Union Meeting Photos

Last weekend I went to the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) Board of Director's Meeting in Sacramento. It was a huge even and I took many photographs. Here is just a small subset of those photos:

[Event Photos on Flickr]

Furloughs must be implimented with respect

Commentary:

The California State University system is a union shop. Most non-manager employees in the CSU system are covered by one of several collective bargaining agreements. When CSU wanted to make cuts in its overall employee compensation it only had one option under the agreements, that option was layoffs.

When the CSU decided instead that it wanted to furlough university employees it had to go to the unions and negotiate a side agreement to do so. Employees who were in their unions then had an opportunity to vote to ratify that agreement and almost all the CSU unions voted to accept furloughs for one year.

At this time it appears the budget problems may go on beyond a year. You may see the unions and CSU negotiating again on this topic. Any tentative agreement that may come out of a future agreement would most likely have to again go through a ratification process.

Under the agreement currently in place, management is apparently being given a great deal of discretion in how they are dealing with furlough days. For example, at SJSU, President Whitmore has decided to not close the campus on at least some furlough days. Some university employees are being asked to work on some furlough days and to take other non-furlough days off instead.

This is not the understanding some employees had who voted for furloughs of how furloughs would be implemented. Many employees expected the campus to be closed on furlough days. These employees made other plans on these days (for example for daycare) and some resent that it is not being closed and resent the possibility that they could possibly be asked to work and to take other days off instead. These employees are sometimes feeling taken advantage of.

If employees do not feel that the university is respecting the spirit of the furlough agreement it may be a lot harder for CSU to get a second agreement ratified, if that becomes necessary. It is important for the universities to remember that university employees have made a sacrifice here and if that sacrifice is not respected, it may not ever be repeated.

Is CSU furlough proposal a red herring?

Commentary

The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), the union that represents most classified staff employees, surveyed its constituents. Over 82% of those who responded voted for the California State University (CSU) plan to offer furloughs to mitigate layoffs in the CSU system. Still it is hard for me to imagine all the unions that represent California State University employees will go for furloughs.

The plan, which will close CSU campuses two Fridays a month, may offer faculty too little. Most faculty do not teach Fridays. For them the CSU plan is a ten percent pay cut. Classified staff get two extra days off a month in return for their reduced pay. For most faculty it can be seen as a pay cut with no visible workload reduction yet seen.

The California Faculty Association (CFA) may not be that enthusiastic about this option. CFA may turn the furlough proposal down. If the union that represents CSU faculty does not sign off on furloughs, they cannot happen.

What does CSU management have to gain if this happens? Absent furloughs, CSU management has said there will be massive layoffs. Staff will be hit hard. CSU management could do layoffs and have the excuse that they were "forced into it" by the union(s) who turned down furloughs. This could cause bitterness between the staff and faculty that could last for a long time.

Yes, that does sound cynical; I know.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

Staff union vote favors furloughs

The CSU Employees Union (CSUEU) represents over 16,000 employees on 23 CSU campuses and in the office of the chancellor. Its bargaining units comprise the majority of non-academic (classified) employees in the state university system. Recently the CSUEU announced the results of a survey of its members. According to the union, the union members voted overwhelmingly to support furloughs as opposed to layoffs:

In a series of advisory votes over the last week, CSUEU members have clearly indicated their support for the concept of two furlough days per month, as proposed earlier this month by the Chancellor’s Office.

The results of the votes taken at the chapter level are reflected in the chart below. An online survey and a scientific poll came to the same result: CSUEU-represented employees support the concept of furloughs at the rate of approximately 82 percent in favor. [Read More]

This does not mean there will not be layoffs at SJSU or in the CSU system, this still has to be negotiated at the bargaining table and is subject to the state budget outcome.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

Budget crisis to mean CSU layoffs and/or furloughs?

According to an FAQ posted on the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) Web site:

The State Budget Crisis has finally hit the CSU, and we are being faced with the possibility of massive layoffs as a result. On Tuesday, June 9, CSUEU President Pat Gantt, VP for Representation Dennis Dillon and SLRR Teven Laxer met with representatives of CSU management at the Office of the Chancellor on an information-gathering basis. The CSU informed the union that it was likely that the Budget Conference Committee would be recommending cuts to the CSU budget totaling $583,816,000, the amount proposed by the governor in the May Revise. This represents a staggering 13.5 percent cut to the budget.

[Click on this link for more information]

Staff union and CSU extend contract two years

The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) represents the lions share of staff (classified) employees in the California State University System. The collective bargaining agreement between the union and the CSU system was set to expire on June 30 this year. According to the CSUEU Blog:

CSUEU and CSU agreed to extend the contract, which was scheduled to expire June 30, 2009, to instead expire on June 20, 2011. The terms of the contract remain unchanged. The parties also agreed to form a Labor-Management Committee to discuss compensation strategies, and to end the FY 2008/2009 salary reopener.

This should mean there will not be tense contract negotiations for staff during this tight budget year.

My opinion:
I am relieved as this, in my opinion, would have been a bad time to be in contract negotiations. CSU and CSUEU should be working together, as much as possible, to save funding for higher education and being in confrontational negotiations could be a big distraction from that process.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

Staff Employees Union Seeks to Block Governor

According to the Sacramento Bee:

The largest state employees' union (SEIU) filed a motion this morning in Sacramento County Superior Court attempting to stop Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order laying off thousands of temporary employees and reducing pay for 200,000 workers to the federal minimum wage.

[Read More Here]

The California State University Employees Union, which represents staff employees in the California State University system, is Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2579

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

More on the safety issue

More on the safety issue
People chaining their bikes to stairs and fire exits is a relatively common occurance at SJSU. I have several photos of this in my growing photo archive.

I saw the article in today's Spartan Daily. While not accurate in every detail on some things, I think it caught the spirit of the issue.

In the article University Police Department Chief Barnes reportedly said he had not seen or heard about many safety issues linked with non-motorized vehicles that convince him to revisit the policy. According to the Daily; "There hasn't been any factual evidence that we can see that would cause us to change our mind," he said. "I understand that some people would not like to have them riding, but from an enforcement standpoint, based on the numbers and issues we've seen, we don't see any reason why we would change the policy."

I know this may be a misquote, so I will give him the benefit of a doubt. Perhaps you may wish to send him this photo and the link to the others as well. His email is: Andre.Barnes@sjsu.edu

Today was a great day for a bike ride. I rode my bike again today. After riding about eleven miles to SJSU I did not see any reason to ride the extra few hundred feet to my desk. I rode around SJSU on the public streets and parked my bike in one of the many bike corrals around campus and walked to my desk.

[Click here to see more related photographs]

[Copy of Grievance Here]

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, Campus Life, bicycling, CSU, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

Packed SJSU union meeting

SJSU staff union meeting standing room only
Despite it being Spring break and a number of staff members being on vacation or away at conferences, yesterday's union meeting at SJSU on compensation and in-range progression was standing room only. California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) Labor Relations Representative Michael H. Hejazi presented to the union members on the topic with the assistance of the local union chapter's President Vera Acevedo, Vice President Jeff Baldwin and Chief Steward Dennis Fox.

Additional Info (From Dennis Fox):

• Michael Hejazi's PowerPoint Presentation
• Know-Your-Rights Flyer on IRPs
• Handout on Reclassifications and IRPs
• Link to CSU Classification and Qualification Standards (CQS)
• Link to SJSU IRP Guidelines
  

Union on sharing of passwords at SJSU

This is an Email from Dennis Fox that was sent to staff employees at SJSU. Fox is a Network Analyst for the networking group in University Computing & Telecommunications at SJSU and is the Chief Steward for the SJSU chapter of the California State University Employees Union, the staff employees union at SJSU. Fox sent this Email in his role as a union steward:

It has come to the attention of the Union that some managers/supervisors are asking their employees to provide username and password information for email and computer accounts and voice mail PIN numbers for voice mailbox access. Everyone needs to be aware that sharing this information with anyone is a violation of University policy and should never be done.

I will cite three references here to demonstrate that you are required by the University to keep this information to yourself and to show that anyone requesting this information is asking you to violate campus policy.

The policy "Privacy of Electronic Information and Communications" makes a clear statement about the privacy of email and files stored on computers, "All electronic mail and files in authorized accounts stored on any campus computing systems shall be considered to be private and confidential, except as required by state or federal law." See http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/f97-7.htm for the complete document.

The "Information Technology Resources Responsible Use Policy" tasks every individual with the reponsibility to keep their passwords secure and secret, "In accordance with California State Penal Code Section 502, CSU's 4Cnet Acceptable Use Policy and other policies and laws, activities and behaviors that threaten the integrity of computer networks or systems are prohibited on both University-owned and privately-owned equipment operated on or through University resources. These activities and behaviors include, but are not limited to:
. . .
4. Negligently or intentionally revealing passwords or otherwise permitting the use by others of University-assigned accounts for computer and network access. Individual password security is the responsibility of each user. The user is responsible for all uses of their accounts, independent of authorization." The full text of this policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S02-8.htm

The California State University "Policy on E-mail Privacy" states, " 1. All authorized e-mail accounts stored on the CSU telecommunications network shall be considered to be confidential.
2. Requests for access to these accounts or disclosure of confidential information, for any purpose other than technical problem resolution will be reviewed by the senior Academic Affairs Officer, and honored only when required by state or federal law, or when there is probable cause to suspect illegal activity."

The Union encourages any employee who has been asked/ordered to provide electronic access information to contact a Union steward. Please let us know who requested this information. If the request was in writing we would appreciate a copy. If you have already supplied this information, we encourage you to change your passwords to secure your accounts. The Union will attempt to work with University management to bring a halt to password requests of this nature.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, Campus Life, bicycling, CSU, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

The heart of the union

The heart of the union
While it is easy to get caught up in hearing the wonderful speeches at the big union meetings like General Council by labor leaders like Andy Stern and politicians like Dennis Kucinich. Yes, that is all great, but the real heart of our union is those many many activists who donate their time and do the hard work without fame or monetary reward. It is folks like Frank and Kathryn and our SJSU labor reps like Jeff, Dennis and Vera and so very many more other unpaid volunteers at all our campuses that make our union work. It is these folks who are the heart of the union and who we all owe a huge debt to. They all deserve our thanks and our admiration because they are all good people who give us so much. Because they all care about us; we have a union.

[See More General Council Photos here on Flickr]

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, California State University, San Jose, unions, Andy Stern, Labor, ssloansjca

Andy Stern

For me one of the most exciting things about General Council is hearing the stirring speeches given there. Andy Stern is the president of the Service Employees International Union, the largest and fastest growing union in the United States and Canada. He is also an author and I read his book, A Country That Works. It is a great book.

I am not at General Council or work today. I became ill on our vacation and after working long hours at GC over the weekend I ended up sleeping 13.5 hours last night. I guess I crashed.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, California State University, San Jose, unions, Andy Stern, Labor, ssloansjca

General Council 2007

I am at General Council 2007
General Council is the big bi-annual convention of state employees in California. It is a very big deal. In is a huge coincidence that it is happening this year in San Jose. Because it is such a big deal it attracts a lot of attention, especially in an election year. Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich and SEIU President Andy Stearn spoke to General Council 2007 on the subject of universal medical coverage. This is a very important issue for our country and we as a nation need to find a way to provide coverage for our citizens. I took a lot of pictures today and am really happy with this photo:

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca

I am in Sacramento

I am in Sacramento
Next month is the union's big bi-annual state wide convention. This year it is in San Jose and we are preparing to cover this event.