Association of Classified Employees Foothill – De Anza

Blog

  • 2025.05.29 Quick Update – DA Negotiator, Parental Leave, Dependent Verification, RP Group Survey, Scott Vacation Next Week

    ACE Members,

    De Anza Negotiator Needed (Opening)
    Are you based at De Anza and interested in joining our negotiations team? Have questions about what being a negotiator means? Reach out to @Keri Kirkpatrick, @Satinder Kaur, @Andrea Santa Cruz, or @Chris Chavez – and send @Scott Olsen an email by June 11th to apply.

    Parental Leave Information Request (FYI)
    We’ve asked the District to provide written guidance to employees who are navigating the process of becoming a parent. Members have asked for a website or document they can refer to and share with their partner to clarify the timelines for pay, benefits, leave, etc.

    Health Benefits Dependent Verification (Reminder)
    FHDA CCD has sent physical letters and email reminders requesting proof of dependent eligibility by June 6th to be returned to SECOVA.
    This is a valid request (not spam) for information on behalf of the District.

    RP Group Climate Survey (Reminder)
    FHDA CCD has sent an email on behalf of Lee Lambert through the RP Group as step in becoming an employer of choice.
    This is a valid request (not spam) for information on behalf of the District.

    Scott on Vacation/Inaccessible 6/1-6/7 (FYI)
    Next week I’ll be completely disconnected from all things while participating in AIDS/LifeCycle (https://www.aidslifecycle.org/) – It’s a 545-mile fundraising event ride from SF to LA benefitting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation ( https://www.sfaf.org/ ).

    @Marybell Arebalo and @Lindsay West will coordinate the DA/CS Site Meeting along with fellow board members. Anthony Booth will attend to answer member questions.

    Our stewards are available to respond to workplace concerns.

    In Service,

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

  • 2025.05.29 Message from Keri Kirkpatrick, Negotiator

    Dear ACE members,

    I have resigned my position on the negotiations team due to my acceptance of a position as a faculty Librarian at De Anza.

    This is a bittersweet message for me to write. As I work on wrapping my brain around this transition, I’ve been reflecting on my time as a Classified Professional here. And when I think about what I’ll miss most about it, I keep coming back over and over again to ACE. My Classified position is the first union job I’ve ever had. When we voted to decertify from SEIU and form our own independent union in 2009, I was so excited to get involved. Serving on our Union’s board and negotiations team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. I learned so much about the decision-making processes of De Anza and the District, met and collaborated with many wonderful colleagues, and gained a new perspective on collective bargaining and the labor movement. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to participate in the management and direction of the Union and our contract, always with the maximum benefit to our members at the heart of every decision.

    I think that sometimes there’s a perception that unions are all about contention and conflict, but that hasn’t been true in my experience. I prefer to frame it as protection instead. ACE protects the rights and interests of our members. Sometimes that requires conflict, but more often it requires collaboration, compromise, and consensus. I’m more patient and a better problem solver now because of my time with ACE.

    We are so fortunate to have a strong, independent union. Without it, we wouldn’t have the solid contract that we do, or the leverage to keep improving on it. So much in there is above and beyond what the law requires. But ACE only works because we make it work.

    If you have an interest in union work, or are curious about the inner processes of the District and college, or want to do something to support your Classified colleagues, please consider getting involved. Take advantage of that release time! Share your expertise and ideas! Get stoked on the camaraderie! Nurture that spark of enthusiasm, and keep the fires burning.

    In solidarity,

    Keri

    —

    Many thanks to Keri for being an active member and representative. Our Contract is better off due to contributions from many members like her.

    In Service,

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

  • 2025.05.07 Negotiations Update – Sunshine Letter; Holidays and Vacations, Worker Expenses and Materials, Pay, Benefits

    See update message below from the ACE Negotiations Team:

    Hello ACE Members,

    On Friday, April 11th, ACE sent our “sunshine” letter to the district to notify them of our intent to open Articles 9 – Holidays and Vacations, and Article 14 – Worker Expenses and Materials, for the 2025-26 bargaining cycle. As a reminder, Article 8 – Pay and Allowances, and Article 18 – Benefits, are automatically opened and are collectively bargained in joint sessions with the other FHDA bargaining units. Our focus in opening articles 9 and 14 along with 8 and 18, include but are not limited to:

    1. Gaining parity with other bargaining units and districts in terms of vacation accrual.
    2. Increasing or eliminating altogether the $1,600 cap on travel and conference funds
    3. Keeping our employee contribution for benefits as low as possible.

    We decided to open these articles based on the results of our negotiations survey as 64% of respondents expressed interest in opening Article 9 – Holidays and Vacation along with the knowledge that our district will soon hit the “revenue plateau” in the next fiscal year, meaning that our revenue from the state will not increase until our enrollments increases by a significant margin.

    This is not news to us as the district has been very transparent about this fact and has expressed concerns about what this means for the long-term financial health of the district as costs will continue to go up while our revenue will remain flat for the foreseeable future. Another consequence is that our district will not be eligible for any Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), even if it is included in the approved state budget. As such, we must look to maximize the available means of compensation outside of COLA that is already included in our contract. It is clear you, our membership, knows this as well as we received many comments throughout each section of the survey expressing this same concern.

    Last week, the district informed us that along with Articles 8 and 18, they intend to open Article 13: Hours and Overtime – as they stated: “District’s interest is to meet student demand for services and classes in a manner consistent with the law and the Faculty Association agreement.” I expect the district’s interest in this area is to have each campus and their services available during nights and weekends. Both Sunshine letters are attached and were included in the Board of Trustees meeting agenda last night.

    We will begin the bargaining process with the district soon, and will keep you updated on any developments. I am hopeful that with an almost entirely new leadership team in our district, our bargaining process will proceed in a timely and efficient manner founded in transparency and mutual respect.

    On behalf of the Negotiations Team, thank you to those who took the time to complete our survey and we look forward to advocating for all ACE members at the bargaining table.

    ACE Negotiations Team
    @Chris Chavez, Foothill
    @Andrea Santa Cruz, De Anza
    @Keri Kirkpatrick, De Anza
    @Ben Judd, Central Services
    @Alex Collins, Foothill
    @Satinder Kaur, De Anza
    @Scott Olsen, Central Services

    —

    Questions? Contact a member of the ACE negotiations team directly and/or attend an upcoming site meeting.

    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-Sunshine-Letter-2025.pdf
    Districts-Interest-Stmts-ACE-2025-26-Reopeners.pdf