ACE Update 12.11.17: Happy Holidays, ACE Holiday Party, Thank You Matt, New ACE Officers

Happy Holidays From ACE

Dear Colleagues:

As I close out my first term as president of ACE, I wanted to thank all of you for your support and inspiration. From meeting new employees as well as speaking with FHDA veterans, I have gained a better understanding of the issues important to you and worked hard to address them. The results aren’t always perfect, the work is often slow going (hello classification study), and sometimes disheartening but it is always done with the goal to make your working conditions at FHDA the best they can be. A few of our accomplishments this past year include adding a holiday, opening working out of class opportunities to any FHDA employee before external candidates (this includes temporary employees), increasing the amounts awarded for travel and conference, educational assistance and the Bridge to Medicare program, and keeping your health benefits contribution rate for the 2018 plan year the same as it was in 2017. Not to mention the countless members we have represented to make certain they were treated fairly by management on issues around compensation or discipline.

But we’re not done. With challenging budget times ahead, ACE has been working hard to help the District identify budget saving opportunities before any budget reduction needs to take place.  One of the largest discretionary District budget expenditures, at nearly $2 million a year, is the use of temporary and district-funded student employees.  Some of these placements are legitimate, some are not. After reviewing five years of temporary employee assignments, ACE is working with the district to better identify how and what work is assigned to temporary and student employees to determine if some assignments could, and should, be eliminated before any permanent employee is affected by budget reductions. Or, if the work is necessary, can it be offered to permanent employees on an overtime basis?

Vacant positions are another opportunity for savings.  Currently, both campuses and the District are reviewing vacant positions to determine if they need to be refilled. Many of you have expressed concern to ACE why some positions are being filled and others aren’t when we know we have to reduce next year? This is where transparency gets a murky.  At the Foothill budget town hall, ACE specifically asked if there is a process which explains their rationale to refill or not and where the work goes if a position is left vacant, as ACE is very mindful that the work never really goes away. So far our questions have been followed by deafening silence. ACE will keep asking and when any position is formally eliminated by FHDA Board of Trustee action, ACE will demand an explanation on what happens to that work.

2018 isn’t without opportunity.  The results of our classification study will give us a better idea of the work that we do and if we’re compensated appropriately.  More importantly, moving forward it will serve as benchmark for newly created positions to determine if the work is the same as an existing position but is arbitrarily given a different classification.  This matters for reemployment rights should anyone be laid off.  Thanks to the collaborative efforts from all the bargaining units, like working with the District to share costs around health benefit contributions or forgoing cost of living adjustments during the last budget reduction cycle, the District has been able to save a large stability fund.  The $40 million in District one-time funds gives us a little time and room to negotiate things like workload compensation, early retirement incentives or possibly extend positions slated for reduction.

As I have stated on numerous occasions, ACE only works with the active participation and support from our members.  As a thank you, I hope to see you this week at one of our annual holiday parties.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season,

Chris White, ACE President
(650) 949-7789, office

Thank you, Matt!

After five years of service, Matt Trosper, our VP at De Anza is stepping down from the executive board.  If you’re on the De Anza campus and checked your email, even once, you’d know Matt is the guy constantly seeking ACE representatives for hiring committees.  He has also represented ACE on the College Council and the Instructional Planning & Budget Team (IPBT).  Thank you, Matt for your commitment and hard work to improve the working conditions of your colleagues at FHDA.

New ACE Officers

Terms run from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019.

• President: Chris White
• Vice President, Central Services: Bill Baldwin
• Vice President, De Anza:  Precious Gerardo
• Chief Steward, Foothill:  Art Hand
• Board Member/Seat 1 De Anza:  Keri Kirkpatrick
• Board Member Foothill;  Christine Mangiameli

REMINDERS

Negotiations Update

Cathleen Monsell, Chair of Negotiations

Our current Agreement was set to expire on October 17, 2017.  As ACE is still reviewing the potential impact of the Districts budget on our members, combined with personnel changes in human resources, the District and ACE have agreed to extend our current Agreement through October 31, 2018 or until a successor Agreement is negotiated and ratified or if we reach an impasse on the negotiations, whichever comes first.

Classification Study: Reminder

We are waiting for the draft classification descriptions from the consultants which should be ready for review in November. Staff will have an opportunity to provide feedback in this process.

The preliminary information provided by the consultants at a Sept. 13 meeting was very promising. The four main themes from their work include: consolidating classifications which do the same work; title changes to more accurately reflect the current market; creation and/or elimination of classifications to reflect the work currently being done or not being done; and establishment of career ladders where applicable.  The Joint Labor Management Classification Committee (JLMCC) meets later this month to negotiate the effects of any changes to the classification structure, like combining classifications and what it means for seniority, etc.  We won’t address the compensation portion until the consultants have agreement from us on the content of the classification descriptions.

Reminders:

1. We have already agreed with the district that NO ONE will go down, in pay or classification, as result of the consultants findings.  Read that again.  One more time and pass it on.
2. Classifications are generalized and not every word from the PDQs will be on the final classification description. Positions and classification are two words that are often thought of as interchangeable; but in fact have very different meanings.  In a classification plan, a position is assigned a group of duties and responsibilities performed by one person. A classification may contain only one position, or may consist of a number positions.  When there are several positions assigned to one classification, it means the same title is appropriate for each position because the scope, level, duties, and responsibilities of each position assigned to the classification are sufficiently similar (but not necessarily identical); the same core knowledge, skills, and other requirements are appropriate for all positions; and the same salary range is equitable for all positions.
3. The goals for this project:  To align job descriptions with the current roles and responsibilities of classified employees, create career ladders were appropriate, and conduct a market analysis of compensation in similar or like jobs in other districts.
4. Authority:  A Joint Labor Management Classification Committee (JLMCC) was established to negotiate this process. Representing ACE are Cathleen Monsell, chair of negotiations, Chris White, ACE president, and Bradley Booth, attorney for ACE.  Representing the District are Myisha Washington from human resources, Lisa Mandy, De Anza administrator, and Kevin Harral, Foothill administrator.  Neither side has more authority and the consultants report to the committee.  ACE and the District mutually agreed to the selection of Koff & Associates after independent research and reference checks.