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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,

02.01.2022 Site Meeting Debrief & Updates

Written by ACE

ACE Members,

For now, I’ll be concise – here are the latest updates on the most pertinent issues:

Remote Work Stipend

I received confirmation that this stipend will be included in our end of February paycheck.You will receive $153.35 for each of the 15 months you worked on active status from March ‘20 thru June ’21.

The full text of the MOU is available on our website (LINK).

I will be speaking at the February 14th Board of Trustees meeting to share the collective disappointment many of us have with how this was handled and ask that we move to a system capable of issuing payments in a timely+equitable manner. (I’ll craft the full message in the coming weeks, to be posted at a later date.) Thank you to those who participated during our most recent site meeting – I hear you.

Classification Study Retroactive Pay

I received confirmation that roughly 180 members will receive their retroactive pay as a result of the classification study in the end of February paycheck. The remaining members should receive their retroactive pay in the end of March paycheck.

This first group was identified solely by Human Resources. You are most likely in this group if you have been in the same position at the same step during the entirety of the study. I am waiting to receive a list from Human Resources and I will notify the individuals who are affected.

I have repeatedly been very clear with Human Resources that there are members who need the opportunity to make changes to their payroll withholdings, contributions, and direct deposit allocations in anticipation of receiving a lump sum of money. I have also been very clear that I do not like surprises (even good ones) – it was not my choice to have the remote work stipend and retroactive pay arrive in the same paycheck for some and it was not my choice to split the retroactive pay into two groups.

Most importantly I want to thank those who negotiated over the years on the study and worked on its implementation to bring it to fruition. The results uphold the dignity of workers. This was an initiative that was pushed forward by ACE. It is a significant achievement with a widespread impact. Again, thank you to all who contributed.

ACE COVID Winter Quarter Survey

210 responses have been received so far. Please fill out the Google form if you have not done so already.

I will close the survey this Friday (2/4) and be taking the results to Chancellor’s Advisory Cabinet for further discussion. I am responding to individual concerns as they come to my attention.

Guidance for those who’ve tested positive is updated regularly on the Human Resources COVID-19 page (LINK). To all of those who’ve tested positive in our community, I wish a speedy recovery.

PGA Supplemental Application Deadline – June 30, 2022

A comprehensive update on this was sent out in December, also available on our website (LINK).

Professional Growth Award Training (TODAY!)

A.C.E.: Professional Growth Award (PGA) / Education Assistant Reimbursement Workshop
Thursday, February 3, 2022 1:00 PM-2:00 PM

Welcome New Members!

Blaine Agustin (De Anza)
Joey Zhou (Central Services)
Shane Jones (Foothill)

Take Care,

Scott Olsen | ACE President

ACE News, Classification Study 2017