Blog

ACE Members,

President’s Message
We’re always looking for stories that demonstrate the value of working in a unionized workplace. If you have a story you would like to share about how ACE has impacted your life, let me know. Hopefully my story highlights the value of high-quality labor representation. Without union consultation and intervention, my experience would have ended very differently because there would have been no one on our family’s side. Even if you never experience a critical moment, our Agreement creates a fairer and more equal workplace every day.

LiquidOffice & Floating Leave
Rarely you’ll hear someone saying, “I’m taking 170 on Friday”, which refers to the LiquidOffice (LO) code for vacation. Below is a sample image of my LiquidOffice Time Card (LOTR) from October which includes the dropdown of available codes. I’d like to focus on 3 of them:

• 180 Sick Leave – This is most commonly used for when you are sick and does not require pre-approval.
  • How to use it: “I’m staying home today, I’m sick” or “I have a medical appointment for preventative treatment or diagnosis”
  • See 10.1 (LINK)
• 185 Personal Necessity Leave – This covers unavoidable emergencies and obligations related to your household (does not require pre-approval [unless it can be anticipated/scheduled]).
  • How to use it: “I have an unavoidable obligation that takes place during work hours. If you have questions, let schedule a conversation.”
  • See 10.10 (LINK)
• 300 Floating Leave – This could be used for anything (requires pre-approval).
  • How to use it: “I would like to use floating leave on Friday. I’m not required to disclose the purpose or nature of this request.”
  • See 9.3 (LINK)

Human Resources is still working on negotiations with other bargaining units to align these leave labels in each contact and update the LOTR system. Until then, the best practice if you are using Floating Leave would be to select 300 and add a note in the “Comments” box stating that this time was used as Floating Leave. If you have difficulty using any of these leaves, consult with a steward.

DACA Resources
We are in the early stages of discussions with the District to do as much as possible to protect the employment of members who are covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Individual employees can consult individually with an attorney from Path2Papers – https://sites.lawschool.cornell.edu/path2papers/ – but we are also doing so as an employer. Solutions would still have to comply with federal regulations, but we are doing as much as we can to make sure resources are provided and our Agreement supports continued employment if an employee authorization document (EAD) is not renewed. We’re checking the viability of sponsored work visas along with other options.

Foothill College hosts a representative from the Immigration Institute for the Bay Area (IIBA) – https://iibayarea.org/ – who is also available for employee questions. Appointment can be made via https://findyourally.com/ .

Reach out directly if you need support.

Classified Holiday Party 12/11 @ 12:30

Classified Staff at De Anza have arranged a holiday event at 12:30pm tomorrow. Get out of your office! Bring your ugly sweater to the campus center. ACE is providing pizza from Tasty Pizza and we’ll have membership applications handy if you have a new colleague who has yet to join as a member or has questions. Classified Senate is providing appetizers and drinks.

FHDA CCD Board of Trustees Vacancy
Do you know someone who lives in Sunnyvale who you would trust to weigh in on District decisions? There is an opening for appointment to fill the seat formerly held by Patrick Ahrens. Applications are open until January 3^rd, 2025. Details are available online (LINK).

To be eligible they must be a California citizen, over 18 years old, registered to vote, and reside in Trustee Area 2.

In Service,

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

ACE Members,

This is a departure from the usual ACE updates about contract language and current concerns. As time goes on more people are less familiar with my job history, but more importantly the spirit in which I serve in the union president role. After working for a very small tech company in Mountain View for 6 years, I was hired at Foothill-De Anza CCD in November 2007 as a Workstation & System Support Technician I (a mouthful of a job title). In 2008, I was promoted to a Tech II which is essentially the classification I’ve been in ever since. It’s a great job. ETS work requests took me across Foothill, Central Services, De Anza, Middlefield, Sunnyvale, and Hope, so it provided a lot of opportunities to meet people and understand the organization. Computer progress bars used to take quite a while, which allowed time for conversation. As I became more familiar with the available benefits of being a district employee, I made sure new employees I saw also knew about them. Many of the benefits are negotiated:

• Professional Growth Awards – Get at least one.
• Cell Provider Discounts – Ask your carrier.
• 403b/457b Retirement Plans – Get started with a good vendor.
• CollegeBuys.org $20 Internet – If you live in a small space, it’s great.
• Educational reimbursement, cell phone stipend, shoe stipend, travel and conference, staff development leave…

My union-member colleagues encouraged me to pursue a lot of these bullet points. I also leveraged a District computer loan program (no longer available) which enabled me to get my first DSLR camera for taking photography classes in the evenings at Foothill. So, I’m a tech support guy who transitioned to being an employee support guy. In November 2016, I joined ACE as a Central Services board member and have served in a union role ever since.

I grew up in San Jose and attended River Glen Elementary (bilingual), Hoover Middle School, Lincoln High School, (Middle College), San Jose City College and ITT Technical Institute. I met my future wife (Sara) in middle school. She’s an accomplished card player, KJ’s barista, and x-ray technologist with 2 degrees from Foothill College and a BA from PIMA Medical Institute. My brother-in-law is a De Anza graduate, as is my niece earned her BA in English from SJSU. My parents are both lifelong San Jose residents and SJSU graduates. My dad earned his chemistry degree after high school. My mom earned her environmental studies degree in her 40’s while parenting four kids. I certainly see the value of a college degree and that it increases the likelihood of economic stability. Getting an advanced degree during adulthood is an enormous challenge.

One of the most unique experiences which I treasure was that I worked with my mom at Foothill College. In February 2008 she was hired as a Division Administrative Assistant in Fine Arts. It’s not uncommon to have relatives working at the district in different departments. There was a brief period where we were known as “Scott’s Mom” and “Sindy’s Son”. My mom always said it was the most enjoyable job she ever had because of the community we serve and the product of our work. I will admit there was added pressure when people knew they could come to my mom when a work request wasn’t completed, but often she’d get positive feedback about me. Working with me was likely more enjoyable than raising me.

In many ways she would have made a much better union president, but she also passed down valuable skills. Speak up when something is wrong. Hold people accountable. Show people the way. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (terminal brain cancer) in 2010. Following brain surgery and chemotherapy treatments she continued to work. Her goal was to be vested in CalPERS so that she could trigger additional benefits which granted household financial support. Between her time as an adult ed teacher and time with Foothill, she made it. She would have been 71 this year. She passed at age 61.

Wages, working conditions, and benefits are critically important to all of us but especially those experiencing hardships. Employer decisions can completely alter the trajectory of a person’s life and the lives of their loved ones. There are more stories like mine, but outcomes are always better when the union is brought in for consultation. Our independent labor association is a member-operated “people first” organization – members are the priority, and we review our collective bargaining agreements, ed code, and labor law to make sure we all get the best support and representation possible. If there isn’t already contract or legal language, we’ll explore creating it.

Hopefully this message and the way work as president show I have an understanding of workplace issues and the importance of having a union. There were a number of times that the district would have handled my mom’s case incorrectly if not for intervention by ACE. Never feel bad about reaching out and asking questions. We have a fantastic executive board and attorney group who provide services far beyond the value of pizza.

The simplest and most valuable piece of advice I want to leave you with is, it’s about relationships. Union work, workplaces, families, friends – spend quality time with people. My mom would regularly admit that she regretted not getting up from her desk more often when I invited her to the cafeteria or an employee event. My dad turned 75 this month and told me he felt like he shouldn’t have worked such late hours when I was younger. Even I could do better and have regrets about putting a career before fun opportunities with people. Take your lunch breaks, take your vacation leave, use your sick time for preventative care and treatment, enjoy the holidays. The work will always be here, but other opportunities may not.

For anyone interested in how to add a leaf to the Memorial Tree outside Appreciation Hall at Foothill, details are on the Foundation website (LINK).

In Service,

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