Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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CSU TRUSTEES TO VOTE ON PAY FOR NEW PRESIDENTS
CSUEU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
STATEWIDE ELECTION RESULTS
ANDREW COILE ON THE STATEWIDE ELECTIONS
ECONOMICS FOR THE 99%
BAY AREA’S LABORFEST RUNS THROUGHOUT JULY
CALPERS SPONSORS TOWN HALLS
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CSU Trustees to Vote on Pay for New Campus Presidents
CSU trustees will vote next week on compensation packages for seven campus presidents, including three who would make more than their predecessors because they're slated to receive salary supplements from campus foundations.
Though the pay packages meet the terms of CSU’s new executive compensation policy, they represent yet another tone-deaf move in the face of intense criticism of prior executive pay decisions. The policy was established after public outcry last year, when CSU hired a new president for San Diego State and paid him $100,000 more than his predecessor. It calls for paying new presidents a base salary no more than that of the person they are replacing and allows for a supplement of up to 10 percent paid from campus foundations.
In a meeting set for this Tuesday, July 17, the board will vote on compensation for the following campus presidents, whose base salaries would be the same as their predecessors but who would receive additional boosts from foundations:
- Dianne F. Harrison, president of CSU Northridge: annual salary of $295,000 and annual foundation supplement of $29,500
- Tomás D. Morales, president of CSU San Bernardino: annual salary of $290,000 and annual foundation supplement of $29,000
- Leslie E. Wong, president of San Francisco State University: annual salary of $298,749 and annual foundation supplement of $26,251
Read CSU’s details of the compensation proposals (PDF).
CSUEU Board of Directors Meeting
The Executive Officers and Board of Directors met in Sacramento over four days, June 28-July 1, to discuss current union issues on behalf of represented employees. The Executive Officers met on Thursday, June 28, committee meetings took place on Friday, the Board of Directors met in an all-day session on Saturday, and statewide elections were held on Sunday.
The proceedings were highlighted by an election meeting on Saturday evening during which the candidates for the union’s four statewide officer posts took turns in a series of 15-minute, one-on-one sessions answering questions developed by the Elections Committee, headed by Andrew Coile of CSU Monterey Bay Chapter 322.
It was just one of many events throughout the weekend providing participants with opportunities for networking, catching up on the latest developments, and breaking bread together. This was the second of three Board of Directors meetings this year, with the next meeting set to take place in Sacramento on November 2-4, 2012.
See a gallery of photos from the Board of Directors meeting and elections.
Statewide Election Results
Results of the July 1 statewide elections, held at the Board of Directors meeting in Millbrae:
President
Pat Gantt, Chico
Vice-President for Organizing
Mike Geck, San Marcos
Vice-President for Representation
Alisandra Brewer, Sonoma
Vice-President for Finance
Loretta Seva’aetasi, San Francisco
Bargaining Unit 2 Council
Tessy Reese, San Diego – Chair
Pam Robertson, Sacramento – Vice Chair
At-Large:
Lisa Bush, Los Angeles
Pauline Clanton, Stanislaus
Kathi Cole, San Bernardino
Susan Whitney, Humboldt
Lori Williams, San Luis Obispo
Barbara Winslow, Fresno
Bargaining Unit 5 Council
Sharon Cunningham, San Diego – Chair
Michael Chavez, Stanislaus – Vice Chair
At-Large:
Donna Dodrill, Northridge
Jose Hernandez, Long Beach
Jason Kitzerow, Humboldt
Ricky Medrano, Channel Islands
Angel Melendez, Fresno
Frank Williams, Sacramento
Bargaining Unit 7 Council
John Orr, Fullerton – Chair
Roxana “Rocky” Sanchez, Pomona – Vice Chair
At-Large:
George Ball, Monterey
Michael Brandt, San Luis Obispo
Carolyn Duckett, Office of the Chancellor
Christine Hall, Sacramento
Dawn McCulley, Stanislaus
Elizabeth Tellez, Humboldt
Bargaining Unit 9 Council
Rich McGee, San Bernardino – Chair
Susan Smith, Fullerton – Vice Chair
At-Large:
Matthew Black, Long Beach
Ken Jones, Fresno
Gus Leonard, Monterey
Ricardo Uc, San Luis Obispo
Christina Valero, San Francisco
Rocky Waters, Humboldt
Congratulations to all!
A Personal Look at the Statewide Elections
By Andrew Coile, Chair, Elections Committee
The groundwork toward a smooth election was laid by Policy File committee members. They proposed, and the Board of Directors adopted, changes to how the elections would be conducted, including having the nominations period for all positions opened and then closed, and then all elections held simultaneously. The second change was that, for the Bargaining Unit Councils, the election for Chair was held, then the election of the Vice-Chair, and then the six At-Large positions were held simultaneously, with the top six vote-getters being elected. Many thanks to Steve Mottaz and his committee for giving us a sane process.
The elections committee, comprised of Jeff Nadel of Cal Poly SLO, Susan Baur of the Office of the Chancellor, Gilbertea Mikel of Dominguez Hills, and me, worked out the logistics for the election. One of our charges under the revised Policy File language was to create four questions for the candidates for each position to help inform our electorate. This was done Saturday evening...the candidates for a position were sequestered in a separate room, and then brought out one at a time to give a two-minute answer to each of the four questions, and then make a five-minute statement. These were not “softball” questions…they were meaningful and complex questions about the very significant challenges facing us in the future as an organization. It’s a testament to the Elections Committee that almost every candidate started their response by saying, “That’s a very good question…”
These thoughtful, considerate answers succeeded in educating the electorate about the candidates, including what drove them to union activism and their views on our priorities.
Read the entire article.
Economics for the 99%
The Center for Popular Economics has just produced a spiffy 36-page booklet, Economics for the 99%, for the Occupy Wall Street movement. It’s a helpful tool for anyone trying to make sense of what’s going on in our economy and to help the 99% make a coherent argument for why we need to change our economic course.
The Center distributed its initial 3,500 hard copies to Occupy activists free of charge, and a free electronic version is now available for download here (PDF, 6 MBs).
The 15-part booklet starts by addressing major economic problems and looking at their dimensions and roots. It then introduces some economic alternatives—visions of a different kind of economy.
A group of 18 economists produced the booklet, which is designed to serve as a resource for anyone who’s organizing, writing, teaching, discussing with neighbors, or protesting to build a more just and sustainable economic system.
Bay Area’s LaborFest Runs Throughout July
LaborFest, a month-long series of political and cultural events celebrating the historical role of labor in American life, takes place throughout the Bay Area during the month of July. See a complete listing of this year’s events.
The festival was established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival. It begins every July 5, the anniversary of “Bloody Thursday” in 1934, when two workers were shot and killed in San Francisco as they supported a longshoremen’s and maritime workers’ strike. This incident brought about the San Francisco General Strike, which shut down the entire city and led to hundreds of thousands of workers joining the trade union movement.
There are now LaborFests in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, every December. LaborFests have also taken place in Buenos Aires, Argentina and El Alto, Bolivia. In April of this year, the first LaborFest in Capetown, South Africa, took place, and, in May, there were LaborFests in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey.
CalPERS Sponsors Town Halls on Pension and Health Policy Issues
CalPERS will be sponsoring two Town Halls in Sacramento and Anaheim next month covering healthcare policy and pension reform issues respectively. Each event is designed as a three-hour discussion during which state and local subject matter experts discuss the pension and health issues facing Californians today, engaging participants in a dialogue about these issues.
August 9, 2012
Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Topic: Healthcare
August 16, 2012
Sheraton Anaheim, 1855 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92802 10:30 am - 2:30 pm (one hour break from 12:00-1:00)
Topic: Pension Reform
Register for the event.
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