CSUEU E-News: October 15, 2009
Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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RALLY TODAY AT SAN FRANCISCO’S CIVIC CENTER
ACTIONS AND RALLIES PROMOTE SUPPORT FOR AB 656
GOVERNOR SIGNS AB 399, VETOES MANY OTHERS
LMC ON LONG-TERM COMPENSATION SETS AGENDA
WEB UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Rally Today at San Francisco’s Civic Center
Protesters spell out "Save Public Education" on the steps of San Francisco City Hall
With a demand that all gubernatorial candidates take a stand in support of public education, a coalition of labor and education groups, including CSUEU, held a spirited rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall today at noon.
“It’s important to stage actions across the state and throughout the year to remind legislators and candidates that the CSU and other educational budgets are top-of-mind for all Californians,” says CSUEU Legislative Committee Chair Natalia Bremer, one of the event’s featured speakers.
Other speakers included State Senator Leland Yee (District 8, San Francisco) and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (13th District, San Francisco).
Sponsors included SFSU Chapter 305, Students for Quality Education-SFSU, CFA, American Federation of Teachers, United Educators of San Francisco, and Associated Students of CCSF. In addition to SFSU staff, faculty and students, other participants included education unions in San Francisco and representatives from SFSU, City College of San Francisco, and UC Berkeley.
“We want to make sure that funding for K-14 and higher education is a key issue in the upcoming governor’s race,” explains VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks, who was part of San Francisco State University’s large contingent at the event. “Students, faculty and staff came together through this event to demand that state and federal office holders keep California’s promise of public education, including higher education, for all.”
Actions and Rallies Promote Support for AB 656
Supporters spell out "656" at a CSU East Bay rally held on Monday morning
CSUEU is supporting CFA-sponsored Assembly Bill 656, “The California Higher Education Fund,” to bring to California a means to support public higher education that has been in use in Texas for some 100 years: a fee on oil and natural gas extraction. On Monday morning, the author of the bill, Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico (20th District, Fremont), launched a drive to sign up 100,000 supporters yesterday at three CSU campuses in Northern California.
Rallies at East Bay, San Jose and Sacramento were part of a week of action by CSUEU and CFA chapters on campuses all over the state to remind Californians that our once-acclaimed system of public higher education is in deep trouble.
Torrico told hundreds of students, staff and faculty on each of the three campuses, “Enough is enough. Student fee hikes, furloughs, layoffs, and admission closures will quickly damage the outstanding reputations of our universities if we don’t commit to public higher education.”
He added, “During this ‘Week of Action,’ I’m encouraging all higher education supporters, including students, alumni, faculty, administrators and community leaders, to show their support for AB 656. Our goal is to collect 100,000 supporters in 100 days. It’s time for people to make their voices heard. A strong education system is the foundation of a strong economy.”
The spirited CSU East Bay rally included VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks as a featured speaker. A highlight of the event was the sight of hundreds of participants spelling out “656” on one of the campus’ large quads.
Add your support for AB 656 today by taking a short survey and signing up at: http://tinyurl.com/isupportAB656
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Chapter 306 East Bay President Diego Campos (wearing the blue shirt and jacket), VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks and his son (right) and chapter members with Assemblyman Torrico, center.
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VP for Representation Russell Kilday-Hicks and son Liam on the speakers’ platform at the CSU East Bay rally.
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Governor Signs AB 399, Vetoes Many Others
In a flurry of signings and vetoes this past weekend, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law Julia Brownley’s (41st District, Woodland Hills) AB 399, which specifies that employees on furlough will receive full service credit in their Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) account based on the salary they would have earned if they hadn’t been furloughed.
CSUEU’s furloughs agreement with CSU ensures that furlough days will not have an impact on their PERS service credit; this bill ensures that all state employees will receive such protections.
The governor vetoed three bills impacting the CSU:
• Senator Leland Yee’s “Transparency & Accountability” SB 218 would have required foundations and other auxiliary nonprofits connected with the state’s public universities and colleges to make their accounting and other operations more transparent to the public.
• Sen. Yee’s SB 86 would have prohibited financial compensation increases for CSU executives during years when state general funds are equal to, or fall below, the previous year’s funding level.
• Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s AB 690 would have improved the public dialogue and oversight of CSU Board of Trustees meetings by permitting the board’s four elected ex officio members—governor, lieutenant governor, superintendent of public instruction and assembly speaker—to designate a person who is an officer or legislative member to attend a Trustees meeting in his or her absence.
Among the more progressive bills that the governor signed were two dealing with hospital care. Assemblyman Dave Jones’ (9th District, Sacramento) AB 1383 provides the necessary steps for additional federal funding for hospitals. It’s designed to bring more than $2 billion to California’s healthcare system and to help hospitals throughout the state continue to serve their communities. Hospital safety also received a boost with Assemblyman John Perez’ (46th District, Los Angeles) AB 1083, which will make hospitals safer for health care workers and those they serve.
The governor also signed Senator Mark Leno’s (District 3, San Francisco) bill to create a state day of recognition for Harvey Milk, making Milk only the second Californian, after naturalist John Muir, to receive the honor. The bill mandates that the governor proclaim each May 22 as Harvey Milk Day in the state, to coincide with Milk’s birthday. It will not be a state holiday, but rather the bill encourages public schools to conduct lessons “remembering the life of Harvey Milk, recognizing his accomplishments and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this state.”
LMC on Long-Term Compensation Sets Agenda
The Labor Management Committee on Long-Term Compensation met at the Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach on September 29 and 30. Representatives of CSUEU and CSU agreed on a variety of topics to be discussed in future meetings, including such compensation-related issues as moving through open ranges and use of stipends and bonuses. Also on the agenda are administration of the classification and re-classification process, along with education and training on classification and compensation issues.
Read the minutes of the meeting.
Web Updates
Check out an informative video about the Legislative Committee that was posted just this morning to the committee’s web page. This two-minute report was produced as part of GC Today, a daily television news show seen across the venue of the four-day CSEA General Council in early September. On the same page, you’ll find a seven-minute video about this year’s successful Lobby Day visits to the state Capitol, April 27-29; it’s well worth viewing, if you haven’t already seen it.
PDF and Word versions of the CSUEU/CSU contract are now available online in the “Contracts and Proposals” box on the Bargaining page and in the Library’s Representation/Contracts folder.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, October 20, 11 am - Noon
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Dexter Lawn: “The Cal Poly Community Coming Together: What Will You Do To Help Save Cal Poly?” Teach-in on the impact of budget cuts on Cal Poly and a discussion about what can be done to protect the university.
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
Thursday-Friday, November 26-27
Thanksgiving holiday
Headquarters closed
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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