Association of Classified Employees Foothill – De Anza

Author: ACE

  • 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

  • 2025.04.22 Update – 5calls.org, Weingarten Rights, Bilingual Pay Pilot MOU, April Dues Forgiveness

    ACE Members,

    President’s Message
    The number of proposals, pending policy changes, and action items coming out of the federal government which affect our campus community can be overwhelming. Many changes are being challenged in the courts, but we can also participate in challenging them by contacting our elected representatives.

    • Emails have to be manually read and sorted.
    • Letters and postcards take time to arrive and get processed.
    • Faxes have to be digitized and emailed.
    • By contrast, congressional staffers tally phone calls right away.

    5calls.org is a great site to get started and provides guidance for leaving a voicemail on urgent worker issues:

    • Protect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives (LINK)
    • Save Federal Student Loan Programs from Cuts and Chaos (LINK)
    • Protect Free Speech: Stop Unlawful ICE Detainment of Immigrants (LINK)
    • Oppose Efforts to Dehumanize Transgender and LGBTQ+ People (LINK)

    I have yet to see any executive order that seeks to improve public higher education, worker’s rights, or improve our day-to-day lives. We should change that by speaking up about the issues that matter most to us. Please consider using your free time to make a few calls to promote our interests and support for the community college system.

    ACE does not use member dues for political purposes per our policy (LINK) – fortunately phone calls are free.

    Weingarten Rights
    An outbreak of disciplinary meetings has occurred lately, so it’s important we all know our rights in this situation and understand when to bring in a steward. Union members have the right to union representation in a meeting where there is a reasonable expectation that discipline may result. Ask your manager/supervisor, “is this meeting investigatory or will it lead to discipline?”

    What may a union representative do during an employee interview?

    • Union representatives serve as advisors and witnesses during employee interviews.  Employers are required to inform union representatives as to the subject matter of the interview and allow time for that representative to meet with the employee prior to questioning. 
    • During the interview, a union representative may ask the employer to clarify questions, give the employee advice on how to answer questions (within limits), and provide additional information to the employer after the questioning.  A union representative may also object to questions if they are badgering, intimidating, or offensive.  

    More information: (LINK)

    Contacting a steward or asking questions at a member site meeting can get ahead of the disciplinary process… Is it appropriate for my manager to ask me to do this? Should this be expected of me? Is this allowed under the Agreement? My manager is accusing me of X, what are the potential consequences? How do I document against being disciplined?

    Don’t be afraid to ask! – @Thomas Marks, @Andre Meggerson, @Jeff Dickard, @Janie Garcia Cordova, @Nicholas Falasco, and @Scott Olsen are available to help answer these questions. The sooner, the better.

    Bilingual Pay Pilot MOU
    Between Fall 2024 and Spring 2025…

    1. How many students did you serve?
    2. How much time did you spend using your bilingual skills?
    3. How would you summarize what the district received in exchange for bilingual pay?

    Please email the answers to hr@fhda.edu with the subject: “ACE Bilingual Pay” and cc your manager/supervisor + @Scott Olsen

    Unfortunately our MOU with the district (LINK) was developed and implemented during a transition period for human resources management. The answers to the questions above will help inform a future (improved) pilot and/or contribute to making bilingual pay a permanent part of our collective bargaining agreement.

    April Dues Forgiveness
    The ACE Executive board approved that member dues will not be collected at the end of the month and for those paid mid-month in May. We can do this because we have an excellent treasurer and we are an independently member-operated organization in control of our own money. Currently we have a sufficient amount set aside for regular operations, pending litigation, and a strike fund.

    In Service,

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