Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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CSU TRUSTEES HIKE FEES, PRESIDENT’S SALARY
CONTRACT BARGAINING CONTINUES
CSUEU FOCUSES ON CONTRACTING OUT
WEBINAR SCHEDULED FOR LIBRARY ASSISTANTS
CSEA FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
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CSU Trustees Hike Student Fees and SDSU President’s Salary
In a double-whammy that has many shaking their heads in disbelief and dismay, on Tuesday the CSU Board of Trustees voted to hike tuition by 12 percent—on top of a hefty increase approved just a few months ago—and to approve a $400,000 salary for the new president of San Diego State.
Gov. Brown recently sent a letter to Board of Trustees Chair Herb Carter arguing against the high salary, which, he pointed out, is twice that of the Chief Justice of the United States. But the letter fell on deaf ears. In fact, Carter seemed irritated by discussion of the salary question during the Tuesday meeting, pointing out that the new SDSU president is already on the job!
Elliot Hirshman, the new San Diego campus president, will earn $400,000 compared with $299,435 earned by his predecessor, Stephen Weber.
“I’m surprised at the insensitivity of the trustees in approving a large presidential salary in the same meeting as raising student fees,” said CSUEU President Pat Gantt. “This significant increase over the past SDSU president salary at this time of budget crises raises serious concerns, as raised in the governor’s letter. It would not surprise me if there were future legislation to review compensation practices and make them more accountable to the public.”
He added, “Many CSU campus presidents may be upset with an outsider receiving a salary higher than theirs, even though they have more experience and equal responsibility. Now they know how we feel when new hires come into a CSUEU-represented classification and are paid more than long-term employees doing the same work.”
The tuition hike is the second increase in less than a year, making this year’s tuition 23.2 percent more than last fall’s: $5,472, up from $4,440. With mandatory campus fees averaging $950, the price for a year at CSU will come to about $6,422, not counting room and board. That’s twice what it cost in 2007.
The hike was approved on Tuesday morning by the Committee on University and Faculty Personnel, pending an afternoon vote by the full board. Before the board voted, however, the CSU Public Affairs department distributed a press release announcing the fee increase, which infuriated many observers, who saw the premature announcement as confirmation that the board routinely rubber-stamps any and all motions put before it.
Contract Bargaining Continues
On July 7, 2011, the CSUEU bargaining team finished three days of contract negotiations with representatives of the CSU at the Chancellor’s Office.
The CSU is still refusing to grant a temporary contract extension. Overall, with a few exceptions, the CSU is obligated to continue the terms and conditions of the expired contract. The exceptions are:
1. The arbitration provision does not survive the expiration of the agreement. Therefore, grievances dealing with events that have arisen after June 30, 2011, will not be subject to arbitration.
2. In the absence of a collective bargaining agreement, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that all overtime hours worked by non-exempt employees be compensated in cash.
Negotiations are continuing this week, with sessions at CSU Long Beach yesterday, today and tomorrow. Since it’s unlikely that we will have the contract resolved by tomorrow, the following new dates have been tentatively scheduled:
- CSU Dominguez Hills 8/17 – 8/19
- Chancellor’s Office 9/7 - 9/9
CSUEU Focuses on Contracting Out
CSUEU speakers at Tuesday’s CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach highlighted the union’s concerns about contracting out, an issue that’s being discussed as part of the current round of contract bargaining sessions.
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| Russell Kilday-Hicks |
During public comments as part of the Board’s Committee on Collective Bargaining, CSUEU President Pat Gantt, VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks, and Senior Labor Relations Representative Lois Kugelmass gave eloquent testimony about the bad business practices of outside custodial and groundsworker contractors, among others, including low-balling of bids and falsification of time sheets.
Contractors at the Office of the Chancellor, for instance, claim to bring in 14 janitorial workers per night starting at 5 p.m., but observers have only seen three per night, all starting well after 5 p.m.
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| Lois Kugelmass |
Kugelmass got everyone’s attention by starting her presentation with the question, “Who is going to empty the wastebaskets in this room at 5 p.m. tonight?” Contracting out, she said, is at the heart of the answer to this question, since none of those baskets are emptied by CSUEU-represented employees but rather are emptied by outside contractors.
The presentation was augmented by a hand-out: Pat Gantt’s June 29 letter to CSU Chancellor Reed decrying the use of contractors to do tasks covered by CSUEU Bargaining Units 5 and 9.
“We are interested in negotiating contractual language that provides flexibility and establishes the right of first refusal, mandatory cost savings, fair competitive standards, and more effective notice,” stated the letter. “We also believe there may be issues that go beyond the sphere of collective bargaining to that of public interest and the efficient use of public funds.”
Webinar Scheduled for Library Assistants
At noon on Thursday, July 28, CSUEU sponsors a webinar designed to help library assistants (LAs) rewrite their position descriptions.
“With the implementation of the new Library Services Specialist classification standards, it’s important for impacted employees to update their position descriptions as soon as possible, certainly before the September 30 deadline, if they haven’t done so within the last 12 months,” says webinar co-host Nancy Kobata, who serves as president of the Fresno State chapter. “This webinar will help employees write these all-important descriptions.”
If the position description was completed between July 2010 and this June, the LA and his or her administrator have until September 29 to review it to determine that it’s accurate.
Participants may log in to the “Library Services Specialist Webinar” starting at 11:45 a.m. PST on July 28 by clicking on this link:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=701&password=M.D2643060E48F711023CBE63893E55E
This webinar will be recorded for those who miss this scheduled date. Co-hosted by Classification Committee Chair Nancy Kobata and LSS bargaining team member Joan Kennedy, this special presentation covers features of the new Library Services Specialist (LSS) series and tips on writing a clear, accurate position description.
They’ll address pre-submitted questions that go beyond the recently created FAQ. Feel free to submit your questions to Nancy Kobata before the webinar so she can research responses in advance.
“We hope this interactive webinar will aid all LAs in transitioning over to the LSS series,” says Kennedy, who serves as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo chapter president. “We encourage all LAs and Lead LAs to join us, as well as anyone who would like tips on writing their job description.” The Lead LA classification is unique to Bargaining Unit 4.
For more information on the LSS series, visit the LSS News web site, which contains not only an FAQ but also the new classification standards, salary schedule, a flow chart and the implementation agreement.
For further details or if your campus would like to schedule a customized presentation, contact Nancy Kobata or Joan Kennedy.
CSEA Foundation Announces Scholarship Winners
The CSEA Foundation Board of Directors is proud to announce its 2011 scholarship recipients. The foundation received 65 applications from members of all four CSEA affiliates and their eligible dependents and grandchildren, as well as the firefighters group associated with CSEA.
The Foundation is distributing five $600 scholarships to these dependents and grandchildren of members:
Lauren Elizabeth Schaubert
Sponsoring Member: Mark Schaubert - CSUEU – CSU Northridge Chapter 312
Selected University: University of Southern California
Kevin William Baum
Sponsoring Member: Carol Nilson – CSEA Retirees – Chapter 8
Selected University: University of California, Berkeley
Leonardo Ruffino
Sponsoring Member: Frank Ruffino – ACSS Chapter 513
Selected University: California State University, Fullerton
Sarah Alai
Sponsoring Member: Linda Nye – Local 1000 – DLC 723
Selected University: California State University, Fullerton
Jesse T. Houser
Sponsoring Member: Ivan T Houser – CDF Firefighters, IAFF Local 2881
Selected University: Corban University, Salem, Oregon
The CSEA Foundation was established by the CSEA Board of Directors in 1980. It provides scholarships for dependents, grandchildren, spouses and members of CSEA’s affiliate members who need financial assistance.
This year the CSEA Foundation’s goal is to raise $30,000 in donations. If you wish to contribute, please visit the Foundation web site.
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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