Blog

ACE Members,

Joining ACE

If you have a new colleague or a seasoned colleague who has yet to join, the process is described at the top of our website: Become a member today by returning a completed Membership Application Form (LINK) to olsenscott@fhda.edu .

• When can a new employee join? On the very first day of employment (probationary employees are immediately eligible).
• Can TEAs/Temporary Employees join? No. Per Ed Code they are unrepresented and not eligible for provisions under our Agreement.
• Why do you need existing members to know this information? There are a lot of places union reps can’t access, many employees work remotely or do not attend the orientation meeting with Human Resources where we provide an introduction to ACE. Sometimes it takes a co-worker in the space to speak to the value the union provides: a collective voice that advances, protects, and advocates for wages, working conditions, and benefits.

April is also a dues forgiveness month – no union dues will be collected from April end-of-month and May mid-month paychecks. When we have enough to pay our bills and provide for representation, we don’t charge members. Typically this has occurred at least twice per year since ACE’s inception and we didn’t charge dues for an entire year during the pandemic. Our member-driven independent labor organizations does great things due to active participation and a collective effort.

Pre-Retirement Contract Reduction – Article 17B
Written requests are due no later than May 1^st to reduce your contact from full-time to part-time while maintaining retirement benefits pursuant to Ed Code Section 88038 and Government Code Section 209005 for up to 5 years prior to retirement.

Who’s eligible? You must:

1. Be age 55 prior to the reduction in contact;
2. Have been employed full-time for at least 10 years in a classified position; and
3. Have served full-time without a break in service during the preceding 5 years.

What does the request look like? Here’s an example:

To: (Manager/Supervisor)

Cc: @Tony Brown; @Christine Hsu

Subject: (ACE) Article 17B Pre-Retirement Contract Reduction

Body: Pursuant to ACE CBA Article 17B I am requesting to reduce my contract from 100% to 80% for the next 5 years effective July 1^st 2026. My proposed schedule is 8:30am-5pm, M-TH (4 days per week).

Contributions to CalPERS and medical benefit contribution rates remain the same as if you had continued full-time.

Questions? Reach out to a steward:

@Andre Meggerson (De Anza), @Jeff Dickard (De Anza), @Janie Garcia (Foothill), @Cynthia Huang (Foothill)

CalPERS Service Credit Purchase Instructions
We’ve had a number of former temporary employees join us as full-time employees. You may be eligible to purchase service credit if you worked for a CalPERS-covered employer before you became a CalPERS member. CalPERS has a number of resources on the topic, but the process begins with them:

1. From “A Guide to Your CalPERS Service Credit Purchase Options” (LINK):
   To request your service credit electronically, log in to your myCalPERS account at https://my.calpers.ca.gov/
   On the home page under Service Credit, select Make a Service Credit Purchase
2. Depending on the type of service credit you are requesting, certification may be required
   If certification is needed from an employer or reciprocal agency, you and the agency will be notified electronically The agency will have 30 days to provide the required certification to CalPERS

Per Payroll:

• Once the request is received in CalPERS, HR validates the employment & position data in the request (if there are errors, it will be rejected) and Payroll completes the pay history by month and HR finishes off with certification within 30 days upon the member’s request.

More Information:
CalPERS Quick Tip | Service Credit Purchase (YouTube LINK)
CalPERS Service Credit (YouTube LINK)
CalPERS Service Credit Cost Estimator (LINK)

For those that have taken a leave of absence, you may also be eligible to purchase service credit. Use cost estimator link above to see if the leave type (maternity/parental, education, service, sabbatical, serious illness.) you’ve taken qualifies.

April Board of Trustees Meeting
Bond-funded building projects at De Anza were on the agenda. Plans for the newer (smaller) $44mil Creative Arts building were presented. Plans for a $55mil Services for Students building are still pending. An update was also provided regarding the County Mobile Medical Facility with tentatively will be located in Lot B.

In 2023 a feasibility study was conducted to determine the market demand for a revenue generating event space: Presentation (LINK) | Meeting Item (LINK). It concluded with what we already knew from the Flint Center usage, the market does not exist for a large event space. There was some trustee discussion of the lack of a flashy new gathering/event space aside from VPAC and Conference Room A+B at De Anza.

Chancellor Lambert mentioned planning an upcoming event for the large retiree class. Details to come.

President’s Message (Again)
Next week (Monday through Wednesday) I will be out of the office and unavailable to respond to emails/texts. Reach out to a steward or our labor attorney with any questions.

There’s an EEO Training Today (April 10) at 11am, Friday (April 17) at 9:30am, and Friday (April 24) at 10am. See the full schedule here (LINK). This training is required to serve on hiring committees and also great information to be aware of for applicants.

Important reminder to union reps on committees – advocate for internal candidates who meet minimum qualifications. Per CBA 7.5:

b. District workers shall receive “first consideration” for promotional positions. All internal applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a position will be granted an interview; this is “first consideration.” The parties also agree to explore practical methods of encouraging internal recruitment that foster promotional opportunities and staff advancement and that are consistent with the District’s commitment to high quality, equal opportunity and diversity.

In Service,

Scott Olsen (he/him) | ACE President
https://acefhda.org | scott.olsen@acefhda.org 
650-949-7789 | M-F 8:30am-5:00pm

ACE Members,

President’s Message
Thank you to Classified Senate and volunteers for organizing Classified Professional Development Day. It’s the only day at the district dedicated to offering professional development specifically tailored to our members. This day does not happen without employees stepping into leadership positions, developing workshops, and helping with logistics. Is there a workshop you’d like ACE to offer in the future? Consider pairing with another member to create a presentation – chances are if you have the question/interest, someone else does too.

There is another opportunity for similar workshops on District Opening Day. If you participated in a workshop or assisted in organizing the event, be sure to track those hours for your next Professional Growth Award.

SRP Approved
The FHDA Board of Trustees approved their district-wide Supplemental Retirement Program offer which includes the following participants by group:

• 42 Classified Non-Management (ACE/CSEA)
• 23 Faculty
• 3 Educational Administrators
• 3 Classified Administrators (Supervisors/Teamsters)
• 1 Confidential

The initial response we’ve received from executive management is that all but two positions will be rehired permanently. Managers are currently arranging working out of class assignments, temporary employees to backfill vacancies, and hiring committees. If you are interested in working out of class, consider approaching a manager directly. Many WOC arrangements are established by employees coming forward expressing interest – “Hey, I heard there may be a vacancy in your department and I’d like the opportunity to work out of class. Please connect with me to see if we can make something happen soon.”

In addition there will be many hiring committees and we need members to complete EEO training to be a part of them – please see upcoming training dates (LINK)

• Committees cannot move forward without a (1)hiring manager, (2)equal opportunity rep*, and (3)union rep* (*from outside the reporting structure).
• As the union rep you help protect against bias against internal applicants, like:
  • “We can’t take Judy’s admin for this position – they’d be so mad at me, even though Linda is great.”
  • “I don’t think Martha is going to commute from Morgan Hill – we shouldn’t select them.”
  • “I heard Lee is an ACE member – I don’t want a strong union person.”
  • “Fred has been a Program Coordinator I for so long in the DRC at Foothill, I don’t think they could make it at De Anza as a PC II.”

Look for email communication from Alan, Lisa, and Phuong (ACE VPs). Your colleagues need these positions filled.

TEA Grievance
On March 12^th ACE filed a grievance against the District for violating Article 4 Temporary Work. The District and Colleges have continued to employ temporary employees to perform ongoing work that falls within our bargaining unit. We’re awaiting a response and will share more information by mid-April.

Travel & Conference Changes
As part of our 2025-26 Agreement changes were established to the process for Travel & Conference approvals. Forms are now sent to @Christine Hsu in HR and feel free to cc a committee member:

• @Victoria Dinh Central Services
• @Mazzetta Campbell De Anza
• @Crystal Chen Foothill

The limit per academic year has been increased to $2,000 per member.

Reimbursement requests are sent to @Accounts Payable within 90 days of returning from your event.

De Anza President Leave
We wish Omar the best during his absence. We’re continuing to follow-up with ongoing campus issues with administrators who remain and raising concerns to executive administrators at the District. Ultimately our hope is that if any member is facing a similar personal situation (1)it is given the same level of care and (2)confidentiality.

I (Scott) am the ACE representative on the interim search committee, which may impact my meeting availability next week. Site meetings will likely be led by ACE Vice Presidents, the Chair of Negotiations, and our attorney. In addition, I’m on leave April 13 thru 15 (tentatively) and today I’m trying to take a recovery day following a collision last weekend between me on my bicycle and a driver in a SUV. Luckily I came away with just bruises and scrapes – it happened at low speed, but I should set a good example and take some time off.

What details did I miss in this message? What topics do you want to discuss at a site meeting? Fill up our inboxes. Reach out to a steward if you have any questions:

De Anza – @Andre Meggerson & @Jeff Dickard
Foothill – @Janie Garcia Cordova & @Cynthia Huang
Central Services – @Thomas Marks

In Service,

Scott Olsen (he/him) | ACE President
https://acefhda.org | scott.olsen@acefhda.org 
650-949-7789 | M-F 8:30am-5:00pm

ACE Members,

President’s Message
Thank you to our ACE Vice Presidents (Alan Nguyen, Lisa Ly, and Phuong Tran) for work on our latest site meetings, plus Helen Graves and Stacey Carrasco for sharing Professional Growth Award information with members. Updated PGA documents are available on our website – https://acefhda.org/forms/ – and the presentation will occur again on Classified Professional Development Day.

This Friday (2/6) and next Friday (2/13) I’ll be unavailable while on sick leave. Please contact a steward or representative – https://acefhda.org/executive-board/executive-board-members/ – we are fortunate to have a dedicated team of colleagues who are equally capable and enthusiastic about meeting the needs of members.

Our attorney, @Anthony Booth, is also available directly if you have a serious concern or question.

… and don’t forget to floss regularly.

Feb 2^nd Board of Trustees Meeting Resolution
The Board of Trustees voted to approve resolution no. 2026-06 titled “Prohibiting the Use of District Facilities for Federal Immigration Enforcement” (LINK), which includes the following language:

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that District-owned or District-controlled facilities, including parking lots, garages, and open spaces, are for the sole purpose of conducting Foothill-De Anza Community College District business, which does not include civil immigration enforcement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that District employees who become aware of any attempt to use District facilities for civil immigration enforcement purposes must report it immediately to the College President’s Office, the District Chancellor’s Office, and to the District Police Department.

This was developed by the District in response to recent activity at Santa Barbara Community College (LINK) and in advance of potential increased enforcement surrounding “Superb Owl” activities. Efforts to ease anxiety in our workplace and among our surrounding community are appreciated. Neighboring cities like San Jose and Santa Clara have recently passed similar resolutions.

Sick Leave Donation Response 💖
The outpouring of support and quick response to a member request for sick leave donation was touching to collect. The maximum allowance of sick leave was collected, and we wish Teresa a speedy recovery.

Preferred Name Use
Human Resources and the Board of Trustees were made aware of the following legal analysis by Anothony Booth being provided to Human Resources:

California law allows employees to use a name at work that’s different from their legal name, and employers are required to respect an employee’s preferred name. There’s case law backing this up as well; courts have recognized that a person can use any name they’re known by, including in professional settings, (see Cabrera v. McMullen, 204 Cal. App. 3d 1, In re Ritchie, 159 Cal. App. 3d 1070).

Also, California requires employers to respect an employee’s preferred name, gender, and pronouns, including gender-neutral pronouns, unless the use of the legal name is necessary to meet a legally mandated obligation. If an employer fails to abide by an employee’s stated preferences it may be held liable under anti-discrimination laws. § 11034. Terms, Conditions, and Privileges of Employment, California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

Reach out to human resources staff if you would like to use a preferred professional public-facing first or last name other than your legal name. Internally for benefits, payroll, and human resources a legal name is required, but email addresses, business cards, name tags, and websites should all be capable of displaying a preferred name.

Substitute/Short-term Employees

The District and both Colleges have traditionally had a loose interpretation or completely ignored our CBA(LINK) and Ed Code 88003(LINK). Roughly temporary employees can be used in the following situations:

“Substitute”

1. Backfill an absence.
2. Backfill a vacancy up to 90 days (can be extended with mutual agreement).

“Short term”

Note: Prior to hiring, board approval is required + description of duties (special project or assignment) + ending date of service.

1. Work on a special project/assignment upon completion, the service required or similar services will not be extended or needed on a continuing basis.
2. Seasonal work = Not more than 6 weeks.
3. Intermittent work = Not more than 45 days.
4. Allied Health assistant work.

“Student”

Cannot displace classified staff – intended to be assistants, not to be left to operate departments unattended.
(We likely need a board policy(BP) on student employment – does not appear on HR Board Report)

Attached to this message are the two most recent HR Board Reports with questionable (highlighted) project/notes for T3 and T7 temporary employees:
https://acefhda.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1.12.26-HR-Board-Report-Action-Items.pdf
https://acefhda.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2.2.26-HR-Board-Report-Action-Items.xlsm.pdf

T3 – Short-Term Special Project: Used for one-time, non-recurring projects that are not needed on a continuing basis. Assignments must have a defined scope and end date and require Governing Board approval prior to employment. Special projects may span multiple fiscal years provided the employee does not work seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the college year in any given year. A single requisition and Board approval may cover a multi-year special project, provided the project scope and end date are clearly defined. Departments are responsible for monitoring workdays to ensure the employee does not exceed seventy-five percent (75%) of the college year in any given year. Example: system implementation, grant setup

Source: https://hr.fhda.edu/_top.html

On the January report, what is special about, “Provides a variety of office support for an assigned program, department, or division, which may include word processing, data entry and organization, telephone and counter reception, document processing, mail processing, record keeping, and filing; provides information and assistance to students, faculty, staff, and the general public; and performs related duties as assigned.”?

• When does that work end?
• How is it not needed on a continuing basis?
• Doesn’t that look like an ACE classification?

T7 – Short-Term Seasonal: Used for seasonal work that occurs during defined periods within a college year and is not needed year-round. Seasonal assignments may recur in successive years for the same type of work, provided the assignment remains seasonal in nature and complies with the seventy-five percent (75%) rule. Board approval is required prior to employment. Each seasonal period constitutes a separate short-term assignment and requires an approved requisition and Governing Board approval prior to the start of work for that season. Example: athletic season assistants, enrollment surge support

Similarly on the February report there are two people who look as though they are fulfilling the role of our Laboratory Technician, Photography  (LINK) description…

Grievance timelines are on hold while awaiting a response from Human Resources clarifying the appropriateness of the temporary employees who appear as though they are sitting in positions which would fall within an ACE classification. This report regularly appears late on a Thursday or Friday prior to Monday night’s meeting. It’s a repeated pain point which is contributing to a twitch in my eye.

(Expect an additional upcoming rant about the importance of scrutinizing these HR Reports as part of a future update.)

FHDA CCD Students & Staff 5% Off Grocery Discount Program Active

As part of an effort to solicit benefits for union members, we reached out to Safeway about their “students & staff discount program” and now the benefit is there for everyone though the Safeway phone app and/or their website. Below are screenshots of the original sign at a local store for Santa Clara University and a walk-through of how to sign up:

1. “To take advantage of these discounts, please advise the eligible individuals to log in to their Safeway accounts via website or the mobile app and navigate to: My Account > Member > Profile & Preferences > Discount Programs”.
2. Upload a photo of a current employee id card. Members may receive an automated approval within as little as 20 minutes.

Employer 👏 of 👏 choice 👏 – our union delivers 😎✊

Staff with .edu email accounts may be eligible for additional “teacher” discounts here (LINK) but once per quarter we can likely commit an hour to pester a business supplying a basic need or utility for a discount.

Currently another active discount we’re aware of is through T-Mobile (LINK).

In Service,

Scott Olsen (he/him) | ACE President
https://acefhda.org | scott.olsen@acefhda.org 
650-949-7789 | M-F 8:30am-5:00pm

My question:

Comments: I work for Foothill-De Anza Community College District and would like to know how to establish a student and staff discount at Safeway locations near the two colleges. I also represent the staff as union president – see acefhda.org – let me know how we would enroll in a program similar to Santa Clara University, Stanford, and UCSF.

Albertson’s Corporate’s response:

Hello Scott,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I hope this message finds you well.

I understand that you are interested in establishing a student and staff discount program for Safeway locations near the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. After reviewing our records, it appears that the Foothill-De Anza Community College District is already included among the institutions eligible for student and staff discounts.

To take advantage of these discounts, please advise the eligible individuals to log in to their Safeway accounts via website or the mobile app and navigate to: My Account > Member > Profile & Preferences > Discount Programs.

If you have any further questions or require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for shopping at Albertsons!

Lester
Customer Support Team
23702381

Sometimes all you have to do is ask 🤷 the worst they can say is, “no.”