Author: ACE

  • ACE Classification Study: About Those PDQ’s 02.02.17

    It’s already Feb. 2, do you know where your PDQ is? I told you I can be a procrastinator, but I am happy to report that I have started mine and have been filling it out in small sections. For me, it makes the process more manageable. Do what works for you, but please fill it out. Many thanks to those who have already completed and turned theirs in.

    A few reminders:

    • PDQ’s DUE no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. To ensure your comments remain unchanged, email your completed PDQ to:
      1. The supervisor and/or administrator who signs your time sheet; AND
      2. Myisha Washington, Manager, Compensation, Classification and Employment, washingtonmyisha@fhda.edu.
      3. Keep a copy for your records.
    • Misplaced your PDQ? Here is the form. It is a word document which you can save to your computer.
    • Need help? Please contact me or Myisha Washington. In addition, Marykay Englen will host a couple of drop-in sessions, Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. – 2 p..m. and Feb. 15 from noon – 3 p.m., in the staff development office at De Anza (MLC 246). These sessions are open to all ACE district employees. I am working on offering a couple sessions for the Foothill campus.
    • Remember, the position, not the incumbent is being reviewed.
      • Factors that are included:
        1. Nature of duties and responsibilities;
        2. Scope, level, and complexity of duties and responsibilities;
        3. Relationship of the position to other positions in the department and with the college/district;
        4. Supervision, both given and received;
        5. Exercise of independent judgment; and
        6. Autonomy and authority related to decision-making and accountability.
      • Factors that are not included:
        1. Quality of performance (performance evaluation rating);
        2. Quantity of work (volume);
        3. Status of the incumbent;
        4. Information relative to the employee’s length of service;
        5. Time spent at the maximum of the position’s salary range;
        6. Skills/education not related to the job or minimum qualifications; and
        7. Employee’s salary placement within the salary range.

    Thank you for your time and attention to this study.

    Chris

  • Classification Study Kick-off Meetings – Jan. 24 & Jan. 25

    Dear Colleagues,

    At long last, we are ready to kick off the ACE classification study and it starts with you.   

    ACE Classification Study Kick-off Meeting(s) – All ACE members are encouraged to attend.

    ·         De Anza – Tuesday, Jan 24:     9-10:30 a.m., 11-12:30 p.m. or 1:30-3 p.m.
    ·         Foothill – Wednesday, Jan 25: 9-10:30 a.m., 11-12:30 p.m. or 1:30-3 p.m.

    You only need to attend ONE session A separate email invitation for each session will be sent through Outlook.

    At this meeting, we will:

    • Introduce Koff & Associates, the consultants hired to conduct our classification study;
    • Explain the components of the study and answer your questions; and
    • Provide clear instructions so you know what is needed from you, deadline dates and timelines, and whom to contact should you have questions.

    Please work with your supervisor in scheduling your attendance so we can ensure every ACE member has an opportunity to attend a session.  If you are having a difficult time getting permission from your supervisor to attend, please contact me, Chris White ACE President, and I will work with your supervisor and HR to address the issue.

    If you absolutely cannot attend one of these sessions, we will be recording the meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 a.m.   The video will be posted to our YouTube Channel.  You will not be able to ask questions online, so it is imperative that you make every effort to attend in person.

    REMINDER: The key to a successful study is participation and clear communication. It is important that you attend one of these sessions, so please respond to the Outlook invite sent to you to ensure enough we prepare enough handouts.

    Thank you in advance for your time and participation

    Chris White
    ACE President

  • ACE Update 01.09.17: Budget Update, Classification Study, Your Voice & New Parental Leave Law

    President’s Message

    Happy New Year!

    I hope you were able to enjoy some time off during the winter break to do things you like with people you love. I most certainly did.

    Challenges and opportunities come with every new year, and for ACE and FHDA, 2017 is no different.

    Challenge:

    • FHDA’s continued decline in enrollment and budget deficit. The district has been clear that we are fine through the 2017/18 year, but if these trends don’t reverse themselves changes may need to be made. ACE will be monitoring district, state and federal funding and policy decisions for changes which could impact ACE members.

    Opportunities:

    • Budget concerns. We can all help the district during this enrollment decline by simply taking a class. Learn something new and have it counts towards your Professional Growth Award (PGA), which puts money in your pocket.
    • Classification study. An efficient and effective organization needs logically constructed job families that link and build positions upon each other, and in some cases, demonstrate career ladders within particular kinds of work. More on this below.
    • Professional Development. Partnering with the staff development office at De Anza, ACE will be offering workshops on both campuses covering PGA’s, retirement and other negotiated benefits. Watch your email for more information.
    • Negotiations. Always a give and take but as we wait for the Governor’s initial budget at the end of January, and keeping the district’s budget challenges in mind, ACE will be drafting our proposals to the district and asking for your input along the way.
    • Get involved. The classification study and negotiations will only be successful with your participation. Please take the time to fill out surveys, attend meetings, get to know your chief steward and ACE elected members, and most importantly, ask questions.

    Looking forward to working together to make 2017 the best it can be.

    Of Service,

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


    New Chair of Negotiations, Cathleen Monsell

    Effective January 5, 2017, Cathleen Monsell, division assistant in the PSME department at De Anza, will serve as Chair of Negotiations for the remainder of our Agreement, which is set to expire October 31, 2017. She has served on the negotiations team for the past two years and has a firm understanding of the issues facing ACE and FHDA. We are grateful for her service and willingness to step into this critical role.


    Classification Study Update

    The contract with Koff & Associates, consultants for the classification study, was approved at the November 2016 FHDA Board of Trustees meeting.  We have tentatively scheduled ACE member orientation meetings for Tues. Jan. 24 at De Anza and Wed., Jan. 25 at Foothill. Several sessions will be provided throughout these days to give you ample opportunity to attend. One session will be live-streamed and archived on our YouTube channel for those who can’t attend. You will receive a formal invitation to these meetings as soon we as secure the dates from the consultant. Look for it in your email.

    As a reminder, the goal of this study is to align job descriptions with the current roles and responsibilities of classified employees, develop career ladders where appropriate, and conduct a market analysis of compensation in similar or like jobs in other districts.

    As part of our negotiated agreement, Koff and Associates will work in collaboration with the Joint Labor Management Classification Committee (JLMCC) to implement this study.  The JLMCC includes:

    ACE
    Bradley Booth, ACE Attorney
    Chris White, ACE President
    Cathleen Monsell, ACE Chair of Negotiations
    Anthony Booth, Labor Consultant (non-voting)
    Shawna Santiago, ACE Recorder (non-voting)

    Management
    Marietta Harris, Director of Human Resources
    Kevin Harral, Director of Financial Aid, FH
    Lisa Mandy, Director of Financial Aid, DA
    Myisha Washington, Manager, Compensation, Classification, and Employment Services (non-voting)


    ACE Needs Your Voice
    Two negotiators are needed to represent De Anza and Central Services.

    Negotiating our collective agreement is the single most critical responsibility we have as a union and we can’t do it without you.  If you are creative, patient, fair, respectful, and willing to put the interests of ACE members above your own, you have the skills to be a negotiator.

    The Details:

    • $100 a month paid stipend during active negotiations.
    • You must be a permanent, full-dues-paying member.
    • The time commitment is typically less than 2 hours every few weeks during active negotiations.
    • Release time is available and we will work with you and your supervisor to get this arranged.

    Our strength at the bargaining table comes from a diverse representation of our membership.  Please consider adding your voice.

    Contact Chris White, ACE President, for more information.


    New Parental Leave Law

    By Bradley Booth, Attorney
    Law Offices of Bradley G. Booth

    The Short Version

    Effective January 1, 2017, Assembly Bill 2393 provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, adoption or foster care of a child by an employee.  Accumulated sick leave must first be used to cover the leave. In the absence of accrued sick leave, the employee will be compensated under extended sick leave–Article 10.2 of the ACE Agreement–an amount that equals 66 2/3 percent of the worker’s basic monthly earnings.

    The Long Version

    Effective January 1, 2017, Assembly Bill 2393 provides for 12 weeks of parental leave for classified employees at community colleges. Parental leave is defined as the birth of a child of the employee, or the placement of a child with the employee in connection with the adoption or foster care of the child by the employee.

    Parental Leave  

    The parental leave will be full-paid leave as long as an employee has sick leave on the books. If the employee does not, then they would receive differential pay or extended sick leave, if eligible. The employee may use up to 12 weeks of accumulated sick leave to cover the leave so the employee may be paid for the entire period they are on parental leave. Any other use of any sick leave during the parental leave will be deducted from the 12 weeks. Therefore, if an employee has 20 weeks of accumulated sick leave upon the birth (adoption or foster care) of a child they may use 12 weeks of the 20 for parental leave, regardless of employee’s gender (in other words this isn’t exclusively for the mother but the father may also use parental leave). If, however, the employee used sick leave for being “sick” during the parental leave that time will be deducted from the parental leave.

    If you only have 6 weeks (or any amount less than 12 weeks) of accumulated sick leave at the beginning of your parental leave, you will receive full pay for the accumulated six weeks. Once your accumulated sick leave runs out, you will receive differential pay in the amount outlined below.

    Extended Sick Leave10.2 ACE Agreement
    Each classified worker shall be entitled to extended sick leave for illness or injury at the end of all full-pay sick leave or at the end of 10 consecutive working days, whichever is later, and continuing for up to 130 working days from the first day of absence because of illness or injury. Extended sick leave shall be granted in increments of not less than one full day for each working day of absence due to illness or injury.

    A classified worker on extended sick leave shall be entitled to extended-sick-leave pay as follows:

    • 10.2.1  For a full month’s absence, an amount that equals 66 2/3 percent of the worker’s “basic monthly earnings” on the date he/she was first absent, to a maximum payment of $6000 per month. “Basic monthly earnings” means 1/12th of the worker’s annual contract salary.
    • 10.2.2 For less than a full month’s absence, an amount that equals an appropriate fraction of the extended sick leave pay calculated under 10.2.1. The fraction shall be determined by dividing the number of days of absence during the partial month by 20.

    Does Not Impact Collective Bargaining Contract

    AB 2393 also states that nothing in the law shall be construed to diminish the obligation of a public school employer to comply with any collective bargaining agreement that provides greater parental leave rights to employees than the rights established under this statute.