying simply:

What a twit

Moments later, CSU tried to recall the twit message, but it was too late. Ambrose, rather red-faced, responded:

Actually, I’m not a twit. I’m just following the law. I hope you do too.

CODA: We kidded with Keith, saying that we KNOW officials think we’re twits, and it’s refreshing to hear someone actually say it. To which Keith responded:

No Teri I don’t think most reporters are twits. There are lots of good ones who do their homework and are thoughtful.. I told her she would need to narrow the scope of her request and that we could send her the CMS contract and go from there. To date she has not done that. I obviously did not mean to send that comment to Lindsey but it does get very frustrating when reporters abuse the PRA process and really have no idea what or why they are requesting something. We spend an inordinate amount of time trying to respond to these and they are often fishing expeditions. Perhaps that would be a more interesting topic for your column.

And she’s right. There is a tension between us reporter-types on our “fishing expeditions,” and the folks who have to herd the fish.

But those fish are public fish, aren’t they? And the public has a right to see them (however slippery and inaccessible and inconvenient they may be), doesn’t it?

We’ll be working with Keith’s office to hone our request and make it manageable. But we still want to know more about Ernst’s cozy relationship with the vendor at CSU.

And in the meantime, the moral of the story may well be: Check the “to” field carefully before hitting the “send” button on that email.

2010 Budget Getting Worse?

2009-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Governor held a press conference today where he announced that the current California budget is now almost $20 billion in the red, a larger deficit than the one he dealt with during the 2009 budget. Translation: Next year's budget could be even worse than this year.

No one yet knows what this means for the CSU system. Chancellor Reed has asked the Governor to restore $845 million dollars to fully fund the CSU's mission, but no answer to that proposal has yet been received.

Meanwhile, the Governor also said today that he would seek to extend the furloughs of all state workers who are currently on a three furlough day per month schedule for additional . Again, no mention of extending furloughs for CSU employees has yet been mentioned.

The first preliminary budget projections for 2010 should be released sometime in mid-January.

No additional Furlough Cuts in December Paychecks

2009-12-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

During this past week, I've received a large number of telephone calls from CSUEU member concerned about the amount of their December paychecks. They are worried that the state will reduce their take-home pay even more due to many campuses adding additional furlough days this month.

No, you don't have to worry.

The Chancellor's Office and the CSUEU both agreed to 24 furlough days over 11 months. It was originally supposed to be 2 furlough days per month for an entire year, but the time necessary to conduct member surveys on each campus, and then actually bargain over the furlough agreement itself took several weeks longer than anticipated.

As a result, the CSU needed some way for everyone to "make up" the additional two furlough days. That's why many campuses are using four furlough days this month.

But this won't change your take-home pay. When furloughs started in August, the pay for all CSUEU employees was reduced by 10.04% per month for 11 months It doesn't matter if you take two furlough days this month, or took four of them, the same 10.04% pay reduction still applies.

And, as of this moment, the Chancellor's Office has not indicated if furloughs would be extended for another year, starting with the next fiscal year in July, 2010.

Three weeks ago, at the Board of Trustees meeting, the Chancellor said furloughs would not be offered next year, but that could change at any time.

Two weeks ago, the Chancellor asked the Governor for an additional $845 million dollars to close the gap in CSU funding. The Governor's answer is expected to be announced in early January.

No Layoffs within CSUEU - Yet

2009-12-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

As of today, December 14th, 2009, there have been no announced layoffs within any CSUEU-represented bargaining unit. The three campuses that had invoked layoffs have now rescinded them.

Please remain alert for any management talk of pending layoffs. If you hear of a manager discussing layoffs with their staff, notify your Chief Steward, immediately.

If your campus does formally announce staff layoffs, call HQ, then call your LRR and Chief Steward at once, so CSUEU can begin to invoke all of the contract provisions contained within Article 24.

Also, now would be a good time for every steward to read and review the contents of Article 24. Take the time to read and study Article 24 now, so you will be better able to answer employee questions if layoffs do become real. Article 24 is rather complex, and it takes time to fully understand all of the employee rights and employer responsibilities contained within it.

LSS Negotiations In Abeyance Until 2011

2009-12-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't seen it:

Update on LSS negotiations: implementation of the LSS series will be held in abeyance.
Despite the CSUEU LSS bargaining team's best efforts, the CSU remains unwilling to recognize that Library Assistants and Lead Library Assistants moving into the new Library Services Specialist (LSS) classification series should be compensated for their enhanced technological skills, duties and responsibilities. CSUEU therefore proposed, and the CSU agreed, to place the implementation of the LSS series in abeyance until July 1, 2011, in mutual recognition of the current state budget situation.
CSUEU hopes that the budget situation will have improved by then, making it possible at that point to negotiate appropriate compensation for LSSs.
The LSS bargaining team could not in good faith sign an agreement that offered no additional compensation for the additional technological skills, duties and responsibilities that are incorporated into the new classification. CSU has agreed that this classification involves additional technological skills, duties and responsibilities, but they have taken the position that there is simply no money at this time.
What does this mean? For the time being, all Library Assistants stay in Bargaining Unit 7, and all Lead Library Assistants stay in Bargaining Unit 4 (represented by APC). New employees will continue to be hired into one of the existing Library Assistant or Lead Library Assistant classifications.
The bargaining team encourages all Library Assistants to update your position descriptions and, if you believe that you are incorrectly classified, to seek reclassifications. If you are denied, we encourage you to file an appeal within ten days. If you need assistance with the appeal, please contact your campus steward.
What will CSUEU be doing until July, 2011?
CSUEU shall create a guide to assist Library Assistants who are seeking reclassifications
We will monitor the progress of all CSU Library Assistants with regard to In Range Progressions, Reclassifications and Bonuses
Bargaining Team Members:
Russell Kilday-Hicks, Vice President for Representation, CSUEU (San Francisco)
Joan Kennedy, Library Assistant III, SLO
Christine Thomas, Library Assistant IV, Pomona
Joseph Corica, Library Assistant IV, East Bay
Jennifer O'Neal-Watts, Library Assistant III, Sacramento
Michael Brandt, Chair, BU 7 Council (San Luis Obispo)
Rich McGee, Chair, BU 9 Council (San Bernardino)
Alisandra Brewer, Vice-Chair, BU 9 Council (Sonoma)
Teven Laxer, Chief Negotiator, CSUEU

J.J. Jelincic Wins CalPERS Runoff Election

2009-12-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

The raw vote totals have been released for the CalPERS runoff election:

J.J. Jelincic - 109,088 votes

Kathy Hackett - 104,656 votes

The election results still must be certified, and this is not expected until early January.

JJ and Kathy were engaged in a runoff election since neither candidate received the majority of votes cast in the previous election.

JJ's website

LRR Job Posted

2009-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

CSUEU is recruiting for a Labor Relations Representative (LRR) position. Here's the job posting from the Union Jobs Clearinghouse:

CSUEU (SEIU Local 2579, headquartered in Sacramento, CA, has a vacancy for Labor Relations Representative. The CSUEU represents approximately 3,000 California State University Employees throughout the State of California. This position is responsible for representing CSUEU members and the CSUEU Affiliate in employer/employee relations and training university employees in labor relations functions. This position will likely handle cases for the CSU in Sacramento, Turlock and Vallejo, though chapter assignments are subject to change.
The minimum qualifications for this classification are:
Education:
For all persons employed in the classification of Labor Relations Representative prior to April 25, 1994, equivalent to graduation from the 12th grade.
For all employees hired in the class of Labor Relations Representative subsequent to April 25, 1994, either: (1) a certificate of successful completion of the University of California's Extension Program in Labor-Management Relations; or (2) a four (4) year college degree.
Experience: For those persons who do not have a four (4) year college degree, at least three (3) years of professional experience in employer/employee relations providing representation at a level equivalent to that required of a CSEA Labor Relations Representative.
For those persons who do possess a four (4) year college degree, at least one (1) year of professional experience in employer/employee relations providing representation at a level equivalent to that required of a CSEA Labor Relations Representative.
Other: Possession of a valid California driver's license and automobile.
Selection for this position will be based on the following criteria:
Strong interpersonal skills
Demonstrated ability to perform the duties of a LRR.
Strong writing skills.
Experience in arbitrations and other administrative hearings.

We're not sure why the posting says we represent 3,000 employees. It's closer to 16,000.

Master Plan Hearings

2009-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the legislature's Joint Committee for Review of the Master Plan of Higher Education held its first hearing. Testimony centered on the damage done to California's higher education systems by the state's erratic budget process, and the risk to California's economic future if the problem isn't addressed.

CSUEU President Pat Gantt testified, as did CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, UC President Mark Yudof, and California Community College Chancellor Jack Scott. Gantt told legislators:

You can neither cut your way to profitability in the private sector nor slash your way to a balanced budget in the public sector. At some point, you must find new revenue streams to get into the black or to balance a state budget.

Gantt also urged the legislature to scrutinize CSU budget allocations such as the expansion of Management Personnel Plan (MPP) employees, stating:

In the last three years, the number of managers has grown to its highest levels ever, even as CSU leaders call for cutbacks on every other front. Transparency in both budget allocations and decisions is in the best interest for all General Fund agencies. Taxpayers have entrusted us with that charge, and the CSU must do everything possible to honor that trust.

The San Jose Mercury News wrote:

California's 50-year-old "Master Plan for Higher Education" is not broken — in fact, nations such as China and Singapore are trying to replicate it. But it is in peril because of inadequate funding, college administrators testified Monday morning in Sacramento.

The Los Angeles Times summed things up:

Of all the damage that has been done in recent years by Sacramento's habitual flight from fiscal responsibility — particularly during the disastrous Schwarzenegger years — none has been more injurious or perverse than the budgetary mistreatment of the state's universities and community colleges. Starved for adequate funds, what was once California's greatest guarantor of social mobility based on merit has become, in fact, a force for the growing inequality that threatens this state's future.

Links

Testimony
- Pat Gantt's remarks (CSUEU)
- California's Master Plan: Today & Tomorrow (CSU)
- Higher education master plan needs funding, not fixing (UC)
- California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott Urges Legislators to Retain State's Global Standing as a Model System for the Delivery of Public Higher Education (California Community Colleges) [PDF]
Media coverage and commentary
- Lawmakers urged to invest in higher ed (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Calif. higher ed leaders call for more state funds (Associated Press via San Francisco Chronicle)
- Top college administrators urge greater support for California's higher education plan (San Jose Mercury News)
- Abandoning California's commitment to education (Los Angeles Times)

LSS Bargaining Resumes Today

2009-12-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

CSUEU and CSU meet today to continue bargaining on the implementation of the Library Services Specialist (LSS) series.

In previous bargaining sessions, the CSU has consistently proposed putting these employees in a more technical, more demanding classification series without a higher pay scale. In other words: the CSU wants us to abandon the idea that pay should be related to a job's skills and responsibilities. This would betray not only the Library Assistants, but all employees we represent now or may represent in the future.

Higher pay for higher skills and more demanding work is fundamental to our pay scales — it's the reason, for example, that the salary schedule for the Expert-level Analyst/Programmer is higher than that of a Foundation-level Analyst/Programmer, and that both are higher than the salary schedule for, say, Accounting Clerks.

Abandoning this principle — that there's a connection between a job's duties and skills and the appropriate pay for that job — would make it difficult to argue in future that anyone should get higher pay because of the nature of their work. Separating duties and skills from compensation would also eliminate the usual reasons for bonuses and stipends, or an In-Range Progression (IRP) for higher skills or responsibilities. So far the CSU has not offered any reason that the LSS series should be a special case (not wanting to pay for the work employees do is not a justification — if it were, we'd all be working for minimum wage).

Strangely enough, the CSU managers pushing this have not volunteered to have their own pay scale reduced to that of a less demanding classification.

CalPERS Ballot: Call for Replacement If Yours Hasn't Arrived

2009-11-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

Requesting a Replacement Ballot

If you haven't received your CalPERS runoff ballot, contact CalPERS now for a replacement. Call the Board Elections Office at (916) 795-3952 or (800) 794-2297.

Ballots were mailed November 9.

Make Sure Your Vote Is Counted

Ballots must be postmarked by December 4. Follow all voting instructions, including signing the reverse side of the envelope before mailing, to make sure your vote is counted.

In the previous vote, over 5,000 ballots went uncounted for reasons including late postmarks, missing signatures, and improperly marked ballot cards. Ballots will be counted on December 7 (so we don't actually recommend waiting until December 4 to mail yours).

CSUEU Endorses Jelincic

CSUEU endorses J.J. Jelincic for this seat on the CalPERS Board.

Jelincic is a Chartered Financial Analyst with an MBA in Finance and a BA in Economics. He's worked at CalPERS since 1986, working in the stock, fixed income, corporate governance and real estate units, and set up the futures unit. As a union activist, Jelincic has served as a steward, chief steward, chair of civil service Bargaining Unit 1, and CSEA President.

Jelincic pledges to:

advocate for the members and dependents
protect and expand secure retirements
control health care costs through efficiencies, not cost shifting to members, and
improve customer service.

Sonoma Foundation May Have to Return $232,500

2009-11-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Sonoma State University's Academic Foundation may have to return a $232,500 loan repayment received from a former board member who is now in bankruptcy. Former Foundation board member Clem Carinalli received at least $9.6 million over 7 years in loans from SSU's Foundation. Carinelli repaid one loan, for $232,500, on July 9 of this year. He filed for bankruptcy in September, and his attorney now states the Foundation was improperly paid ahead of other creditors.

University officials still won't answer questions about the loan. Foundation officer and SSU Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Larry Furukawa-Schlereth had claimed the loan was secured with real estate, but the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports the loan was not secured at the time of that statement, and that the Foundation was aware of that.

The CSU claims campus foundations are private institutions and are not public entities run with state resources and so the University is not obliged to speak in public about the issues of the foundation. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat points out that SSU's Foundation has no independent office or employees, and is run by university staff, including SSU president Ruben Armiñana, who serves as chairman, SSU Vice President Patricia McNeill, who serves as the foundation’s president, and Furukawa-Schlereth, who serves as chief operating officer.

It's no wonder the CSU fears public disclosure requirements and accountability for campus auxiliaries. In October the governor vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 218, which would have made CSU auxiliaries subject to public disclosure laws, and which the CSU opposed.

Links

SSU faculty demands clarity on loan (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Questions over SSU Foundation's loan to Carinalli (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
SSU foundation's private land loans (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
SSU foundation hit by Carinalli loans (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
SSU Academic Foundation denies conflict of interest (Sonoma State Star)
A Closer Look At The Sonoma State University Foundation (Empire Report)
Creditors question Carinalli about debts – SSU Foundation loan information begins in paragraph 5 (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
CSU foundation woes
- Scandal Hits Another CSU Foundation — Fresno and Sonoma foundations (California Chronicle)
- Campus Secrets — Sacramento, Fresno, Sonoma foundations (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
- Bill Approved to Stop UC, CSU from Abusing Public Records Act — Sonoma, Fresno, Sacramento foundations (California Chronicle)
SB 218
- SB 218 Heads to Governor's Desk (Unit 9 News)
- Governor fails students, donors in closing doors on money deals (Senator Leland Yee)
CSU Audit: Sonoma Program Mishandled Millions (Unit 9 News)

$20.7 Billion Deficit Projected for 2010-2011 Budget

2009-11-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) has released its report on the 2010-2011 state budget outlook, warning of continued state budget deficits:

Our forecast of California's General Fund revenues and expenditures shows that the state must address a General Fund budget problem of $20.7 billion between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2010–11 state budget plan. The budget problem consists of a $6.3 billion projected deficit for 2009–10 and a $14.4 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2010–11. Addressing this large shortfall will require painful choices—on top of the difficult choices the Legislature made earlier this year.

The report states:

[T]he scale of the deficits is so vast that we know of no way that the Legislature, the Governor, and voters can avoid making additional, very difficult choices about state priorities. … In the coming years, major state spending programs will have to be significantly reduced. Policymakers will also need to add revenues to the mix.

The report includes forecasts for budget years through 2014-2015. The assumptions the LAO relied upon for its projections include no pay increases for state workers, increased spending on certain programs such as CalWorks and in-home support services, no increased funding for higher education, and a $2 billion increase in prison spending.

Dolores Rodriguez Appointed to Unit 9 Council

2009-11-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dolores Rodriguez (Chapter 309, Fresno) has been appointed at-large member of Bargaining Unit Council 9 (BUC 9). The vacancy arose after BUC at-large member Michael Reeder (Fullerton) resigned. When a vacancy occurs, the Chair appoints a replacement with the concurrence of the BUC.

Dolores is the Coordinator of the Extension Credit, Non-credit and Children's Programs in the Division of Continuing and Global Education at CSU Fresno. Dolores explains I help develop and coordinate non-credit programs (certificates, seminars, workshops, children's camps, on-line computer technology and training), academic credit courses (professional development for teachers, social workers, nurses, etc.), the Uni-Track program (offering academic credit courses to high school students), etc.

She's been at CSU Fresno about 11 years, and a union member and activist for most of that time. Like so many others, she joined the union because of what she witnessed and experienced on the job.

Proposed CSUEU Policy File Changes

2009-11-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

There are a number of proposed changes to the Policy File, which the Board of Directors (BOD) will vote on at this weekend's meeting. They include:

Creation of a Unit 12 BUC. Unit 12 consists of Head Start employees at San Francisco State, now represented by CSUEU. (303.02 (a))
Creation of a President's Caucus to be composed only of chapter presidents and the CSUEU president, meeting as part of every regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting. The stated purpose is to network with each other on issues at the Chapter level. It's not clear why such communication would take place only 3 times per year at BOD meetings rather than throughout the year via email, or why only chapter presidents are thought to have information on ideas or programs that have been successful and/or those that have not. It's not clear why establishing a new and separate group in the Policy File is required to include an idea-sharing session in the BOD meeting. Chapter vice presidents, organizing chairs, bargaining unit representatives, etc., are not included, nor are the rest of the Board of Directors or other members of statewide committees. (305.00)
A provision to have the relevant portion of the Chapter Bylaws template supersede any portion of existing chapter bylaws which conflict with Association or CSUEU Bylaws or Policy File. (306.06)
Changing the CSUEU election cycle from 2 years to 3 years, to be consistent with CSEA's election cycle, beginning in 2012. General Council delegates are already elected on a 3-year cycle. No mention is made of what would happen to the currently-scheduled 2011 election. (601.03, 601.04)
Removal of a reference to our affiliation with the California Faculty Association (CFA). CFA is no longer an affiliate of CSEA. (702.00)
Adding evaluation of and recommendations on national and local candidates to the duties of the Legislative Committee. (1207.01)

The Policy File Committee is scheduled to meet Friday, November 13, from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

CSUEU Board Votes Against Releasing Member Phone Numbers

2009-11-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

The CSUEU Board of Directors met by teleconference call today, and by a large margin voted not to release members' phone numbers to be used in the CalPERS runoff election.

Instead, the union will email members directly to remind them of CSUEU's continued endorsement of J.J. Jelincic, and also put the information prominently on the CSUEU homepage.

Jelincic is a financial analyst with over 20 years experience at CalPERS and an MBA in Finance, and has served 2 terms as president of CSEA.

CalPERS runoff ballots are scheduled to be mailed today.

Organizing Committee Meets Saturday Via Conference Call

2009-11-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

The CSUEU Organizing Committee meets tomorrow, November 7, by conference call, from 2-3 p.m., to continue development of organizing around furloughs. The full agenda, with instructions for calling in, is available at the link below.

As a reminder, calling a toll-free number (such as an 800 or 866 number) exposes the number you call from, regardless of your Caller ID settings.

Health Center Staff Exempt From Furlough

2009-11-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the report from Tuesday's bargaining at the Chancellor's Office, with a link to the signed agreement:

TO: CSUEU BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF
Bargaining Update: November 5, 2009
On November 4, the CSUEU bargaining team met with representatives of the CSU at the Office of the Chancellor to negotiate over exemptions to the furlough program and resolution of several outstanding grievances. We addressed a number of furlough issues and came to two agreements.
Health Centers and Other Furlough Exemptions
Responding to growing public safety concern with the threatened H1N1 pandemic, CSU will immediately exempt from furlough all CSUEU-represented employees assigned to health center units.
It may take some time and patience for the health centers work out their schedules, says CSUEU Bargaining Unit 2 Chair Tessy Reese, but this is the right thing to do to protect our students and our community.
This year's growing challenge with the H1N1 pandemic was unforeseen at the time of the furlough agreement.
In addition, campuses may grant temporary emergency exemptions from furlough to allow other CSUEU-represented employees to respond to an H1N1 outbreak or other unforeseen emergency events, such as earthquakes or fires.
Finally, the agreement between CSUEU and CSU codifies the exemption from furlough for those employees whose salaries are reimbursed in whole or in part by externally funded grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
Layoffs Lifted at San Diego State and CSU Los Angeles
The CSU has rescinded layoff notices at San Diego State and CSU Los Angeles as a result of discussions between CSUEU and the campuses, as well as CSUEU and the Office of the Chancellor. Had they been enacted, these layoffs would have impacted Bargaining Unit 5 employees as a result of bumping from Unit 6 layoffs. CSUEU is still working on potential layoffs at San Jose and CSU San Bernardino.
Finding alternatives to layoffs is a priority of our Union, says CSUEU President Pat Gantt.
Adds CSUEU Bargaining Unit 5 Chair Sharon Cunningham, It's devastating for employees and their families to lose their jobs and healthcare in these economic times.
CSU Clarified Intent of General Layoff Notice
On October 28, 2009, CSU representative Bill Candella sent a letter to all CSU unions stating that the CSU was considering layoffs and offering to meet and confer. The CSU has since clarified that the intent of that letter was to initiate discussions about such voluntary programs as time base reductions. Such programs could serve as options to reduce the need for layoffs in the next fiscal year. The Chancellors Office has reported that there are no imminent layoff plans, including no further reductions in Unit 6 that, if enacted, might result in limited layoffs in Unit 5.
In union,
Phillip Coonley, Chief of Staff
California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)

Link

Health Center Furlough Exemption Agreement [Image PDF]

BUC 9 Meets 8-9:30 on November 15

2009-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

At least 2 different schedules for the November Board of Directors meeting have been published, with different times for the Bargaining Unit Council 9 (BUC 9) meeting.

BUC 9 will meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2009, at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza, 300 J Street, Sacramento. At this time we are scheduled to be in the River View Room on the 16th floor. Meeting rooms can change, however, so we recommend checking the room schedule once you reach the hotel.

As usual, this is an open meeting. CSUEU committee, BUC, and Board meetings are open to members by default, and can only be closed for the reasons provided for by the Bylaws and Policy File.

Reminder: Even "Disguised" Layoffs Require Notice to Headquarters

2009-11-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

A reminder: All notices of layoffs must go to CSUEU headquarters in Sacramento. This includes changes to employee status as a result of bumping by an employee from another bargaining unit. A campus cannot notice a chapter, or negotiate directly with the chapter without the involvement of headquarters and the elected bargaining team.

Attempted End Run

At least one campus recently tried to pull a fast one by going directly to a chapter president and attempting to reach an arrangement on a layoff without calling it a layoff. Our contract does not permit this. Layoffs, even if a campus tries to call them something else (like demotions due to bumping), require notice to headquarters and cannot be negotiated directly with chapter officers or LRRs.

What To Do

If you become aware of anything like this happening on your campus, please notify at least your Bargaining Unit Chair, the statewide Vice President for Representation, and the CSUEU Chief of Staff, immediately. If a campus manager or even a misinformed chapter officer attempts to tell you it's confidential or a campus issue, that's a red flag that something questionable is going on — most likely, that the campus is trying to do something it shouldn't. You have not only the right but the obligation to alert the elected bargaining representatives and headquarters of anything like this. Please don't wait — delaying notification can make a situation much worse.

Links

Contact Information for Vice President for Representation and Bargaining Unit Chairs and Vice Chairs (CSUEU)
CSUEU Staff Contact Information (CSUEU)
Article 24 — Layoff (CSUEU)
A Layoff By Any Other Name (Unit 9 News)
Report Any Mention of Programs to Avoid Layoff (Unit 9 News)
Stewards: Be Ready for Questions (Unit 9 News)
Know Your Rights #10: Layoffs (CSUEU) [PDF]

Updated December 8, 2009: A version of this article was published in the November 25, 2009 CSUEU E-News. CSUEU activists are always invited and encouraged to reprint or adapt Unit 9 News articles for chapter newsletters, email alerts, web sites, or other union publications.

CSU Sends Vague Notice of Maybe-Someday Potential Layoffs

2009-11-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

In case anyone hasn't seen this: The CSU has sent notice to CSUEU that at some point … there may be a need to implement the layoff procedures outlined in Article 24 … due to lack of funds and/or work. The CSU states that no campuses, let alone individual CSUEU members, have been identified for layoff at this time. [emphasis ours]

An email from Phillip Coonley, CSUEU Chief of Staff, stated:

Besides the notices of bumping at San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose, we have not been noticed on any other specific classifications. If/when we receive such a notice, it will be shared with the board.

20 Managers Laid Off at Chancellor's Office

2009-11-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Chancellor's Office announced the layoff (or non-retention) of 20 managers at the Chancellor's Office. The move is part of a reorganization of the Chancellor's Office Information and Technology Services Division. The affected employees are in the Management Personnel Plan (MPP).

BUC 9 Agenda for November Meeting

2009-10-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

Bargaining Unit Council (BUC) 9 will meet the morning of Sunday, November 15, 2009, in Sacramento, before the Board of Directors meeting resumes that day. When the time is nailed down, we'll publish it here.

The agenda will be:

Chair Report
Library Services Specialist (LSS) series update
Exempt, workload, and on-call issues
Outsourcing
Staff Report
Additional items as requested and as time permits