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2022.03.21 Classification Study Retro Pay; COLA; “Campus Revitalization”

Written by ACE

ACE Members,

Classification Study Retro Pay

At the end of the day on Friday I did not receive complete information from Human Resources regarding classification study retro pay. Total amounts to be paid were calculated for 7 of 84 employees. As the information is incomplete, I am uncertain if the schedule provided is accurate, but what I have describes that employees still waiting for their retro money will be paid in either March, April (mid-month), or April based on their CWID.

In addition to this, the district alleges that some of you were overpaid. ACE has requested a list of affected employees, the amount of overpayment and the reason they were overpaid. ACE will be involved in attempts to recover any overpayments. Contact me immediately if you are told money will be taken from you as a result of alleged overpayment. I will work with our attorneys to make sure this is handled appropriately.

COLA Negotiations

For ‘21-‘22 and ‘22-‘23 we will be bargaining jointly alongside the other unions to negotiate COLA, similar to how we negotiate for benefits as a group. This change in format is intended to speed up the process to get money in your paychecks faster(as close to July 1st as possible) when it comes to implementing both COLAs.

I’m aware of a letter circulating regarding COLA. As a reminder, it is a negotiated item and we cannot ask for more than the district can provide. Seeking a percentage beyond what’s available in the budget would necessitate cuts to ongoing district expenses.

At the Board of Trustees meeting on April 4th, which begins at 6pm, I will detail our collective disappointment with these inaccuracies and delays. The classification study results will have been approved one year ago at that time. Though nothing we say or do may impact the timeline of the current process, if you’d like to join me in expressing how this experience has affected you here are some ways to be heard:

  1. Submit a public comment in advance to norsellpaula@fhda.edu
    1. Subject: “Board of Trustees 4/4 Public Comment”
  2. Show up in person to speak at the Board of Trustees meeting
  3. Show up in person wearing red or maroon

“Campus Revitalization”

The chancellor’s “Spring 2022 Update” message serves as a notice that you may have to return to the workplace more often than you were asked to during winter quarter, but that decision still remains with your manager.

To work on campus, COVID-19 booster shots are required for those who are currently eligible. Medical and religious exemptions still apply, see AP 3507 for complete details and contact me with questions/concerns.

Wearing a face mask will continue to be required in public facing areas and indoor classes through May 6th. This was decided based upon past experiences following breaks where more people traveled and due to a current increase in COVID-19 cases globally. The face mask policy will continue to change in response to local case rates.

ACE News, Classification Study 2017

2022.03.16 Classification Study Retro, On-Site Work, Vacation Leave

Written by ACE

ACE Members,

President’s Message

The date March 16th serves as a milestone to recognize the number of years since the shelter in place order. It provides an opportunity to reflect upon the pandemic experience we’ve all been sharing while isolated from each other. Events that shut down the district prior to 2020 could probably be counted on one or two hands, but now it would collectively take the hands of every one of us to count these cruel and usual days over the past two years. I struggle to find words of appreciation that would come close to properly recognizing the work that you all did during a period of tremendous anxiety, but I’m grateful that you elected me into a position where I can persistently pursue actions as part of a team driven to demonstrate care.

I’m a fan of memes and last night while scrolling I saw one that said, “My favorite conspiracy theory is that everything is gonna be okay.” It’s not the most profound statement, but I do hope we can push the world further towards “okay” and I believe in the conspiracy theory that we will.

Classification Study Retro Pay

Employees in the district office continue to work long hours to properly calculate and payout agreed upon amounts members are due. Unexpected staff vacancies, leaves, and complex data are hurdles that have pushed back the anticipated timeline. There will be a number of us who will receive our retro pay in March, but I do not know the precise number at this time. I will follow up with a separate message to notify everyone once I can share information with certainty.

Those who’ve separated from service(retired/resigned) may have to wait until the end of April for physical checks to be issued.

Everyone in Human Resources has echoed the message that this process has not been easy and they are working diligently. I will advocate for improvements to Banner to avoid these delays in the future.

On-Site Work

I will speak with administrators about issuing a message regarding in-person expectations for Spring, but it would be best to discuss department level needs with your supervisor. They can require you to come back to the office.

Welcome New Members

Trizha Loren Aquino
Christian Bonner
Jeremy Peters

Accumulated Vacation Leave

Did you know there’s a cap for your vacation leave? ACE Agreement 9.2.5 is a bit of a word problem, but the table below should help provide context for understanding what your individual limit is – which is based on your vacation leave accrual rate and contact length:

Accrual Rate (hrs./mo.)12 mo. Contract (hour limit)11 mo. Contract  (hour limit)10 mo. Contract  (hour limit)
6.66160146133
10240220200
13.33320293267
16384352320

Before you pay/plan for your vacation get the leave approved in writing!

ACE Agreement 9.2.1 details your vacation leave accrual rate based on years of service:

0 – 36.66 hours per month
4 – 710 hours per month
8 – 1313.33 hours per month
14 +16 hours per month

As always the full contract can be found on our website:

Agreement
ACE News, Classification Study 2017

02.28.2022 ACE Update – Return to Campus; Paystubs

Written by ACE

ACE Members,

Wages, working conditions, and benefits have been the main focus points during my first two months as president. Agreements and MOUs negotiated by ACE finally began to be paid out in February to a sum of $3.4 million dollars(!) I want to thank all of you for contributing to the process by filling out a Koff PDQ, the ACE board members and negotiators who made this happen, and the staff behind the scenes who’ve been working with on a monstrous spreadsheet. As the remaining calculations are completed by Human Resources hopefully the balance of us will receive what we’ve worked for in March.

At the February Board of Trustees meeting, I made a statement after hearing from a number of you about the effect this delay has had. Site meetings are the best place for you to raise concerns and hear the concerns of other members. The power of ACE is collectively in its members, I appreciate that you show up regularly to point the organization in the right direction.

Return to Campus

Q: Is it appropriate for me to be working alone in a public facing office?
A: I’ll raise the question in meetings I have with HR and administrators as it could become a safety concern. Currently there is no policy against it.

Q: Can you be required to return to campus?
A: Yes.  Work expectations and your options with the district are identified here. Depending on the exception, we may need to take these on a case-by-case basis, but ultimately, if you cannot work remotely and you are uncomfortable returning to campus you may be able use your paid leave (vacation or comp time) or unpaid leave to cover the time off. 

Q: I’d like to continue working remotely, don’t I have a say?
A: Your supervisor gets to decide but if you want to work remotely, have a conversation with your supervisor. Address concerns, show how you will continue to remain accountable, ask for a trial basis and go from there. We have had the option to work remotely in our agreement for well over a decade.

Q: Who will enforce the mask mandates?
A: Your supervisor.  If they are the one not following protocol and you are not comfortable reaching out to their immediate supervisor, contact ACE. We will make sure it gets addressed.

Wages

In your February paystubs you may see some unfamiliar line items:

  • Remote $: Remote Work Stipend
  • AdjOSSP: Off Salary Schedule Payment Adjustment (Retro)
  • CFYretro: Current Fiscal Year (Retro)
  • PFYbAdj: Previous Fiscal Year (Retro)

Q: Why do some line items appear twice?
A: The classification study salary agreement spans three fiscal years: 19-20, 20-21, and 21-22. PFY, PFY, and CFY.

Q: How can I check that the amount was calculated correctly?
A: ACE requested the spreadsheet HR and Payroll used to generate the amounts. I can send a copy of your section to verify the number of months you worked and pursue discrepancies. Email olsenscott@fhda.edu for more information.

Q: I didn’t receive my Classification Study retro in Feb, do you know how much I’ll receive in March?
A: Currently I only have data for those who were paid this month. HR is still finalizing the calculations before forwarding them on to Payroll. When I receive the next list of employees, I’ll send out a list of CWIDs like I did in my last update.

Q: Can you help me make decisions about my 403b or 457?
A: https://403bwise.org/ has two upcoming events:

Q: I retired/resigned, when will my wages arrive?
A: The current forecast is saying that it will be paid out March (most likely the last day of.) Physical checks will be sent out to your last known address. Update the district if you have moved.

Quick Info

If you’re new to CalPERS or haven’t created an account online, these two links may be helpful as a starting point:

Take Care,

Scott Olsen (he/him) | ACE President
https://acefhda.org | olsenscott@fhda.edu
(408) 864-8584 | M-F 8:00am-5:00pm

ACE News, Uncategorised,