Author: ACE

  • 2025.09.09 Benefits Negotiations Update from Chris Chavez, Chair of Negotiations

    Benefits Negotiations Update from Chris Chavez, Chair of Negotiations:

    Hello Everyone,

    The Joint Labor Management Benefits Committee (JLMBC) comprised of all the bargaining units the Association of Classified Employees (ACE), the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the Faculty Association (FA), the Police Officers Association (POA), and the Teamsters, entered into a MOU with the district on the employee contribution for health benefits for the 2026 calendar year.  

    As negotiated last year, our employee contribution stands at 15% of the total cost of the chosen benefit plan, where the district contributes the other 85%.  Our interest this year was to maintain the 15% contribution level at a minimum, while attempting to ensure any rate increases would not impact our membership.  In the past, we have traditionally negotiated an across-the-board contribution rate. However, due to significant rate increases to certain plans, this was not feasible from a fiscal standpoint.

    To mitigate the rise in cost, particularly for members with dependents, the bargaining units and the district had the mutual interest of categorizing our benefits options into low-cost, medium-cost, and high-cost tiers based on premium levels to spread out this cost as equitably as possible. Below are the breakdown of each plan tier and the employee contribution for each tier:

    The low-cost plans include: 

    • Kaiser HMO 
    • PERS Gold PPO 
    • Blue Shield Trio HMO 
    • UnitedHealthcare Signature Value Harmony HMO 
    • Western Health Advantage HMO 
    • PORAC PPO 

    For low-cost plans: employees will contribute 10.5% of the premium for employee-only coverage, and 13.5% of the premium for employee plus one dependent and family coverage. 

    The medium-cost plans include: 

    • Blue Shield Access+ HMO 
    • UnitedHealthcare Signature Value Alliance HMO 
    • Anthem HMO Select 

    For medium-cost plans: employees will contribute 14% of the premium for all coverage levels. 

    The high-cost plans include: 

    • PERS Platinum 
    • Anthem Traditional HMO 

    For high-cost plans: employees will contribute 15% of the premium for all coverage levels. 

    PERS Gold PPO: employees will contribute 11.2% of the premium for all coverage levels. 

    Employee contributions for Vision and Dental stay at their current rates.

    One quick note you may have noticed is that all singles with no dependents enrolled in a low-cost plan will see their contribution decrease slightly for almost all plans (e.g. singles on the Kaiser HMO plan will see a modest decrease of $23 per month).

    In years past, the district was able to use the Rate Stabilization Fund (RSF), which was a separate pot of money the district would use for one-time funds to mitigate such a rise in cost to employees.  However, the district chose to eliminate that pot of money, as is their fiscal right to do so, but the bargaining units reminded the district this was their decision and that it did not give them the right to pass the financial burden onto employees due to the lack of the RSF. To which the district accepted.  This is another example of the power of solidarity and collective bargaining and how ACE serves you, the membership.

    A reminder that open enrollment begins in October. HR will provide a number of tools to help employees compare plans so they may make the best decision for themselves and their dependents.

    Chris Chavez

    Chair of Negotiations

    Message from Scott Olsen, President:

    ACE Members,

    Attached is the JLMBC Plan Year 2026 Detail spreadsheet which shows the background information on plan increases. This is a snippet of what union negotiators are presented with in the Joint Labor Management Benefits Committee. The rising cost of healthcare is a real issue for employers and employees. Collectively we did our best to create a proposal that was reasonable despite premium rate increases of 5% to 13% to our plans with the most enrollment. Initially there was a desire from the district to set an 85/15 (Employer/Employee) cost split and a ceiling at 1.7$mil in additional costs paid by the district. By the end of negotiations we created a different model with a district contribution of 2.2$mil.

    As a reminder, we negotiate the premium contributions for the menu of CalPERS plans – we do not negotiate the details of the plans themselves.

    Our next task is seeking a salary increase and improving the collective bargaining agreement. Stay tuned for more updates and look out for announcements about voting on tentative agreements made by the ACE negotiations team. If a colleague did not receive this message, they may not be a member. Please communicate the value our union brings to this workplace. Without representation our employer would have free reign to impose unilateral decisions.

    Note: I’ll manually forward this message to employees who’ve recently submitted membership application forms (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

    JLMBC-MOU-Benefits-Plan-Year-2025-FINAL-Signed.pdf
    JLMBC-PY2026-Rate-Detail.xlsx

  • 2025.07.02 Update – President’s Message: Pride at Work, Immigration Empathy, Evening Site Meetings, Treasurer Board Vacancy

    ACE Members,

    President’s Message
    Pride month may be over, but our contract protections exist year-round and ACE is always here to support our members. https://www.prideatwork.org/bargaining is a great resource for establishing language in our Agreement that secures rights even when the law may change. As a rule of thumb, the law is the floor (minimum) and we can always bargain for better (higher) standards with the District. We are always paying attention to strengthening our language to create better working conditions for all of our members.

    • If you have a suggestion for contract language, reach out to a member of the negotiations team.
    • If you need support with a workplace issue, reach out to a steward.

    This year it seemed more urgent than ever to raise money and show up for LGBTQ+ equity. @Janie Garcia and myself were able to participate in the final AIDS/LifeCycle event which raised 17.3mil$ for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Roughly 3,000 participants made a 7-day journey from the Cow Palace to Santa Monica in a huge demonstration of solidarity and love. It’s the community “love bubble” and cause that have brought people together for over 30+ years. As a cyclist, I would not have been able to ride 500+ miles if it weren’t for the support of roadies(volunteers) like Janie.

    “To serve the whole student, we need to serve the whole worker.” – Janie Garcia, ACE Chief Steward for Foothill

    Immigration Empathy
    As beautiful as the ride was, on my return trip via US Highway 101 I did see National Guard vehicles on their way to Los Angeles. It was a stark contrast going from an support-focused environment to a punitive one. The actions taken at the federal level have not been about creating social safety nets or establishing systems that equitably create a better future. Much of the activity ACE has been paying attention to revolves around the threat of potential loss for education funding, which would impact our most disadvantaged students. Decreases in enrollment would potentially affect our district’s revenue and demand for the work provided by our bargaining unit. It is in our best interests to demand continued support for higher education. Graduation season is a clear example of the transformative engine that we are a critical component of – maintain the power.

    https://5calls.org/ is a great resource for locating your elected officials and providing a framework for how to advocate on issues currently being decided upon. Democracy is not a spectator sport (or a sport at all.)

    In my career at the District I have been surrounded by a diverse population from all around the globe. Of the people I’ve met, the ones that I least understand are those that attempt to undermine our mission to provide affordable education and socio-economic mobility. I see no tangible benefit in denying education, food, housing, healthcare or migration to people who are trying to live long and prosperously on a tiny blue orb floating in space. Counter intuitively, funding seems to always exist to criminalize and punish people. ACE has posted the Red Card and Rapid Response Network information on our website, which also links to  the County of Santa Clara’s Division of Equity and Social Justice. Personally, I carry the card with me so that I can be reminded of my own rights and be prepared to defend the rights of others in our community.

    We’re continuing to have conversations with the HR and Booth Law Group regarding how to meet the needs of our community.

    Evening Site Meetings

    ACE held a special site meeting last Tuesday evening to accommodate those who are unable to attend our normal lunch site meetings. Thank you to the members from FH, DA and CS and board members who attended. It was great to have all of our reps from De Anza in attendance to support coworkers who came with questions/concerns – @Marybell Arebalo, @Andrea Santa Cruz, @Lisa Ly, @Adriana Garcia . Appreciations as well to @Alan Nguyen from Central Services.

    We’ll create a survey to see if there is more of an appetite for meetings at an alternative time. If a department or group has a specific concern, time can always be scheduled with an Executive Board member. Reach out to any of us.

    Executive Board Opening – Treasurer Position [Apply]
    As a reminder, we have a vacancy that we’d like to fill for our Treasurer position. Thank you to those who’ve already expressed interested and look for my earlier message today for specific duties.

    Email a statement of interest to @Scott Olsen and let me know when we can talk about it prior to next week’s ACE Board Meeting before July 9th.

    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 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