CSUEU E-News: September 3, 2009
Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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FURLOUGHS BEGIN, LMCS FORM AND MEET
CSUEU ANNOUNCES CALPERS BOARD ENDORSEMENTS
CSEA GENERAL COUNCIL MEETS THIS WEEKEND
LEGISLATIVE STAFF SALARY INCREASES
WEB UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Furloughs Begin, LMCs Form and Meet
Although implementation of the furloughs agreement has gone smoothly at some campuses, there have been problems at many others, primarily dealing with the choice of furloughed days and the creation of Labor Management Committees.
At the end of July, CSUEU filed a statewide grievance against CSU stating: “The campus plans being issued to our members relative to the furlough program state that employees may not take more than one furlough day in a work-week nor more than two furlough days in a month. Neither of these limitations is reflected in the agreement.” CSU has yet to respond.
The Furlough Agreement provided for two statewide Labor Management Committees (LMCs), one dealing with workload issues and the other with cost-saving measures. CSUEU and CSU agreed to consolidate these issues into one statewide LMC, and it met for the first time in mid-August. This part of the agreement appears to be on track.
More problematic has been the promise to set up local Labor Management Committees on all campuses. The CSU had expressed intent to set up the campus LMCs to assist with the statewide LMC and to address issues systematically and promptly. Unfortunately, some campuses have resisted this concept of a more collaborative approach to labor-management relations, either shunning LMCs altogether or dictating their LMC composition in a way that works against meaningful CSUEU participation.
“We have filed several campus-level grievances to enforce the agreement, dealing with such problems as the composition of LMCs and furlough scheduling issues,” explains Chief of Staff Phillip Coonley. “We will enforce the agreement as vigorously as possible, including elevating these grievances to arbitration as needed, though we hope to resolve any outstanding issues at as early a stage as possible.”
CSUEU Announces CalPERS Board Endorsements
CSUEU has endorsed candidates for two at-large seats on the CalPERS Board of Administration: J.J. Jelincic for Seat A and Kurato Shimada for Seat B. CSUEU’s Board of Directors believes Jelincic and Shimada are the best qualified candidates to advocate on behalf of CSUEU-represented employees in CalPERS affairs.
Ballots will be mailed tomorrow and are due to CalPERS by October 2.
Jelincic, a CalPERS investment officer, has over 20 years of experience with the organization. Although he hasn’t held a CalPERS Board seat in the past, he’s known to CSUEU members as the two-term former president of the California State Employees Association.
Shimada, who is running for re-election, has served on the CalPERS board 
for 19 years. He has served as president of the California School Employees Association, which represents classified staff in public school districts, and was employed until retirement as Supervisor of Operations at the Oak Grove School District in San Jose. He chairs the CalPERS Benefits and Program Administration Committee, which makes recommendations to the CalPERS Board concerning retirement benefits and legislation.
The Board of Administration is comprised of 13 members. This year, the two at-large representatives’ seats are up for election. The successful candidates will hold their seats for four years and will join their colleagues in overseeing all business affairs of the world’s largest retirement system.
CSEA General Council Meets This Weekend
More than 100 CSUEU delegates will be participating this weekend at the CSEA General Council, held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The event provides CSEA’s affiliates an opportunity to elect new CSEA leaders and to make policy changes.
The program begins with an Affiliates Day agenda on Friday, giving CSUEU participants time to meet each other and to learn more about CSUEU’s and CSEA’s history. GC officially opens on Saturday afternoon and continues through Sunday and into Monday morning. On Saturday evening, CSUEU hosts a dinner for its delegates and guests.
Look for photos and a full report in the next issue of E-News.
To view photos of the 2005 GC, visit the Photos page and click on “General Council” on the lower left corner of the page.
Legislative Staff Pay Increases
by Ray Finnell, Chair, Communications Committee
Recent reports that California legislative staff members have been awarded salary increases have understandably upset other state employees who are subject to furloughs and pay cuts, including those in the CSU.
Some top-level staffers gross more than $100,000 annually. That’s hard to swallow for other government and higher education employees, most of whom earn a fraction of that amount.
However, the situation is more complicated than might be apparent on the surface. The overall budgets of both legislative houses have been reduced, meaning that offices have lost staff while the workload has remained level. Other offices’ aides and assistants have been required to work longer hours.
The legislative staff is not represented by a bargaining unit, so their employment can be terminated without cause, they have few of the rights union-represented employees enjoy, and their positions are vulnerable when the legislator they serve loses re-election or is termed out.
These are generally high-risk, high-reward jobs, with many trade-offs at play: relatively rapid and drastic change is inevitable for many staffers, the pressure is intense and relentless at times, long hours are frequent, and the ability to deal with difficult personalities tactfully is a prerequisite.
It’s more productive to direct anger toward legislators who mandate CSU budget cuts and to work to change a statwide political system that makes it so difficult to pass a common sense budget.
Web Updates
A new issue of University Employee has been mailed out and is now available online. Its articles provide a variety of perspectives on furloughs issues.
Sign up to follow CSUEU on Twitter and receive notices when new articles are posted to the web.
The Contract page is in the process of being updated over the next week or two, so there may temporarily be some broken links.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday-Monday, September 4-7
CSEA 65th General Council
Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles
Tuesday-Wednesday, September 22-23
CSU Board of Trustees Meeting
Long Beach
Monday, October 12
Columbus Day
Headquarters closed
Wednesday, November 11
Veterans Day
Headquarters closed
Friday-Sunday, November 13-15
CSUEU Board of Directors Meeting
Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza, Sacramento
Tuesday-Wednesday, November 17-18
CSU Board of Trustees Meeting
Long Beach
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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