CSUEU E-News: April 2, 2009
Biweekly news digest from the California State University Employees Union
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TRIGGER CUTS NOW SET TO TAKE EFFECT
CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING, MARCH 24-25
JOIN THE ALLIANCE FOR THE CSU FACEBOOK CAUSE
CSUEU CHAPTER ELECTION RESULTS
CSEA WOMEN’S CONFERENCE, MARCH 27-29
SAN JOSE ADMINISTRATION ABANDONS CENTER PLANS
SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO FORM UNIONS!
FRESNO STATE WAIVES FEES FOR HERO PILOT
SOME CAMPUSES MOVE TOWARD 4-DAY WORK WEEK
WEB UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Trigger Cuts Now Set to Take Effect
This March 27 letter from State Treasurer Bill Lockyer points out that California will receive less than $10 billion in unrestricted funds from the federal stimulus package, which automatically triggers millions of dollars in cuts to the state budget, including a $50 million cut to the CSU budget. Read SEIU's press release about the trigger cuts.
“The CSU has already had to absorb many budget cuts this fiscal year, and it appears inevitable that yet further cuts are looming,” says CSUEU President Pat Gantt. “CSUEU is committed to doing everything possible to protect its members and their hard-fought gains during these difficult economic times.”
CSU Board of Trustees Meeting, March 24-25
CSUEU President Pat Gantt was among the speakers at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting, March 24-25, at the Chancellor’s office in Long Beach.
“It’s time for the leadership in this room to fight for the resources we need for the students,” said Gantt. “We’re committed to working with you to make this the best place for students to learn and to prepare for the future. Those objectives may be lofty ones, but please consider the budget impacts of anything you do.”
At the meeting, the board voted in favor of ballot initiative 1A, which CSUEU and a host of other CSU unions oppose on the grounds that it will impose a spending cap that is destined to harm CSU budgets for years to come. Read the California Budget Project’s analysis of this controversial initiative.
Join the Alliance for the CSU Facebook Cause
The Alliance for the CSU now has a presence in Facebook’s “causes” section to reach out to university supporters through social networking. Although the Alliance already has quite a Facebook presence via numerous Alliance “groups” on Facebook run by students and other interested supporters, this is the first Facebook page run directly by the Alliance.
Join the Alliance for the CSU cause.
CSUEU Chapter Election Results
Hats off to the newly elected officers at all 24 chapters!
“It was a pleasure to work with the chapter nominating committee and members of the statewide tellers committee to tabulate and run the elections at all the chapters,” says VP of Organizing Ronnie Grant. “I’d like to congratulate all of the winners as well as all of the runners-up. It will be a pleasure working with them in the months and years to come to make CSUEU a stronger union.”
Final-final election results will be announced soon, and, in the meantime, you can see a close-to-final interim report here. Further updates will be posted to Ronnie's Inside CSUEU blog and will also be available via Twitter.
CSEA Women’s Conference, March 27-29
by Nancy Kobata, CSEA Women’s Committee, President, CSU Fresno Chapter 309
On Friday afternoon, some arrived by car, some by shuttle, some by taxi, wheeling in suitcases and carrying bags. They arrived from all over California. There was an air of expectancy and excitement as they entered the lobby and noticed the banner that said “Welcome to the 2009 Women’s Conference.” Laughter and squeals of delight filled the hotel as participants located friends, received goody bags and headed off to their rooms to change for the evening reception.
That evening, lights reflected brightly off the tables filled with jewelry, purses, cosmetics and lingerie. Like brightly colored birds, the ladies filled the room in their finery. Into this room the Lt. Governor, John Garamendi, stepped confidently, greeting each group as he moved through the crowd. Several asked, “Where’s Patty?” as if they were asking after an old friend. “She will join me here shortly,” he replied. As she did, the two of them as a couple addressed the group, giving us the personal stories and updates as you would to old friends you had not seen in a while.
Saturday morning arrived clear and sunny, a gorgeous spring day. Slowly, participants drifted in for breakfast, settling down as Assemblymember Dave Jones strode in wearing hiking boots and jeans, ready to head off to the Cesar Chavez march at the Capital. He spoke about the bill he has authored that will ban higher health care premiums for women and about the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay act, which would make fair pay for women a state law. The women rose to their feet and cheered as he headed off to his march and all of us to our workshops.
We reached new heights together as we attended sessions on EQ and generational values, networking tips, technology tips and financial issues. Our lunch break featured our own members as models in a fashion show in beautiful clothes from Drapers and Damons. As the workshops drew to a close, some of us headed off to dinner and others off to spend the evening at the Red Hawk Casino.
Sunday morning arrived all too quickly, and as we laughed at the antics of Dixie, we knew our time together was short. As we hugged our new friends and said good-bye, it was our hope that the friendships we had forged, the laughter we had shared, and the bonds that had been created would last long enough to get us to the next CSEA Women’s conference in 2011.
The CSUEU crowd at the Women's Conference. Included are former CSU union women who are now members of CSEA Retirees.
San Jose Administration Abandons Joint Health Center Plans
By Russell Kilday-Hicks, President, SFSU Chapter 305
To the pleasant surprise of chapter activists, the San Jose State University administration has announced that it is abandoning the idea of creating a joint city-university health center in the downtown area of the city, thus ending a year-long “discussion” over the impact.
“This is a real victory for us,” says Chapter 307 President Vera Acevedo. “Now our people will not have to go off campus.”
It was almost déjà vu all over again, as this chapter has been through this before. Years ago, the city and the university entered into an agreement to create a library run by both entities. That project has been an administrative nightmare ever since. Apparently, when the campus needed a new health center, leaders asked: “Why not do it again?”
The campus president announced the project a year ago, and an article about it appeared in the student newspaper shortly thereafter. When CSUEU asked for information, we got the usual runaround: “Nothing is finalized,” “We’ll call you when we know something solid,” etc.
In June, 2008, LRR Michael Hejazi filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge to get the administration’s attention. “Why must the union wait to hear the bad news?” Hejazi asked in a letter to the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB), the state entity charged with policing union/management business.
Suddenly, the university wanted to meet. A formal “meet and confer” was held in July, which resulted in the university promising to keep the union “in the loop” on any further developments. CSUEU invited all affected unions and community leaders to attend.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) supported CSUEU’s position. Floyd Anscombe, chief steward of UAPD’s CSU division, made impassioned comments against the administration plan at a CSU Board of Trustees meeting in the early fall. “Ultimately, the board must have realized that this plan just made no sense for the students,” says Anscombe.
“Together, we forced a conversation about the future impact before the administration decided whether to do it or not, instead of them deciding first and then talking to us later,” Acevedo explains. She extends thanks to members of Chapter 307, leaders of Bargaining Unit 2 Council, VP for Representation Dennis Dillon, and CSUEU President Pat Gantt for their hard work and support.
Support the Right to Form Unions!
The Employee Free Choice Act, recently introduced in Congress, strengthens the right of private sector U.S. workers to form unions. It allows workers to organize a union more easily and free from employer interference. It’s supported by President Obama, the entire California Democratic Congressional delegation, large majorities in both houses of Congress and 73 percent of the public, as shown by a recent Gallup Poll. Read more about the Act and send Congress a message supporting its passage.
Senator Dianne Feinstein has yet to take a position on the Employee Free Choice Act. She’s refused to announce that she'll support it, even though she voted for it and even co-sponsored it in 2007. The Courage Campaign plans to deliver a letter to Senator Feinstein, urging her to do the right thing by endorsing and co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act. Sign an online petition urging her to take a stand in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Last week, Senator Arlen Specter, who co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act in 2005, betrayed working Americans all around the country by switching positions. He’s now saying he’ll actively work to block the bill from even coming to a vote. A steady stream of corporate lobbyists and right-wing groups have been pressuring senators to block this bill, and Specter has flip-flopped—looks like he’s giving up on the middle-class voters who helped elect him. By obstructing this vote, he’s protecting a rigged system which allows employers to intimidate, harass, and even fire workers (in 30 percent of cases!) when they try to form a union. Tell Senator Specter how disappointed you are. Urge him to allow a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Fresno State Library Waives Fees for Hero Pilot’s Missing Book
When pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger’s jetliner wound up
in the Hudson River
on Jan. 15, so did a book from California State University, Fresno’s Henry Madden Library.
Sullenberger’s skill in landing his crippled aircraft allowed all 155 people on board to survive. Days after receiving a hero’s welcome in his hometown, though, he did what any responsible library patron does: he told the library he didn’t have books he borrowed and asked for an extension to get them back or a waiver of overdue or replacement fees.
Fresno State’s connection came through an interlibrary loan request that provided the book to a library near Sullenberger’s home town of Danville.
Not only did Fresno State forgive the overdue and replacement fees, Library Dean Peter McDonald replaced the book and added a bookplate inside the cover dedicating the volume to Sullenberger.
Sullenberger had packed the books into his luggage when he took off for the East Coast before the fateful flight. The luggage from Sullenberger’s aircraft was collected with other debris as part of the federal investigation of what happened to force the landing on the river between New York City and New Jersey.
The general subject of the books that Sullenberger had borrowed? Professional ethics.
Some Campuses Move Toward Four-Day Summer Work Week
Are you a represented employee whose department is considering moving to a four-day work week this summer? If so, be sure to discuss such plans with your union representative, if you haven’t already done so. Going to a four-day, 40-hour work week, known as a 4/40 schedule, seems to be one of the tools the CSU is going to be using this summer and in future years to increase efficiency and lower costs.
While convenient for some workers, a 4/40 schedule can have a negative impact on employees with child care, eldercare, and or certain health issues. When the union is informed about such a proposed schedule change on any given campus, it can survey campus employees about their concerns and about the schedules’ possible impacts. There is currently such a survey now underway for the Chico campus.
Web Site Updates
The “Shop Online” link has been moved to a box on the bottom right of the home page, augmented by an additional link in the “Links” pull-down menu. Formerly a separate pull-down menu item, “Shop Online” enables chapters to purchase mugs, t-shirts, recognition gifts and other marketing materials featuring the CSUEU logo.
Tip for using the Library: Click on the plus signs to the left of folder names in order to reveal sub-folders containing expense forms, logos and other important forms and documents.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday-Wednesday, April 27-29
CSUEU Lobby Day
Capitol Building, Sacramento
Tuesday-Wednesday, May 12-13
CSU Board of Trustees meeting
Chancellor’s Office, Long Beach
Thursday, May 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
CSEA Benefits Fair
East Lawn, State Capitol grounds
Tuesday, May 19
Special Election
Register to vote now
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See back issues of CSUEU E-News, distributed every other Thursday.
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