Unit 9 News

Next Board of Directors Meeting: November 13-15

2009-07-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Save the date alert from headquarters about the next CSUEU Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting:

To All CSUEU BOD members and staff:
Please note on your calendars that we’ll have a CSUEU BOD meeting on November 13-15, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza, 300 J Street, Sac, CA 95814. Online registration will go out late September or October and will include all the pertinent information.

Provisional Ballot Procedure for Ratification Vote

2009-07-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the provisional ballot information sent to the chapters:

Provisional Ballot Process

If a member is unavailable for the Chapter balloting due to circumstances beyond their control, they may submit a provisional ballot.
Provisional ballots must be submitted to the Chapter President or their designee between Friday, July 10 and Monday, July 20. Ballots received after 2:00 p.m. will be invalid.
Provisional ballots will have a place to mark a selection for or against the Tentative Agreement as well as a place to identify bargaining unit (2, 5, 7 or 9)
For those members who are unable to be on the campus at any time during the balloting period due to circumstances beyond their control, they may vote by sending an e-mail, with a return address that is verifiable by the Chapter President, indicating their choice for or against the Tentative Agreement as well as their bargaining unit. For those members submitting provisional ballots via e-mail, by doing so they consent to waive their right to a secret ballot.

Chapters will count the ballots, then send the election materials to headquarters. Headquarters recommends that chapters copy the checked membership lists and tally sheets before sending in the ballot material.

Misconceptions About Furlough Agreement and Our Options

2009-07-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Several misconceptions about furloughs, layoffs, and how bargaining works have turned up repeatedly this week:

If this TA is voted down, can't we just negotiate a better one?: No. First, this is a good agreement, with the protections we sought. Second, there's no time to negotiate a new agreement on something members have already voted against. If this TA isn't ratified, the CSU will begin layoffs.
Once the CSU starts layoffs, we can bargain furloughs then, right?: No. The only bargaining we'd be doing over layoffs is on the impact of the layoffs on employees, not the number of layoffs. That will not prevent or delay layoffs.
We don't really have to decide so fast, do we?: Yes, we do. The CSU has given all the unions until July 20 to answer about furloughs – the day before the July 21 Board of Trustees meeting. The fiscal year has already started, and the longer CSU waits, the deeper the cuts will have to be. With or without a furlough plan, campus presidents will be directed to start making the necessary cuts on their campuses. Furloughs will drastically reduce the number of layoffs campuses will make.
My chapter voted in favor of the furlough agreement. Even if other campuses vote no, employees at my campus are safe, right?: No. Ratification votes are by statewide bargaining unit, not chapter. For example, if members in Unit 5 vote yes on the furlough agreement and members in Unit 9 vote against it, Unit 5 employees would be furloughed, and have jobs. Unit 9 would go into layoffs, and many Unit 9 employees would lose their jobs.
But you would bargain over layoffs, right? Couldn't you fix it then?: No. Bargaining over layoffs is simply bargaining over the impact, not whether there are layoffs or how many there are. Bargaining over the impact of layoffs would not prevent layoffs.
I'm worried about my workload under furloughs.: Workload issues are addressed in this agreement. Also: If you're concerned about your workload under temporary furloughs, aren't you a lot more concerned about your workload if roughly 1/3 of the employees in our bargaining units lose their jobs? That's what we're facing under layoffs.
I heard furloughs would be permanent, and get added to the contract.: No. This is a temporary agreement for one year, expiring June 30, 2010. It does not become part of the contract.
I heard the CSU can just impose furloughs anyway.: No, they can't. There is no provision for furloughs in our contract. Without this furlough agreement, the CSU would be left with using the option already in our contract: Layoffs.
If the CSU is really going to furlough MPPs, and furlough or lay off other bargaining units like faculty, why doesn't it say so in our furlough agreement?: Because the union is the exclusive representative of our own bargaining units, not faculty or MPPs. We do not have the legal authority to bargain their pay or working conditions, any more than CFA could bargain ours.
The CSU has been adamant that each union faces either furloughs or layoffs, and that there is a July 20 deadline for deciding. Any union which does not agree to furloughs will face layoffs. MPPs are facing furloughs; they don't get a vote.
Why doesn't the TA say no raises for other groups?: Because we can't legally bargain for other groups. Just as CFA or APC cannot bargain for us, we cannot bargain for them. Remember too that our own contract still provides for In-Range Progression (IRPs), stipends, bonuses, etc.
Does this agreement give away our holidays by turning them into furlough days?: No. You still get all your holidays as provided by the contract. The furlough agreement allows the campus president to continue his/her practice of moving those holidays (to the week between Christmas and New Year's, for example), and also designate the actual holidays as campus-wide furlough days.
You'd get your holiday leave as usual between Christmas and New Year's, plus a designated furlough day on the actual holiday (Washington's birthday, for example). This would be especially helpful for employees with children in school, since schools often close on holidays the CSU has moved.
I don't want either furloughs or layoffs.: No one does. We still have to choose. Not liking the situation doesn't change it.
If you want to save jobs, vote yes to ratify the one-year furlough agreement.
If you want thousands of layoffs which could have been prevented by furloughs – and which may include you even if you think you're safe – then vote in favor of layoffs.

Please read at least the tentative agreement itself, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and the statement from your elected bargaining team. It's important that you base your vote on facts, not rumors or mistaken assertions from people who haven't done their homework.

Bargaining Team Recommends Ratification

2009-07-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

The CSUEU bargaining team strongly supports ratification of the furlough agreement. The message below was sent to chapters on CSUEU letterhead:

A Message from Your Bargaining Team
In support of the Ratification
Of the Tentative Agreement on Furloughs
July 2009
Now that the CSUEU has tentatively agreed to the furlough implementation plan, CSUEU members will have the opportunity to hear directly from bargaining team members and to vote on the agreement. From Monday, July 13, through Monday, July 20, chapters at the 23 campuses and the Chancellor's Office will hold ratification meetings. Contact your local chapter leadership to find out the time and place of these meetings.
In these unprecedented times, when workers are being laid off in the hundreds of thousands each month and our sister SEIU and other civil service unions are facing up to 20 percent reductions in pay, there are no good choices, only less bad choices. Your bargaining team went to Long Beach to ensure that we saved the most jobs possible and secured protections for our members during these difficult times.
The idea behind this process was to take action before CSU announced large layoffs, and, by so doing, to sidestep large layoffs altogether. At the end of the day, the team was able to produce a tentative agreement that, without reservation, they recommend for a yes vote.
We strongly recommend that you vote yes on ratification of the tentative agreement on furloughs! We listened to your concerns during polling and advisory votes, we bargained hard on your behalf at the Chancellor's Office, and we got the protections you wanted.
In particular, pensions and healthcare benefits won't be impacted, and workload issues are directly addressed. CSUEU will continue to fight for equitable and fair treatment and will vigorously enforce the contract to make sure that, once implemented, this plan is fulfilled to the spirit and letter of the agreement.
Let's not mince words: if we do not vote in favor of this agreement, there will be thousands of layoffs.
Here are a few other positive points to bear in mind:
This arrangement incorporates the basic features that were identified as being important to members during June polling
It helps save the careers of co-workers, retaining jobs during this most difficult time in the history of the CSU
It evenly spreads one fiscal year's pay reductions over the 11 months of the agreement starting August 1
Part-time employees are subject to furloughs on a pro-rata basis
Employees have the ability to choose furlough days using a process similar to how vacation days are requested
Employees in public safety positions are exempt from the furlough
None of us likes these choices, including members of the bargaining team, but we can't remain insulated from the larger economic forces at play in California today. A yes vote is the right thing to do at this juncture in CSUEU's and CSU's history.

Unit 9 Chair Rich McGee is at the Chancellor's Office today, and will be at the Fullerton, Pomona, and Los Angeles chapter ratification meetings as well. Unit 9 Vice Chair Alisandra Brewer was at Humboldt yesterday, is at Chico today, and will be at Sonoma and Maritime Academy meetings later this week.

Furloughs and Layoffs: the Numbers

2009-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

The information below is extracted from staff answers to questions from chapters:

General Payroll Information

As of March 31, 2009, our total numbers are 16,052 (headcount) or 14,455 (Full Time Equivalent or FTE).
- So, FTE is approximately 90% of the headcount.
Average annual salary for a CSUEU represented employee as of March 31, 2009: $45,405
Cost of a 1% salary increase for CSUEU-represented employees as of March 31, 2009: $6,563,393

Furlough v. Layoff Savings and Impact

CSUEU's share of the payroll savings resulting from 2-days of furloughs would be approximately $65.6 million plus benefits.
On June 9, 2009, Chancellor's Office representatives told CSUEU that if we rejected furloughs and the CSU had to initiate layoffs, we would be looking at approximately 2,000 layoffs of permanent employees, in addition to the non-reappointment of all temporary employees in BU 2, 7 and 9, and 77% of the temporary employees in BU 5. That equates to approximately 3,200 temporary employees (headcount) or approximately 2,800 temporary employees (FTE).
The annual savings resulting from 2,000 layoffs and the non-appointment of 2,800 temporary employees would be approximately $217,000,000. That is about 33% of the employees we represent.
In terms of sheer numbers, the impact of layoffs would be far greater than the impact of furloughs for several reasons:
- Historically, campus presidents have laid off support staff disproportionally greater than faculty and MPP.
- The CSU is aware of this and thinks furloughs would equalize the pain in a fairer and more equitable manner.
- Under Article 24, there are notice requirements to both the union and to individual employees that could delay the implementation of layoffs to October or November 2009. Therefore, a higher number of layoffs would be needed.
- Campuses have historically overestimated layoff targets to make sure they generate enough savings. With numbers of this magnitude, it would be hard to accurately estimate the impact of seniority and its associated bumping rights.
In rough numbers, therefore, layoffs would represent a savings of 33% of CSUEU payroll costs, while furloughs represent a savings of approximately 10% of CSUEU payroll costs.

Timing

Each union must make its decision on furloughs on July 20th, the day before the next CSU Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. The Chancellor and the campus presidents will be announcing their plans for reducing costs after the July 21st BOT meeting.

Board of Trustees Meeting July 21, 2009

2009-07-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

The CSU Board of Trustees meets Tuesday, July 21, 2009.

Schedule

A closed session of the full board, for Executive Personnel Matters and Presidential Evaluations starts at 9:30
Closed session for Committee on Collective Bargaining is scheduled for 10:00
The open session of the Committee on Collective Bargaining is estimated to being at 11:00
After additional committee meetings and a lunch break, the full Board is expected to meet at 2:00.

On the Agendas

Modifications to Title 5 to allow furloughs and pay reductions for non-represented employees [Committee on University and Faculty Personnel agenda]
- Chancellor can implement furloughs for non-represented, Management Personnel Plan and Executive employees upon certain findings of disaster or crisis which include financial crisis
- Chancellor can implement reductions in pay for non-represented, Management Personnel Plan and Executive employees upon certain findings of disaster or crisis which include financial crisis
- Chancellor can designate holidays as unpaid for non-represented, Management Personnel Plan and Executive employees
Raise nonresident student tuition, effective fall 2009, to $248 per unit at campuses on a quarter schedule, $372 per unit at campuses on a semester schedule, and $11,160 maximum for the academic year. [Committee on Finance agenda]
- The agenda item states The anticipated revenue increase from this rate change is approximately $11.5 million for 2009-10 and will help address the budget gap identified for CSU's support budget in 2009-10 and beyond.
Raise resident student fees to $4,026 for full-time students. That rate does not include fees imposed by individual campuses, which average $801. [Committee on Finance agenda]
Budget report. The advance summary for this states Also, as discussed at the last meeting,the 2008-09 budget act remains relevant to the CSU because the Governor's 'July Revision' proposes a $717.5 million 'retroactive' reduction to the CSU appropriation for 2008-09. The practical impact of that reduction, if approved, would be felt in 2009-10. [Committee on Finance agenda]
Ratification of a tentative agreement with Unit 12 (Headstart at San Francisco State University) [Committee on Collective Bargaining agenda]

About Trustees Meetings

For the most part, the discussion happens in the Committee meetings, and then the full Board meets in plenary session and approves whatever is before it. The Board seldom says no to the CSU.

The open sessions are open to anyone at all, and there is no sign-in or identification requirement. You can just sit in the audience and watch if you're interested.

The (as yet unapproved) minutes of the previous meetings are in the agendas for the current meetings.

Anyone can address the Board of Trustees, or write to them. To write, use the mailing address on the second page of the current meeting schedule.

CSU's Answers to Questions About Furloughs

2009-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

CSUEU asked the CSU a long list of questions in advance of bargaining on furloughs, and more at the table.

The list of our questions and CSU's answers is now available. Per Teven Laxer, Chief Negotiator, Please note that we gave them an opportunity to review our draft of their responses in advance and they edited some of the comments we had attributed to them. Thus, this represents their official response to our questions.

These are CSU's answers to CSUEU's questions:
CSU answers to CSUEU questions about furloughs [PDF]

Expedited Ratification Process

2009-07-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

A copy of the ratification process was sent to the Board of Directors just before noon today:

CSUEU Board of Directors:
Attached please find a copy of the expedited ratification process that was passed at the June BOD.
In union,
Phillip Coonley, Chief of Staff
California State University Employees Union (CSUEU)

The copy attached to the email is linked below. Here is the text of the document:

605.01 SIDE LETTER RATIFICATION
The Bargaining Committee shall normally determine if a side letter agreement requires ratification by the membership. The Board of Directors may exercise overall authority in requiring the ratification of a side letter agreement when it determines that the subject will have a significant impact on the membership. The Bargaining Committee may either use the ratification procedure outlined in 605.00 or the expedited process below. Expedited ratification requires the following minimum requirements be met:
(a) the tentative agreement shall be made available to the membership prior to the ratification vote;
(b) The chapters shall be provided with up to date membership lists;
(c) The chapters shall be provided with a ballot template they may use to copy on appropriate colored paper to clearly distinguish the vote from each bargaining unit on their campus. The cost of copying shall be reimbursed by CSUEU;
(d) At least one week (5 business days) shall be allowed for the ratification process to be completed from the date of the chapters are provided with copies of the tentative agreement.;
(e) The TA of the side letter will be posted on the CSUEU website, distributed to the chapters, and sent by e-mail to all members for whom CSUEU has current e-mail addresses within 24 hours of the tentative agreement being reached;
(f) The chapter will send hard copies to those members to whom they normally distribute hard copies due to their lack of access to e-mail as soon as possible after receiving the document. CSUEU shall reimburse the chapter for copying expenses;
(g) Once the tentative agreement has been posted and distributed to the chapters, each Chapter will hold a ratification meeting within one week where members will be allowed to vote on the TA. Current membership status shall be determined from the membership list. The member shall be provided ballots of the appropriate color for their bargaining units. Fair share fee payers who complete a membership application shall be allowed to cast their vote;
(h) The chapter shall count the ballots and notify CSUEU headquarters of the results by bargaining unit no later than 5:00 P.M. the last day of the ratification period. Notification will be via e-mail to the Program Specialist.;
(i) All ballots and checked membership lists will be sent to CSUEU headquarters within five days of the ratification meeting. Chapters shall make copies of all materials prior to sending to HQ, and shall retain those records until confirmation of receipt has been received by HQ..

Chapters will be communicating with employees regarding the details of the ratification vote on each campus.

Readable PDF of Tentative Agreement on Furloughs

2009-07-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Ronnie Grant, CSUEU Vice President for Organizing, writes that he has converted the image scan of the tentative agreement (TA) on furloughs to something readable:

Please enjoy the attached enhanced PDF of the TA:
I've optimized the scanned image for better reading
I applied OCR so you can copy and paste text
The document passes the Adobe accessibility checker; it can now be read by a screen reader
Bookmarks added to sections for quick navigation
Ronnie.
--
Ronnie L. Grant, Vice President for Organizing
California State University Employees Union, SEIU Local 2579

If you're distributing the TA electronically, we recommend using this enhanced copy, since it is accessible and searchable. The image PDF copy of the TA is still available, and is still useful for printing copies.

Chapter 312 President Quoted in Furlough Story

2009-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Chapter 312 (Northridge) President Claudia Garcia was quoted in a local news story about the tentative agreement on furloughs:

There is a willingness to look out for our co-workers given the budget situation, said Claudia Garcia, president of the Cal State Northridge CSUEU chapter. No matter how fiscally responsible a campus is, there is no way these cuts can be absorbed.

Furlough Agreement and FAQ Published

2009-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

A Furlough Agreement FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list, and a copy of the tentative agreement, has been posted:
Furlough Agreement FAQ: July 8, 2009
Furlough Implementation Tentative Agreement [Image PDF]

The copy of the agreement posted is a scanned image, not the text. We profoundly apologize for this; the bargaining team was assured, and the FAQ still claims, that the text would be published. We have no explanation.

CFA Decides to Vote on Furloughs

2009-07-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

The California Faculty Association (CFA) Board of Directors has decided to put the furlough issue to a vote of CFA's membership. Voting will be online, from July 13-20.

Budget Message from Pat Gantt

2009-07-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

CSUEU President Pat Gantt sent a new budget message to the Board of Directors this morning:

July 8, 2009
TO: CSUEU Board of Directors
July Revise Budget update
The last couple of weeks have been a flurry of activity within the CSUEU with our Board of Directors meeting, elections and the furlough issue. I figured it was time to give you another budget update as things have taken another twist. We now have a July Revise.
This new tactic keeps the books open on the last fiscal year that ended June 30th for another month and applies some budget cuts retroactively. Yes, this is another gimmick with the intent to avoid some restrictions in the federal stimulus funds. The CSU cut does not change and still seems at $583,816,000. A large part of the cuts in the last year they are trying to capture are in education funding. The maintenance of effort part of the federal stimulus. Here is what that means:
State Maintenance of Effort Requirements Under the Federal Stimulus Package Fiscal Stabilization Fund: To be eligible for the Fiscal Stabilization Funds, a state is required to assure that it will provide education funding at least at the fiscal year (FY) 2006 level in FY 2009 and FY 2010.
This helps the CSU budget from further cuts, but there is a growing concern that the Governor could ask the federal government for a waiver which would allow him to make deeper cuts as the state budget battle drags on and the revenues continue to lag. The state bond rating was lowered due to the budget stalemate and that will make any borrowing more expensive and add to the problems.
In the CSU Trustees meeting yesterday there was Budget Presentation for the whole board and those in attendance. The $583,816,000 cut to the CSU is equal to 20% of the state general fund funding. The Chancellor also reported that the CSU employees will not be affected if IOUs are issued as he will authorize the use of the student fee revenue funds to meet payroll and allow the system to cash flow. The comments lead me to believe that they can do this for a couple of months into the fall if the budget stalemate drags on.
There does not appear to be a solution close at hand with the state budget. The Governor has called net another special session to deal with the budget. He has also ordered a emergency third furlough day for the state agencies directly under his control. The CSU is not impacted by this order and has only planned for the equivalent of two furlough days per month for the current fiscal year to reduce costs and avoid layoffs.
I will try to update you as the budget and impacts to the CSU unfold in the coming weeks. There is nothing currently proposed to change the size of the cut to the CSU and there is potential things could get worse.
In Union,
Pat Gantt, President
CSUEU

Unit 9 Membership Statistics

2009-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

CSEA has sent out end-of-the-month membership numbers for June 2009. We've extracted the membership data for Unit 9 and chapter totals, and posted them on the Unit 9 web site.

Statewide Unit 9 membership has increased from 55.7% to 60.1% in a month.

CSUEU is an affiliate of California State Employees Association (CSEA). CSEA processes our membership forms and maintains membership information for us.

If you're interested in statistics for other bargaining units, your chapter president should have a copy of the original report.

CSUEU Board of Directors Meets Thursday by Teleconference

2009-07-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

The CSUEU Board of Directors will meet by teleconference Thursday, July 9, at noon.

The agenda item is:

Review Furlough Implementation Tentative Agreement

CSUEU Press Release On Furlough Agreement

2009-07-07T15:53:00.001-07:00

CSUEU has issued a press release on the conceptual agreement on furloughs:

CSUEU Announces Conceptual Agreement on Furlough Days
Sacramento, Calif. (July 7, 2009) – The California State University Employees Union, representing some 16,000 staff employees in the California State University system, announced today that it has reached a conceptual agreement with the CSU for 24 furlough days during the period of August 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010.
Subject to member ratification, this tentative agreement provides workload protections and significant layoff mitigation.
The CSUEU bargaining team believes this agreement addresses the concerns presented to us by our members in polls and surveys over the last few weeks, said CSUEU President Pat Gantt. We think this is the best solution – far better than layoffs or other draconian moves—to address the CSU's projected $584 million budget deficit for 2009-10, given that some 85 percent of the CSU budget goes to employee salaries and benefits.
Although the state budget has not been finalized, the Governor's budget proposal would mean a $584 million cut to the CSU's general fund support for 2009-10. Furloughs by all employees would reduce the CSU's salary expenditures by approximately $275 million, as well as preserve 22,000 course sections or 15 percent of all classes for students for the academic year.
Within the next few days, the union will begin the process of ratification; CSUEU members will have the opportunity to vote on the tentative agreement at their chapters.
A furlough is a mandated period of time off without pay. Furloughs differ from salary reductions and pay cuts in that they are temporary and do not affect employment status, or health benefit eligibility or pay rate for retirement benefits. Employees are required not to work on furlough days.
About CSUEU
Incorporated in 2005 after serving its members as a division of the California State Employees Association for more than 70 years, the California State University Employees Union, www.csueu.org, has built up a rich record of achievements on behalf of the 16,000 employees it represents. They comprise classified staff members at the California State University's 23 campuses, as well as the Office of the Chancellor, encompassing such diverse job categories as registered nurses, custodians, groundsworkers, library assistants, graphic specialists, information technology consultants and performing arts technician

Links

Conceptual Agreement Reached on Furloughs (Unit 9 News)
Press Release: CSUEU Announces Conceptual Agreement on Furlough Days (CSUEU)
News stories covering furloughs and CSU budget issues:
- One CSU union OKs furloughs (Sacramento Business Journal)
- Cal State pushes proposals to close budget hole (San Francisco Chronicle)
- CSU trustees to discuss $584 million deficit (San Francisco Chronicle)
- More furloughs asked of universities (Modesto Bee)
- Furloughs, tuition hikes considered at CSU schools (Vallejo Times Herald)
- Do local school execs earn too much? (Granite Bay Press-Tribune) – includes Sacramento State University President Alexander Gonzales in its recounting of high-paid school officials

CSUEU Twitter Feeds

2009-07-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

CSUEU has several Twitter feeds now. Here are the ones we know of:

CSUEU: http://twitter.com/CSUEU: Updates were described in the email announcement as whenever any relevant updates are posted to the web or for other key announcements
Inside CSUEU: http://twitter.com/InsideCSUEU: From Vice President for Organizing Ronnie Grant, this carries News and tips for leaders, stewards and staff of CSUEU. This feed has been used to post election results during ballot counting, and updates during CSUEU Board of Directors meetings. This one is the most prolific so far.
CSUEU Legislative Committee: http://twitter.com/CSUEULeg: Information about Legislative Committee activities and CSUEU positions on all things political

Wait, What's Twitter?

If you're not familiar with Twitter:

Twitter is a way of publishing a stream of short messages
Messages (called updates or tweets) can be read on the web or received as text messages on your cell phone
You can read updates online without signing up for Twitter.
- You can use the URLs above to check the feeds when you feel like it.
- You can use the RSS feed to receive automated updates in your browser or feed reader. RSS feed links are on each the pages above.
If you want to receive text messages on your cell phone, send a text message from your phone to 40404 with the text: follow insidecsueu
- Substitute the name of the feed you want to follow
- Check how much text messages cost on your phone (some plans charge for each message, which can add up fast)
The feeds we list above are all public, meaning they can be read by anyone and don't require a Twitter account.
Some feeds are protected, including those of some CSUEU folk. This means only Twitter users approved by that person can see his or her updates
Quite a few union activists and staff have Twitter feeds, with a mixture of union and personal topics.
If you want to reply via Twitter, you will need to sign up.
You can search feeds here: Twitter Search

If your committe, chapter, or other union-y entity has a twitter feed, please leave a note in the comments or email us so we can add it.

Conceptual Agreement Reached on Furloughs

2009-07-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here's the official update from yesterday's bargaining:

July 6, 2009: Conceptual Proposal Reached
After three full days of bargaining, CSUEU reached a conceptual agreement which will provide workload protections, significant layoff mitigation and 24 furlough days during the period of August 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010.
The team believes this agreement will address the concerns presented to us by our members. Once the final language has been written and agreed to, we will post the full text for our members to review.
Within the next few days, we will begin the process of ratification; CSUEU members will have the opportunity to vote on the tentative agreement at their chapter. Members will receive notices of the time and place for balloting via e-mail.

The bargaining team was working on language until after midnight, after a full day of bargaining.

CSU, CFA Trade Press Releases on Furloughs; State Budget Resolution Elusive

2009-07-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

On June 29, the CSU issued a press release urging the California Faculty Association (CFA) to let members vote on the CSU's furlough concept. The CSU also published its responses to a list of 8 questions from CFA.

Two statements from that question list stand out:

Q2: Can the CSU provide some guarantee, or propose some other measurable means, to ensure that the salary cost savings generated by a furlough are applied towards maintaining Unit 3 positions over the next 12 months, and that the savings generated will not be used to fund pet projects on individual campuses?
A: It is inaccurate and misleading to consider the effect of a furlough as a salary savings that can be used to fund one thing over another. A furlough works to reduce campus compensation expenses. The general funds available to campuses remain the same, but a furlough means that this fixed amount of money can be stretched to fund more positions than would otherwise be the case if there was no furlough. A furlough would not create a pool of additional income. If adopted by all employees, furloughs would reduce the CSU's salary expenditures by approximately $275 million. But, the total budget cut for 2009-10 is $584 million, and other cost saving options are being discussed to address the remaining deficit.
The Chancellor has said repeatedly that one of the main advantages of the furlough is that it will allow the campuses to maintain more jobs with the reduced General Fund allocations that they will now receive. His guiding principles in managing the budget deficit have been to serve as many students as possible without sacrificing quality, and to preserve as many jobs as possible.
However, and in response to the specific question posed by the CFA, the CSU is prepared to say that it cannot provide any guarantees as to the precise number of Unit 3 positions that would be saved by a furlough, but it can guarantee that with the furlough in place, there would be more Unit 3 positions in 2009-10 than there would otherwise be without one.
Q8: Will MPP's face the same type of reductions as the faculty?
A: The Chancellor has said that all groups will be equally affected by a systemwide furlough and that equity between employee groups is one of the benefits of the systemwide furlough option. However, the reality is that the CSU will have to go through a process of adapting itself to fit the level of funding that has been appropriated to it by the state. Within this process there can be no guarantees that all employee groups will be equally impacted at precisely the same time, or in in precisely the same way, as the CSU goes about this difficult, but essential, process of adaptation.

CFA responded with a press release of their own, titled California State University Faculty Question Chancellor's Leadership, Half-Baked Budget Plan and beginning:

CSU Chancellor Reed & his administration have focused for years on their own perks, spent millions on labor consultants and done little to advocate for adequate CSU funding; now their incomplete CSU budget proposal would address less than half the projected shortfall, leaving a $300 million deficit with no plan to close it; tens of thousands of students are at risk of losing out on a college education.

On June 1, CFA leadership published an open letter, calling the CSU's message profoundly disrespectful. Regarding workload issues, CFA said:

As part of our discussions about the need for a reduction in faculty workload commensurate with the pay reduction proposed, we managed to convince administrative representatives that their original Friday closure furlough plan was poorly conceived and academically unworkable. We recommended instead that the choice of furlough days be left to each individual faculty member since he/she knew best which days would address both workload and educational goals.
The administration's response to our proposal was at once patronizing and insulting.
They initially suggested that they could agree in principle to allow faculty to choose their furlough days; when pressed it emerged that they envisioned oversight of this choice by administrators who would vet the selected days for their programmatic impact. Given what we know from years of bargaining with the Chancellor, in principle agreements simply cannot be trusted.

The letter describes the CSU as suffering a lack of leadership, and cites concerns about job security, where savings from furloughs would be used (saving faculty jobs, or elsewhere?), and states CFA representatives have been told over and over, 'The Chancellor has no plan' (other than a furlough program) to close the CSU budget gap.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports legislative leaders and the governor met again Sunday without reaching a budget solution.

Chapter 309 (Fresno) President Nancy Kobata was mentioned in the Fresno Bee's story on possible furloughs:

Nancy Kobata, president of the Fresno State chapter, said an advisory vote showed employees are overwhelmingly open to the idea. Kobata said she's proud that members agreed to consider furloughs as a way to save jobs.

Updated Monday afternoon: more news stories added. Also, the CSU states in its press release on the July 7 Board of Trustees meeting that:

To date, approximately 21,000 of CSU’s overall workforce of 47,000 employees are committed to looking at furloughs as a way to address the budget deficit. If all employees furlough it would save approximately $275 million, and an estimated 22,000 course sections or approximately 15 percent of all classes, that would otherwise need to be eliminated for the academic year.
Collective bargaining agreements between the CSU and its employee unions include provisions covering non-renewal of contracts and layoffs, but not furloughs. Each bargaining unit, therefore, must agree to negotiate furloughs. To date, the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), that represents more than 16,000 non-academic employees, and the Academic Professionals of California, that represents approximately 2,400 student services employees, have voted to negotiate two day per month furloughs.
CSU is expected to begin furloughing management, non-represented, presidents and executives beginning in August following changes to Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations that are anticipated to be modified at the July 21 regular board meeting.

Sonoma State University's Foundation looks to be on the hook for $1.25 million in loans it guaranteed for a former Board member, and expects to reduce scholarship awards as a result:

The Sonoma State University Academic Foundation stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on a $1.25 million loan it made to Clem Carinalli, a former SSU foundation board member who announced in May he is unable to pay some of his creditors.

CSU Spent Millions On No-Bid Lobbying Contracts

2009-07-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the CSU, in addition to spending $1.1 million per year on its own lobbying office in Sacramento, contracted with high-priced lobbyists without competitive bidding:

In the last decade, the university system has paid more than $2 million in public funds to two Sacramento lobbying firms – Capitol Advocacy LLC, and Sloat Higgins Jensen & Associates – to influence the policies and budget decisions of the governor and state lawmakers.
At a time of state budget cuts, student tuition hikes, canceled classes, faculty hiring freezes and layoffs, CSU's lobbyists have been paid to defeat bills designed to shed more light on CSU executive salaries and perks as well as public records.

One example of the legislation blocked:

Trent Hager, chief of staff for Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles County), said CSU paid the two lobbying firms in 2007 to derail his boss' bill aimed at full disclosure of CSU salaries. They got it sidetracked and killed, he said.

Bills tracked also included nearly a dozen bills that had little or no direct connection to the university, including legislation on affordable housing for Iraq veterans, money laundering, terrorism, sex offenders and sacred Indian grounds. The CSU spent almost $400,000 on retainer fees during periods when lobby activity reports show the firms weren't lobbying.

According to the story, the University of California rarely hires outside lobbyists, and the California Community Colleges system doesn't use them at all.

The CSU didn't even follow its own rules:

Under CSU policy, university officials must identify in writing three additional firms that they surveyed with regard to a no-bid contract. CSU officials did not do this.

Furlough Bargaining Resumes Monday in Long Beach

2009-07-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

CSUEU's furlough bargaining team meets again with the CSU tomorrow (Monday, July 6) to continue negotiations.

A CSU Labor Council meeting is scheduled for that evening, at the request of the California Faculty Association (CFA). The CSU Board of Trustees holds a special meeting on Tuesday, July 7. Agenda items for the Trustees meeting are information-only; there are no action items scheduled.

Here are last week's bargaining reports, in case you missed them:

July 2: Bargaining Team Report
We met again today with the CSU. Our team presented an initial proposal reflecting the extensive feedback we have received from our members.
The proposal included:
24 furlough days over this fiscal year
A projected beginning date of August 1, 2009, and a June 30, 2010, expiration of the furlough program
State-wide labor management committees to monitor workload issues and explore additional cost-saving measures
The CSU presented a counter-proposal, which we are now reviewing.
We will be reconvening on Monday, July 6, to resume negotiations.
July 1: Bargaining Team Report
We have begun bargaining with the CSU; they have answered some of our questions, but not all. We have submitted an information request pursuing those unanswered questions and will continue our bargaining session tomorrow morning. No proposals were passed during today's session.
June 30: Bargaining Team Report
CSUEU’s new bargaining team met today in caucus to prepare for furlough bargaining with the CSU, which will begin tomorrow.
We considered our options and clarified our goals to reflect all the feedback from our represented employees on the furlough versus layoff options. Talks with the CSU will continue through Thursday. We expect responses from the CSU on our information request and plan to post answers to our membership some time tomorrow.

Rocky Waters Named to Compensation LMC, Joseph Dobzynski Alternate

2009-07-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Unit 9 Chair Rich McGee is naming Rocky Waters, of Chapter 301 (Humboldt), as the Unit 9 delegate to the Compensation Labor Management Committee (LMC). Joseph Dobzynski, of Chapter 324 (Channel Islands), will be the alternate.

Waters is currently Chapter 301 Vice President, and has served as Unit 9 Vice Chair (2004-2005 and 2007-2009), and as Unit 9 Chair (2005-2007). Dobzynski is currently Chapter 324 President, and previously served as an at-large member of Bargaining Unit Council (BUC) 9 2007-2009.

Here's the text of the side letter, dated May 5, from the CSUEU site:

Side Letter 27
Side Letter of Agreement
Labor Management Committee on Long-Term Compensation Strategy
May 5,2009
1. Within ninety (90) days of the execution of this Agreement, the parties agree to form a Labor Management Committee (LMC). The LMC shall develop recommendations towards a long-term compensation strategy that meets the goals and objectives of both the CSUEU and the CSU. The goals shall be both clear and transparent.
2. Pursuant to Provision 27.5, the LMC shall be composed of twelve (12) voting members, six (6) selected by the CSUEU and six (6) selected by the CSU. Each party may select up to four (4) alternates. In addition, each party may assign a staff person to work with the LMC.
3. The LMC shall have two co-chairs, one selected by each party, who shall serve as Facilitators to assist the parties with their communication. If the two Facilitators mutually agree, they may request facilitation by State Mediation and Conciliation Services (SMCS) or Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS). In the event there is no agreement regarding the need for facilitation, one of the co-chairs can also request facilitation by either SMCS or FMCS.
4. The LMC shall meet two consecutive days per month, every other month, unless extended by mutual agreement. Release time shall be provided to members of the LMC for the purpose of participating on the committee, pursuant to Provision 27.7.
5. The location of each meeting shall be mutually agreed upon by the parties.
6. The initial report of the LMC shall be prepared no later than June 15, 2010. The final report of the LMC shall be prepared by December 15, 2010, and shall be presented to the CSU Board of Trustees at their January 2011 meeting.

Bargaining Team Heads to Long Beach

2009-06-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

A quick update: Because of the unusually large number of candidates, yesterday's statewide officer and BUC elections ran much later than expected. The last BUC election ended some time around 7:30 p.m. and the bargaining team met immediately after. The bargaining team meeting finished shortly before 9 p.m.

Today therefore is a travel day, and the bargaining team will meet tomorrow in Long Beach. Bargaining team members have been told to be prepared to stay through the end of the week.

BUC 9 Election Results

2009-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Bargaining Unit Council 9 (BUC 9) elections were held today (Sunday, June 28, 2009), at the Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California. Here are the election results:

Bargaining Unit Council 9 Members
Name	Position	Chapter
Rich McGee	Chair	320 – San Bernardino
Alisandra Brewer	Vice Chair	304 – Sonoma
Matthew Black	at-large member	315 – Long Beach
Gus Leonard	at-large member	322 – Monterey Bay
Roy Park	at-large member	324 – Channel Islands
Michael Reeder	at-large member	317 – Fullerton
Stephen Tillinghast	at-large member	301 – Humbdoldt
Christina Valero	at-large member	305 – San Francisco

Executive Officer Election Results

2009-06-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Executive officer elections were held today (Sunday, June 28, 2009), at the Westin San Francisco Airport in Millbrae, California. Here are the election results:

Office	Elected	Chapter
President	Pat Gantt	302 – Chico
Vice President for Organizing	Ronnie Grant	312 – Northridge
Vice President for Representation	Russell Kilday-Hicks	305 – San Francisco
Vice President for Finance	Loretta Sevaaetasi	305 – San Francisco

Unit 9 News

Next Board of Directors Meeting: November 13-15

Provisional Ballot Procedure for Ratification Vote

Provisional Ballot Process

Links

Misconceptions About Furlough Agreement and Our Options

Links

Bargaining Team Recommends Ratification

A Message from Your Bargaining TeamIn support of the RatificationOf the Tentative Agreement on Furloughs

July 2009

Links

Furloughs and Layoffs: the Numbers

General Payroll Information

Furlough v. Layoff Savings and Impact

Timing

Links

Board of Trustees Meeting July 21, 2009

Schedule

On the Agendas

About Trustees Meetings

Links

CSU's Answers to Questions About Furloughs

Expedited Ratification Process

Links

Readable PDF of Tentative Agreement on Furloughs

Links

Chapter 312 President Quoted in Furlough Story

Links

Furlough Agreement and FAQ Published

Links

CFA Decides to Vote on Furloughs

Links

Budget Message from Pat Gantt

Links

Unit 9 Membership Statistics

Links

CSUEU Board of Directors Meets Thursday by Teleconference

CSUEU Press Release On Furlough Agreement

CSUEU Announces Conceptual Agreement on Furlough Days

About CSUEU

Links

CSUEU Twitter Feeds

Wait, What's Twitter?

Links

Conceptual Agreement Reached on Furloughs

July 6, 2009: Conceptual Proposal Reached

Links

CSU, CFA Trade Press Releases on Furloughs; State Budget Resolution Elusive

Links

CSU Spent Millions On No-Bid Lobbying Contracts

Links

Furlough Bargaining Resumes Monday in Long Beach

July 2: Bargaining Team Report

July 1: Bargaining Team Report

June 30: Bargaining Team Report

Links

Rocky Waters Named to Compensation LMC, Joseph Dobzynski Alternate

Side Letter 27

Links

Bargaining Team Heads to Long Beach

BUC 9 Election Results

Executive Officer Election Results

A Message from Your Bargaining Team
In support of the Ratification
Of the Tentative Agreement on Furloughs