Thursday, February 28, 2008

Member Benefits Committee: Updated Agenda for March 1

The CSEA Member Benefits Committee meets this Saturday, March 1, in San Diego. This morning an updated agenda was emailed to Committee members. The emailed document was a scanned image, rather than a text document. We converted the agenda portion into text; the rest of the PDF document consists of minutes and supporting material from the previous meeting (agenda item 5).

This is an open meeting; anyone may attend. CSUEU members are CSEA members.

Here is the text of the updated agenda:

AGENDA

FIRST 2008 MEMBER BENEFITS COMMITTEE MEETING

Crowne Plaza Hotel
2270 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 297-1107

March 1, 2008

Negotiated Room Rate: $129/Single, plus 10.5% tax & $2.50 tourism fee
Hotel Guest Self-Parking: $10 per day with in/out privileges
Airport Transportation: Cloud 9 Shuttle/Taxi Service
  1. Call to Order at 9 a.m. by Chair Rosmaire M. Duffy
  2. Pledge of Allegiance
  3. Roll Call:
    • Rosmaire M. Duffy, Chair, Chapter 503
    • Caryl Cole, Chapter 12
    • Lisa M. Davis, DLC 709
    • Robert A. Kersch, DLC 741
    • Richard McGee, Chapter 320
    • Peggy O'Neil-Rosales, Chapter 315
    • Raquel E. Rios, Chapter 514
    • Barbara A. Wilson, Chapter 2
    • Officer Assigned: Donna Snodgrass, Vice President
    • Staff Assigned:
      • Kay Thomas, Benefits Manger
      • Bob Wright, Employee Benefits Representative
      • Lisa Fong, Program Specialist
  4. Introductions
  5. Approval of Minutes of Second 2007 Member Benefits Committee Meeting
  6. Remarks of Chair
  7. Remarks of Officer Assigned
  8. Remarks of Staff Assigned
  9. New Business:
    1. Committee Orientation
      1. AGIA Insurance Services - Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Cancer, Disability, Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+), Family Life, Long Term Care and PetCare Insurance Plans - Mike Guglielmo, AGIA Vice President, Account Management
      2. Anthem life Insurance Company - Dick Bogart, Consultant
      3. Merastar/UNITRIN direct preferred insurance - Auto/Home/Renters - Linda Huguelet, Senior Account Manager
      4. Legal Club of America - Donald A. Rowe, National Sales Manager
      5. Fred Kilbourne - CSEA Actuary, The Kilbourne Company
    2. California School Employees Association Auto Purchasing Program - Frank Hale, President, Auto Referral Service
    3. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Program - Dave Mahoney, Home Mortgage Consultant, CalPERS Certified Loan Officer
    4. LifeLOCK - Andrew Heller, National Account Executive
  10. Old Business:
    1. Level Term Life Insurance - Michael Guglielmo, AGIA Vice President, Account Management
  11. Information Items:
    1. 2008 Member Benefits Directory
  12. Unscheduled Items
  13. Adjournment
Links:

Posted by Editor at 11:40 AM 0 comments
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CSUEU Board of Directors Agenda for March 2008

Headquarters sent out the agenda for the March 2008 CSUEU Board of Directors meeting yesterday evening. Note: there seems to be an error in the note about the BUC 9 meeting. The plan is to add a one-hour joint BUC 7 and BUC 9 meeting, after the scheduled BUC 9 meeting, to discuss the LSS transition. Since that means a 3-hour meeting during dinner time, we are looking into arranging food.

Here is the text of the agenda; a link to the Word document sent out follows:

CSUEU Board of Directors Agenda
March 14-16, 2008
Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza
300 "J" Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/446-0100

Nearest Medical Facility:
Sutter General Hospital, 2801 "L" Street, Sac, CA 95814 – 916/454-2222

Friday – March 14, 2008
CSUEU CLOSED – California Room 1st Floor 7 to 9 p.m.
CLOSED Session – CSUEU BOD Members Only

Saturday – March 15, 2008
BUC 2 Meeting – Riverview 16th Floor 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
BUC 7 Meeting – Cityview 16th Floor 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

CSUEU Board of Directors Meeting – California Room 1st Floor 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  1. Pledge of Allegiance Ronnie Grant
  2. Roll Call Dayna Ramos
  3. Announcements and Introductions Pat Gantt
  4. Approval of Previous Meeting's Minutes Pat Gantt
Reports:
  1. President's Report Pat Gantt
  2. CSUEU Chief of Staff Phillip Coonley
  3. Bargaining Report Dennis Dillon
  4. CSUEU Committee on the Future Report Lori Williams
  5. Finance Committee Report Lori Williams
New Business:
  1. Presentation by CSEA Membership Services Jade San Juan
  2. State Budget Pat Gantt & Phil Coonley
  3. Policy File – 601.xx SEIU Delegates – Action Item Policy File Committee

BUC 5 Meeting - Cityview 16th Floor 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
BUC 9 Meeting – John Q's Ballroom 16th Floor 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
(Please note and FYI, BUC 7 will join in on BUC 9's meeting)

Sunday – March 16, 2008
CSUEU Breakfast Buffet in El Dorado/Diablo 1st Floor 8 to 9 a.m. (or until food is gone)
CSUEU Council Reconvenes in California Room 1st Floor 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.*

Reports:
  1. Legislative Committee Report Vicky McLeod
  2. Classification Committee Report Nancy Kobata
  3. Communication Committee Report Russell Kilday-Hicks
  4. Representation Committee Report Dennis Dillon
  5. Organizing Committee Report Ronnie Grant
  6. Policy File Committee Report Jay Jimenez
  7. Chapter Reports (Limit 2 Minutes Per Chapter)
  8. BUC 2 Report Pam Robertson
  9. BUC 5 Report Sharon Cunningham
  10. BUC 7 Report Annel Martin
  11. BUC 9 Report Rich McGee
* Could end earlier if all business is concluded

Links:

Posted by Editor at 8:35 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

LSS Bulletin: Bargaining Begins

Here is the text of today's Bulletin on the LSS series:

PERB rules that LSS should be placed in BU 9
CSU sends CSUEU implementation proposal

On January 24, 2008, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) ruled that the proposed classification of Library Services Specialist (LSS) should be placed in Bargaining Unit (BU) 9. PERB had held two days of hearings in October 2007, during which CSU Employees Union (CSUEU) and CSU testified that the LSS classification shared a "community of interest" with other BU 9 classifications and should be placed in BU 9.

The next step is for CSUEU and CSU to negotiate over the impact of the placement of the LSS classification in BU 9. The CSU has sent the union an initial proposal which is described below. CSUEU's bargaining team will be meeting soon to discuss the CSU's proposal and develop our response. Our bargaining team will include several Library Assistants: Joan Kennedy (SLO), Jennifer O'Neal-Watts (Sacramento), Joseph Corica (East Bay) and Christine Thomas (Pomona). While it would be inappropriate to discuss our bargaining position before we formally respond to the CSU, our members deserve more than the status quo for this significant transition from BU 7 to BU 9. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact one of our team members. Please see the CSUEU web site for the complete LSS documentation. We are working on some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that will be up on the web site soon.

Below is a summary of the CSU's initial bargaining proposal:
  • Implement the LSS classification effective May 2008.
  • Move incumbent employees into the new series pursuant to the following Road Map:
    • Library Assistant I to LSS, Level I
    • Library Assistant II to LSS, Level II
    • Library Assistant III to LSS, Level III
    • Library Assistant IV to LSS, Level IV
    • Lead Library Assistant II to LSS, Level II
    • Lead Library Assistant III to LSS, Level III
    • Lead Library Assistant IV to LSS, Level IV
  • Maintain the same salary ranges for the LSS classification as the current LA series
  • Give Lead Library Assistants the option of moving to new series, within 60 days of implementation date
  • Lead Library Assistants who choose to move into the LSS class will not have any change to their temporary, probationary or permanent status. Time worked performing Lead LA duties will count for seniority purposes.
  • The President may waive probation and grant permanent status to any Lead LA who is voluntarily reclassified and has had a timebase of 50% or greater for more than two years.
  • If a Lead Library Assistant elects to remain in a Lead LA classification, the position will be filled with the appropriate Unit 9 classification once the position is vacated.
  • Until bargaining over LSS implementation is completed, there will be no changes to the status quo.
  • Once LA and Lead LA classifications are vacated, these classifications will be abolished.
Previous Unit 9 News LSS posts:
Also helpful:
  • Library Assistants - Joan Kennedy's collection of information about the Library Assistants classification and the Library Services Specialist (LSS) classification being created

Posted by Editor at 4:26 PM 0 comments
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Talking Points for Lobby Day

Vicky McLeod, Chair of the CSUEU Legislative Committee, has sent out a tentative list of talking points and a tentative agenda for Lobby Day. Both of these may change when the Legislative Committee meets on Sunday. CSUEU Lobby Day is March 3-4, 2008.

Talking points (tentative):
The Economy: Higher Education is part of the solution to a troubled economy. Cuts to the CSU undermine California’s economy and revenue to the state.
  • Every dollar the State invests in the CSU directly generates $4.41 in spending per year.
  • In 2003, the CSU, students, and graduates generated $3.11 billion in tax revenue.
  • Cuts to the CSU will reduce Staff retention and undermine trained staff, which in turn reduces services to students.
  • The CSU suffered layoffs from prior fiscal cuts and remaining Staff absorbed responsibilities of retirees and non-filled positions.
  • Between 1985-2004, the number of students in the CSU increased by 25%. The number of faculty members increased by 18%. The number of management employees increased by a staggering 65%. Yet, the number of employees represented by CSUEU increased by only 3%.
  • The CSU campuses (23) generate more than 200,000 jobs.
  • The CSU educates the bulk of California’s work force in key industries.
    (% of degrees granted in California)
    87% of teachers87% of social workers
    51% of engineers82% of public administrators
    64% of nurses65% of business professionals
    89% of criminal justice52% of agricultural professionals
    (police and firefighters)44% of life scientists
  • The CSU is the largest education system in the United States, which graduates nearly 90,000 students each year.
  • The CSU awards bachelor’s degrees.
    % of degrees granted in California
    58% of Latinos53% of Native Americans
    52% of African Americans45% of White/Caucasians
    39% of Asians and Pacific Islanders
  • The CSU has not recovered from the $500 million budget cut from 2002-05.
Links:
Previous Unit 9 News Posts:

Posted by Editor at 3:49 PM 0 comments
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Budget "Fight-Back" Meetings on Campuses

California Faculty Association (CFA) sent this out late yesterday:

With the 2008/09 state budget still unresolved, CSU advocates– with CFA in an organizing role – are putting together "budget fight back" meetings on all 23 campuses to raise awareness about possible funding cuts and prepare to remind lawmakers that the CSU is the solution to this budget crisis.

These meetings will be open to everyone in the campus community and are being put on by CFA, the CSU Administration, student groups and campus staff unions. The meetings will kick off an advocacy campaign for proper funding for the system.

We strongly urge you to attend!

The following meetings are scheduled. More will be added in the coming weeks:

March 3:Dominguez Hills, Noon-12:50, Loker Student Union, Ballroom A
March 7:Sacramento, 12-1 pm, University Theater
March 10:San Marcos, 1-2 pm, Arts 111 (Theater)
March 11:Channel Islands
March 17:San Francisco, 12-1:30 pm, McKenna Theater
March 18:San Jose
March 20:Sonoma, 12-1:30 pm, Person Theater
April 2:Monterey Bay, 12-2 pm

Please contact your campus CFA Chapter for more information and watch for the All-Campus Meeting coming up on your campus and plan to attend.

To find out the latest on the CSU budget, go to: http://www.calfac.org/budget08-09.html

Posted by Editor at 8:57 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Lobbying Locally

Can't travel all the way to Sacramento for Lobby Day? No worries! You can help right at home by urging your state legislators not to cut the CSU budget.

You can:

Find your legislators:
Lobby Day Links:

Posted by Editor at 11:36 AM 0 comments
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Lobby Day Information

This email went out this afternoon to Lobby Day Attendees. Vicky McLeod is Chair of the CSUEU Legislative Committee. CSUEU Lobby Day is March 3-4, 2008.

Hello Lobby Day 2008 Members,

The Legislative Committee and I Welcome you to attend Lobby Day 2008! The committee has been working hard at organizing and planning for another successful year meeting with Legislators.

I will be sending you various emails this week to give you up-to-date information so you may plan your visit and be prepared. Several people who submitted a registration form did not include an email address so please feel free to share my emails to participants from your campus.

I am attaching you a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to guide you as you prepare to arrive in Sacramento. Also, the 2006-2007 Campus Area Chart, which gives you a listing of each campus Assembly and Senate members. I have created a Legislative Listing by each campus as well and will have that at the training. A restaurant dining guide is attached which are yummy restaurants around the Sheraton.

Lobby Day Training will begin earlier this year (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.). We have wonderful speakers planned and role playing will take place to practice and make sure you feel comfortable when visiting Legislators. Our visits with Legislators will not be actual confirmed appointments, but this will allow for you to visit many offices, attend hearings, and sub-committees. Since our main topic is the CSU budget, the committee is still working on Talking Points and this will be available at the training session.

ATTIRE
Monday, 3/3TrainingCasual
Monday, 3/3Evening SocialBusiness/Casual
Tuesday, 3/4Legislator VisitsBusiness (women: dress slacks or skirt; men: slacks) with CSUEU t-shirt provided (yellow)

Everyone will be given a clip namebadge at check-in and you will wear that at each event. The badge will have your name and campus/chapter.

Meals provided
Monday, 3/3TrainingCoffee/tea; muffins
Monday, 3/3TrainingBuffet Lunch
Monday, 3/3Evening Socialhors d’oeuvres (does not count as dinner)
Tuesday, 3/4Prior to VisitsBuffet breakfast (8-9 a.m.)

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me through email.

Thank you and looking forward to meeting new members and visiting with previous members.

Sincerely,

Vicky McLeod
Catalog Specialist
Undergraduate Studies
Cal Poly Pomona
Links:

Posted by Editor at 6:55 PM 0 comments
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Lobbying Expenses: CSEA, CSU, SEIU

Lobbyists and organizations who employ them file quarterly disclosure reports with the California Secretary of State. The reports and summaries are available on the Cal-Access web site.

The site offers a "General Information" view showing in-house lobbyist employees and outside lobbying firms, and a "Financial Activity/Filing History" view showing what bills or topics the filer lobbied on, the agencies or offices lobbied, and what they spent.

An example of what you'll find: In just one reporting period (October-December 2007) the California State University spent $82,500 lobbying the legislature and governor's office against a single bill aimed at curbing the CSU's executive compensation abuses (AB 1413).

The CSU lists 2 outside lobbying firms. The CSU's paid lobbyists lobbied against SB 190 and AB 1413 (addressing executive compensation abuses), and on the budget, other legislation, and "contract negotiations" and "faculty salary negotiations." Total CSU lobbying expenses for 2007: $205,000.

CSEA has 1 in-house lobbyist employee (Sherrie Golden, Governmental Affairs Manager). Total CSEA lobbying expenses for 2007, other than Golden's pay, were $15,616.73. SEIU Local 1000 lists 3 employees and 1 outside lobbying firm, at a total expense of $415,030.61.

The SEIU California State Council (identified as "California State Council of Service Employees") lists 6 in-house lobbyist employees and 2 outside lobbying firms. The State Council's lobbying focused mainly on health-care issues and the state budget. Total SEIU California State Council lobbying expenditures during 2007: $6,418,815.34.

CSUEU is an affiliate of CSEA and SEIU; CSUEU members are CSEA and SEIU members. Local 1000, formerly known as the CSEA Civil Service Division, is also an affiliate of CSEA and represents around 90,000 state employees.

Lobbying Disclosure Links:

Organization Links:

Posted by Editor at 12:55 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, February 21, 2008

APC Leader to Work for Chancellor in Labor Relations

Charles Goetzl, President of Academic Professionals of California (APC), has announced he'll be taking a position in labor relations at the Chancellor's Office. APC represents CSU employees in Unit 4. Those who have followed the CSU Board of Trustees meetings will recall that Mr. Goetzl's remarks to the Trustees have tended to be very conciliatory.

This is the letter sent out to APC:

From: Charles Goetzl
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 2:45 PM
To: APC Colleagues
Subject: a personal transition

****************************************************
For IMMEDIATE distribution to Unit 4.
****************************************************

Dear Colleagues,

I've been privileged to serve as APC President for the past 12 years. These years have been among the most challenging and rewarding of my life, both personally and professionally. For the past few weeks, however, I’ve been weighing several options about my own future, and I’m writing to share with you the path I’ve decided to pursue, a decision reached just two days ago.

I’ve been offered and have accepted a two-year appointment working for the CSU Chancellor’s Office in the area of labor relations. Specifically, I’ll be assigned to work with CSU labor consultant Richard Barnes and his associates in three areas:

(1) assisting in the development and delivery of campus-based trainings to further the efforts already initiated in building a collaborative approach to labor relations and to the resolution of employment-related issues;

(2) assisting in the mediated resolution of as many as possible of the large number of backlogged cases, so that this impediment to building even greater momentum for positive change in labor relations is minimized as quickly as possible; and

(3) supporting the CSU's commitment to the consistent interpretation and application of labor contracts in the University by initiating a new shared labor-management resource, namely online interpretive versions of CSU's collective bargaining agreements developed collaboratively by the University and the unions.

As a result of having accepted this appointment, I will not be running for an APC office in our upcoming election. I look forward to serving the remainder of my term as President (which will end in early May) and to working with the incoming APC statewide officers to provide a smooth transition. Because I only reached my decision not to run the day before the nomination deadline for statewide officers, the APC Election Committee has extended that deadline. Nominations and candidate statements now must be received by the Committee no later than February 29.

Whatever I've thought of including in this message seems so inadequate to reflect how much my involvement in APC over the past 17 years, the interactions I've had with so many of you, and the relationships I've made have meant to me. It's extremely difficult for me to leave APC. In fact, making this move is, in some ways, quite scary for me. But I'm also really excited about the new challenges before me and the opportunity to continue--albeit in a different role--to contribute to the CSU. Throughout all my years of participation in APC, I've been passionately committed to doing all I can to improve the labor relations process in the CSU. And that commitment isn't going to change one bit.

Thanks again so much for all the encouragement and support that you've given me through the years. It's been a distinct honor to represent and work on behalf of such a tremendous group of dedicated educators.

In union and gratitude,

Charles

Posted by Editor at 3:41 PM 0 comments
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Main Unit 9 Site: Network Interruption Early Monday

The campus where the main Unit 9 site lives expects intermittent network disruptions between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Monday, February 25, while the campus moves to a spiffier connection. If you think you might desperately need something from the server during that time, get it before then.

Posted by Editor at 8:49 AM 1 comments

CSU in the Legislative Analyst's Alternative Budget

The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) proposes an alternative to the Governor's budget plan. The LAO describes it this way:

In contrast to the administration’s across-the-board reduction budget–balancing approach that fails to prioritize state spending, we offer an alternative approach for the Legislature's consideration. By making more targeted reductions; eliminating or modifying ineffectiveness or nonessential programs; and adding ongoing revenue solutions, we believe this approach offers the Legislature a better foundation to begin crafting a 2008–09 budget that focuses on essential services.
Here are the CSU parts of the Higher Education section of the "Expenditure Details" document (in millions):
Department/Program—Description2007—082008—09
California State University (CSU)—Reduce 5 percent base increase to 1.5 percent.—101.2
CSU—Reduce enrollment growth from 2.5 percent to 1.6 percent.—22.0
CSU—Increase student fees by 10 percent, and use revenue as General Fund solution.—108.7
CSU—Increase institutional financial aid to cover increased student need resulting from LAO proposed fee increase.—-28.5
CSU—Reduce administrative support spending by 10 percent (Governor's budget-balancing reductions).—43.2
Rationale: See the "LAO Alternative Budget for Higher Education" write-up in the "Education" chapter of this year's Analysis.

Links:
Previous Unit 9 News posts (most recent first):

Posted by Editor at 7:49 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Budget News from Pat Gantt

Pat Gantt, CSUEU President, sent this out yesterday evening:

Dear CSUEU Board Members and Field Staff:

Prop 92 defeated

The last few weeks saw the potential first positive change in the state budget situation for the CSU. The defeat of Proposition 92 was significant for the CSU budget. Every group within the CSU rallied to oppose this measure with the CSUEU and CFA leading the way. SEIU also opposed this measure which would have reduced the general funds available for the CSU. This shows what we all can do when we work together and focus. The final vote count is:

3,123,759 Yes Votes 42.4% 4,240,858 No Votes-57.6%

Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) critical of Prison Guards contract

This section comes from the strange but true part of the news. The CCPOA, Prison Guards Union, is now under fire from the LAO. Over the years the Prison Guards Union has been the envy of the labor movement in California with their rapid growth in size due to three strikes and the expanding prison industry. Along the way they have courted Governors and legislators, democrats and republicans, with a very aggressive political campaign and fund raising. Just recently, they exercised their might by pouring $2 million to oppose Prop. 93 which was an adjustment to term limits. Oh, by the way, the Governor Schwarzenegger, Senate Pro Tem Perata, and Assembly Speaker Nunez all supported the measure which was defeated. This political drama you just can’t make up! Now, the LAO jumps in and said their contract should not be funded. Wow!

Here are some articles that give more detail:

LAO- more bad news coming…

Tomorrow the LAO will release an in depth review of the Governor’s budget. As part of that it is also expected that there will be some updated projections on the budget deficit. Yes, it looks like the deficit will grow even greater due to the sagging economy and the decreased revenues as some of the figures from the national economy are plugged into the budget picture. The analysis may give some insight to impacts or alternatives.

Governor signs current year budget bills and announces hiring freeze

Today Governor Schwarzenegger signed an executive order that places some restrictions on state agencies. This measure was done to achieve “additional reductions in or elimination of non-essential expenditures are necessary to address the projected budget imbalance in Fiscal Year 2007-08.” The CSU system is not directly impacted by this executive order as it fall outside of the scope of the executive order. The Chancellor’s Office has released a statement on the issue through the campus presidents. You can read the text of the executive order here: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/8802/

This does signals the severity of the budget problem to the public.

Senator Denise Ducheny Speaks at San Marcos

Senator Denise Ducheny, chair of a key Senate budget committee, spoke at the San Marcos campus recently. She is frank about the budget problems facing California and how this crisis is different from previous ones. The structural problem with the state budget offers little in easy solutions. She encourages all of the CSU constituents to do impact lobbying to communicate the true impacts of the across the board cuts on the CSU. The public needs to be reminded of the value of the state services and in particular the CSU. This is a synopsis of a report filed by Brian Young. If you wish to see his full report, please go to my budget blog.

Brian, thanks for attending the event and sending in the report.

The CSU campus presidents are in Long Beach this week for meetings with the chancellor. The CSU unions as part of the budget task force have asked that we have Campus Budget Convocations to discuss the budget issues openly. We will see how the Chancellor responds. The convocation process has the potential of uniting the campus groups to be even more effective advocates to support and protect the CSU budget. I will be trying to meet with each chapter executive committee in the next month or two to discuss budget impacts and lobbying efforts.

In Union,

Pat Gantt, President
CSUEU

Posted by Editor at 10:11 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

State Hiring Freeze by Governor's Order

Governor Schwarzenegger has issued an executive order imposing mid-year cuts to state agencies and departments.

State agencies and departments are ordered to reduce their 2007-08 budgets by 1.5%. This applies to "non-essential and non-mission-critical activities and shall not negatively impact public safety or public health activities." Within "non-essential and non-mission-critical General Fund activities," state agencies and departments are ordered to:

  • freeze hiring
  • reduce, cancel, or postpone equipment purchases or leases
  • reduce, cancel, or postpone media and outreach campaigns
  • cancel or postpone travel to conferences or training
  • limit meetings to reduce travel costs for same
Links:

Posted by Editor at 2:23 PM 0 comments
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Monday, February 18, 2008

CSEA Member Benefits Meets March 1

The first 2008 CSEA Member Benefits Committee will meet on March 1, 2008, at 9 a.m., at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2270 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, California. The negotiated hotel rate is $129 + 10.5% occupancy tax + $2.50 tourism fee. Hotel guest parking is $10.

CSUEU members are also CSEA members. This is an open meeting; you do not need anyone's permission to attend on your own time and funds.

Agenda items:

  1. Call to order at 9 a.m. by Chair Rosmaire M. Duffy
  2. Pledge of Allegiance
  3. Roll call
    • Rosmaire M. Duffy, Chair, Chapter 503
    • Caryl Cole, Chapter 12
    • Lisa M. Davis, DLC 709
    • Richard McGee, Chapter 320
    • Peggy O'Neil-Rosales, Chapter 315
    • Raquel E. Rios, Chapter 514
    • Barbara A Wilson, Chapter 2
    • Officer Assigned: Donna Snodgrass, Vice President
    • Staff Assigned:
      • Kay Thomas, Benefits Manager
      • Bob Wright, Employee Benefits Representative
      • Lisa Fong, Program Specialist
  4. Introductions
  5. Approval of Minutes of Second 2007 Member Benefits Meeting
  6. Remarks of Chair
  7. Remarks of Officer Assigned
  8. Remarks of Staff Assigned
  9. New Business:
    1. Committee Orientation
      1. AGIA Insurance Serivces - Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Cancer, Disability, Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+), Family Life, Long Term Care and PetCare Insurance Plans - Mike Guglielmo, AGIA Vice President, Account Management
      2. Anthem Life Insurance Company - Dick Bogart, Consultant
      3. Merastar/Unitrin Preferred Insurance - Auto/Home/Renters - Linda Huguelet, Senior Account Manager
      4. Legal Club of America - Donald A. Rowe, National Sales Manager
      5. Fred Kilbourne - CSEA Actuary
    2. California School Employees Association Auto Purchasing Program - Frank Hale, President, Auto Referral Service
    3. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Sharing Advantage Program - Dave Mahoney, Home Mortgage Consultant
    4. LifeLOCK - Andrew Heller, National Account Executive
  10. Old Business:
    1. Level Term Life Insurance - Michael Guglielmo, AGIA Vice President, Account Management
  11. Information Items:
    1. 2008 Member Benefits Directory
  12. Unscheduled Items
  13. Adjournment
Note: typos in this agenda should be presumed to be the Editor's; see the image PDF (if you can, sorry) for the original.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 9:41 AM 0 comments
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Friday, February 15, 2008

National SEIU Endorses Obama

SEIU has endorsed Barack Obama for President, and will throw their weight behind him in upcoming primaries. From the press release:

SEIU members are supporting Obama with an aggressive political effort. With more than 150,000 members in the upcoming primary states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas, SEIU will mobilize thousands to go door-to-door, work the phones, and will send mail about their support for Obama. SEIU also will have a substantial presence on television and radio in every critical state.
Media reports indicate the decision was made by the SEIU Executive Board last night via conference call. Last fall, the national SEIU stated they would not make an endorsement, but would instead allow state councils to make their own endorsements. California's state council endorsed Edwards, then switched to Obama after Edwards withdrew from the race.

CSUEU is SEIU Local 2579; CSUEU members are members of SEIU as well.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 10:47 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, February 14, 2008

California Budget Project Presentation

Ronnie Grant, CSUEU Vice President for Organizing, sent this message out last night:

(To: CSUEU Board of Directors, CSUEU Staff)

Please enjoy the attached presentation from the California Budget Project that the SEIU State Council passed on to CSUEU.

I owe you a report on our meeting with SEIU in Oakland; I still need to type my notes.

My availability this week and the first half of next is limited, since I am in court on jury duty.

Ronnie.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: California Budget Project Analysis of the Budget
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:27:24 -0800
From: Dean Tipps <DTipps@seiucal.org>

Hi everyone,
I have attached the chartbook that Jean Ross and her staff at the California Budget Project have put together that provides an excellent - and graphic - explanation of why we have a huge deficit, why revenues are the problem, and the impact of the proposed cuts in the context of already inadequate spending for many important services. I think you will find it interesting and useful reading. Dean

Dean Tipps
Executive Director
SEIU California State Council
Service Employees International Union
1007 7th Street, 4th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
916.442.3838
www.seiuca.org
Links:

Posted by Editor at 8:19 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Weingarten Rights: Representation During Investigatory Interviews

If you were called into an investigatory interview right now, would you know exactly what your rights are? Are you even sure what is and isn't an investigatory interview? Stewards, if you had to represent someone right now, would you know what you could and couldn't do to help the employee?

Brush up here: Weingarten Rights for CSUEU

Have you found or created a good writeup of Weingarten rights? Tell us in the comments!

Posted by Editor at 9:51 AM 0 comments
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BUC 9 Agenda for March 2008 Meeting

The next Bargaining Unit Council 9 (BUC 9) meeting will be held at the CSUEU Board of Directors meeting March 15, 2008 in Sacramento. The meeting is currently scheduled for 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The agenda has been sent to chapter bargaining unit representatives and presidents, as required by policy file.

BUC 9 Agenda items for March 2008 meeting:

  1. Roll call (BUC members)
  2. Library Services Specialist (LSS) series
  3. In-Range Progressions (IRP) update
  4. Campus cell phone policies
  5. Exempt, workload, and on-call issues
  6. Information distribution
  7. Additional items as requested and as time permits
A Rich Text Format (RTF) copy is available below.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 8:43 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

SEIU State Council Agenda and Minutes

Ronnie Grant, CSUEU Vice President for Organizing, has shared the agenda for yesterday and today's meeting of the SEIU California State Council Executive Board, and the minutes from the December meeting. Ronnie states CSUEU President Pat Gantt and CSUEU Chief of Staff Phillip Coonley will be attending the current state council meeting.

Tidbits from the December 2007 minutes:

  • Pat Gantt, CSUEU President, was nominated and confirmed for a seat on the SEIU State Council Executive Committee. Other members include Lillian Taiz (CFA), and Jim Hard (Local 1000).
  • SEIU State Council Executive Board 2008 meetings were set for
    • February 11-12, Sacramento
    • June 12, Los Angeles
    • December 8-9, San Diego
  • For the Proposition 93 (term limits) campaign, the Board voted to spend "an initial $1 million contribution, with a second $1 million approved if a poll conducted by SEIU shows the measure is viable."
  • The Board unanimously voted to spend "up to $40,000 for polling the Prop 93 term limits initiative" and "$300,000 for Sen. Perata’s committee for Prop. 93."
  • The Board unanimously voted "to spend $150,000 for opinion research and polling on getting the Healthcare bill on the 2008 ballot."
  • "A motion was made and seconded to add $170,000 to the $1.1 million Member Involvement budget to replace funds that were sent to help in the Iowa local’s member program. The motion passed unanimously."
The Word documents below are the documents that were forwarded; the PDF versions were saved from those, in another application.

CSUEU is SEIU Local 2579; CSUEU members are also SEIU members.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 12:15 PM 0 comments
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Initiative Seeks CSU Fee Freeze

An organization called Students and Families for Tuition Relief Now is collecting signatures to get a CSU/UC tuition freeze on the November 2008 ballot.

The initiative, titled the "College Affordability Act of 2008," would freeze undergraduate fees at the California State University and University of California for five years. After that, the fees could only increase as much as the California Consumer Price Index. The initiative would also impose an additional 1% tax on income over $1 million, and 60% of that revenue would go to the CSU and UC systems.

The estimated increase in state revenues would be $2 billion from the new tax. The lost revenue from the fee freeze is described as "potentially exceeding $1 billion" during the five-year freeze.

The initiative also provides for some oversight of how the funds are spent, establishing a College Affordability Funding Accountability Panel composed of administrator, faculty, and student representatives. The panel would be required to review how the new tax revenue is spent and provide an "accountability update" describing in detail how the funds were used on each campus. That report would have to be available to the public on the CSU and UC web sites.

The full text of the proposed initiative is contained in the petition, linked below.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 9:19 AM 0 comments
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Arbitration Decisions for Stewards

Jorge Salinas, Senior Labor Relations Representative, recently sent out a copy of an arbitration decision from a CSU Channel Islands case, and a summary of key arbitration decisions dating back to the 1980's.

Stewards should have received this information by now, but if not, please contact your chapter's President or Chief Steward (it's not clear from the email whom it was sent to), your Bargaining Unit Chair, or your chapter's Unit 9 Representative.

Posted by Editor at 9:10 AM 0 comments
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Friday, February 8, 2008

New Athletic Trainer Series in Unit 2

The CSU and CSUEU have reached agreement on a new classification in Bargaining Unit 2: the Athletic Trainer Series. The Series includes the classifications Athletic Trainer I, Athletic Trainer II, and Head Athletic Trainer. There will be twelve-month and academic year classifications.

Current employees who are doing the work of an Athletic Trainer will not be automatically reclassified, but can request a voluntary reclassification into the new series. Employees must make the request in writing no more than 60 days after the implementation date, which is the March 2008 pay period. Current employees who do not request reclassification will be grandfathered in their existing in-lieu classifications.

Beginning March 1, new 12-month hires will be placed into the Athletic Trainer classifications. New Academic Year hires will be placed into the series beginning with the 2008/09 academic year.

Links:

Posted by Editor at 2:14 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Interim Officers at San Marcos Chapter

The CSUEU Board of Directors met by conference call on January 31 and appointed the following temporary officers for Chapter 321 (San Marcos):

PresidentMichael Geck
Vice-PresidentSteve Wiener
TreasurerDebbie Blair
Chief StewardSally-Jo Divis

The chapter plans to hold elections in April.

Posted by Editor at 1:56 PM 0 comments
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March CSUEU Board of Directors: Response Deadline Friday

Yesterday evening, headquarters sent out a notice about the March 14-16, 2008 CSUEU Board of Directors meeting. This Friday, February 8, is the deadline for responding to the message and returning the response form to headquarters. Note that there is a Friday evening (closed) Board of Directors meeting. The sender's information has been redacted from this copy by the editor:

From: ["D"]
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 5:55 PM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: IMPORTANT CSUEU BOD INFO - Deadline: Friday - Feb. 8th
Importance: High

Attached are the registration and travel advance forms for the March 14-16th CSUEU Board of Directors meeting. Please review, fill out and return to me by 5 p.m. on Friday – February 8th. Board, committee, BUC and staff assigned, please note where and when you are needed and fill the form out accordingly. Please be specific on your leave needs – i.e.: I need 4 hrs of leave on 3/14 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Ideally, I’d appreciate your completed form back PRIOR to the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday – February 8th. You may fax me at 916/319-4808 or e-mail them to [D's email, redacted by Editor]. Registration forms coming in AFTER the deadline may NOT be able to reserve a sleeping room at the hotel.

Important Info:
What:CSUEU BOD Meeting
When:March 14-16, 2008
Where:Holiday Day Inn Capitol Plaza, 300 "J" Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Misc:Do not call the hotel, sleeping rooms secured via rooming list sent in by CSUEU.
Deadline to Submit Registration Form: NO LATER THAN 5 p.m. ON FRIDAY – FEBRUARY 8th

Your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated. Thank you!
Links:

Posted by Editor at 8:39 AM 0 comments
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Monday, February 4, 2008

No on Prop. 92 Reminder from Pat Gantt

Pat Gantt, CSUEU President, sent this message out this morning:

From: Gantt, Pat
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 8:09 AM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Reminder- Vote No on 92.

Dear Chapter Presidents,

Please send this message to your chapter today as a reminder to Vote No on 92 tomorrow.

February 4, 2008

RE: Feb. 5th-Vote No on Proposition 92-Reminder

Dear CSUEU Represented Employee:

We consider community colleges an important partner and support the goal of increasing access, but Proposition 92 will not achieve that goal and will do more harm than good. Due to its severely flawed funding formula, Prop. 92 will harm others areas of our public education system and negatively impact students seeking to attend four year universities. In addition, Prop. 92 does absolutely nothing to help low income students with costs and they are the people that struggle with access to higher education the most.

Because Prop. 92 calls for nearly a billion in new spending, but includes no way to pay for it, it will force the Legislature to increase taxes or take the money from other areas of the budget. One area of the budget that is vulnerable is higher education, including CSU and UC who will be forced to raise student tuition yet again and still cut in other areas. It is in your interest to vote against this proposition so the CSU budget situation does not get worse. The CSU Trustees took action to oppose this measure last November. (CSU Trustees Resolution)

Please take the time to tell your family, friends and co-workers about the impact of Proposition 92 and urge them to vote no also. Here are a few major newspapers that have taken a position against Proposition 92:

In Union,

Pat Gantt, President
California State University Employees Union

Vote No on 92 Website

Posted by Editor at 9:33 AM 1 comments
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Friday, February 1, 2008

Lobby Day Signup Deadline Today

Vicky McLeod, Chair of the Legislative Committee, had headquarters send this email out to chapter presidents, board members, and the Legislative Committee today. Some chapter officers and members have not received information from their chapter about Lobby Day.

If you would like to volunteer for Lobby Day, and have not arranged it with your chapter president (or the person covering for him or her), time's running out.

February 1, 2008

Dear Chapter Presidents,

Happy Friday!

REMINDER: Deadline to submit ALL registration forms to attend Lobby Day 2008 is today, Friday, 2/1/08, by 5:00 p.m. As I mentioned in my letter dated 1/25, it is the responsibility of each chapter president to forward the registration form to the appropriate individual(s) on your campus and submit the form by the deadline. It is important to complete and submit the registration form by 2/1 to headquarters ([email removed by Unit 9 News editor] or FAX 916-319-4808) since there will be no exceptions for late forms. All reservations must be made by completing the registration form and submitting by 2/1. This includes individuals attending at chapter expense. I have attached the registration form for your convenience.

I want to remind everyone that the dates for Lobby Day 2008 were given at the August 2007 and November 2007 BOD meetings. Due to the Sheraton needing information one month in advance, it is necessary to stay firm with the 2/1 deadline to submit all registration forms even if you will not be staying over night. The reservations with the Sheraton include rooms for participants, meal packets (discounts), meeting rooms, etc. It is necessary for the committee and headquarters to plan for training materials, binders, t-shirts, etc. A lot goes into reserving the hotel and also preparing for the actual training and visits with legislators, so take in to account the planning and organizing that has taken place.

As I mentioned over the telephone last night and through email with various chapters, if your chapter can not afford to send extra participants at chapter expense, please only send the two funded by headquarters (chapter president and one participant). Although the committee appreciates the efforts made to have many attendees, it makes for a stressful event for the chapter and headquarters to try to handle funding at the last minute. Lobby Day 2008 is earlier than usual and everyone involved is doing the best with the short turn around time.

If I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me through email. Have a good weekend.

Sincerely,

Vicky
Links:

Posted by Editor at 1:14 PM 0 comments
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SEIU State Council Backs Obama Now

The Associated Press reports that the SEIU California State Council has switched its endorsement in the presidential race from John Edwards to Barack Obama. At this writing, the endorsements page on the SEIU State Council site still identifies John Edwards as the endorsed candidate in the Democratic primary.

CSUEU is SEIU Local 2579. CSUEU members are SEIU members.

Links:

Update: The SEIU California State Council has published a press release about this on their web site:

Posted by Editor at 11:28 AM 0 comments
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Proposed Policy File Changes: Representation

The Policy File Committee will be requesting approval of changes to the CSUEU Policy File at the March 2008 CSUEU Board of Directors meeting. The changes are to Division 9, which covers Representation, including steward conduct. The Word document linked below is the one sent out by headquarters to the Board; the PDF is saved from that.

Some of the changes are substantial. Among them:

902.00 (a) (1) Association Mmembers within a unit for which the CSUEU is the bargaining agent, have the full right to good faith representation in any collective bargaining employment related matter by the CSUEU’s Association’s designated representative, or legal counsel, without charge therefore;
Links:

Posted by Editor at 8:30 AM 0 comments
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Budget Update from Pat Gantt

Pat Gantt, CSUEU President, sent this budget update out yesterday:

From: Gantt, Pat
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:45 AM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: January 30, 2008 Budget Update

Dear CSUEU Board Members, Activists and Field staff:
The latest development is that the letters( attached) have been sent to the Governor and Legislature.

January 30, 2008 Budget Update
This a follow up to the last budget report. In the CSU Trustee meeting last week the Chancellor spoke emphatically about how all the CSU groups are working together on the budget. In his remarks he created a strike force of his senior vice chancellors to work with all groups on the budget fight and make this the highest priority. The unions had previously worked on a draft letter that we would all sign off on but had not seen the final copy as of that date. The Chancellor’s remarks were off the cuff and not rehearsed. The text of the letters to the Governor and Legislature are enclosed in this message. This is a first in the CSU system and all of our efforts will be needed to restore the cuts the Governor has proposed.
The past Monday I attended the Assembly budget subcommittee no.2-Higher Education. The committee reviewed the Governor’s budget and the impacts on the State Library, CPEC, UC, Hastings College of Law, CSU, and Calif. Student Aid Commission. The Department of Finance, Legislative Analysts Office (LAO), and representatives of each agency testified.
The CSU remarked on the impact of the cuts :
  • Student enrollment
  • CA economy/investment
  • $312 million -Unallocated cut
  • $73 million.-student fee buyout
This series of budget cuts comes only three years after the CSU general fund support was reduced by $522 Million during the 2002-03 and 2004-05 fiscal years. The CSU has never recovered from those cuts but has provided increased access to the CSU by 23,000 students. The affordability and access to the CSU is a key part of the Master Plan for Higher Education. The CSU does have a positive impact on the economy as it returns $4.41 to the economy for every $1 invested by the state. The CSU is one of the factors in driving the state economy and not every state agency can make that claim.
The committee took no action that day. It is clear that the Legislature has no answers to the budget problem at this time.

If you need some information on the California Budget Process we have a guide posted on the CSEUEU webpage.


Pat Gantt, President
CSUEU
Attachments:

Posted by Editor at 7:36 AM 0 comments
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