Category: Uncategorised

ACE Members,

President’s Message
ACE has been following the many executive orders issued by the federal government. We are coordinating with the Booth Law Group and District to understand the effects we as workers may feel. Our Collective Bargaining Agreement, Ed Code, State laws, and status as County employees shield us from many issues, but a major concern is the impact of immigration enforcement on our community.

ACE and HR have been referring employees to consult with Path2Papers (LINK) to review available options for establishing legal permanent residency. Path2Papers provides a detailed individual assessment which employees can choose to share with ACE and HR for assistance in developing a wraparound solution. Your cost-free meeting with an attorney is confidential. Please include your job classification (LINK) when submitting information.

• We may not be able to pursue H-1B visas and labor certifications for certain positions due to the general nature of each job description. The process for those applications may also trigger a multi-year bar for unlawful presence depending on your history, so be very wary of any advice that makes this process seem simple – there is no “one-size fits all” approach.
• We are working with each individual employee to determine viable solutions.

Our Collective Bargaining Agreement applies to all workers within the district. If you have a workplace concern and/or feel your rights under the agreement have been violated, do not hesitate to come forward. Conversations with Anthony Booth are protected by attorney-client privilege and conversations with union representatives are confidential. We are not immigration attorneys or advisors, which is why we are directing employees to work with Path2Papers.

Everyone should be aware of policies, procedures, and means to respond in solidarity:

• If you see Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on campus executing an order, District Administrative Procedure 3415 (LINK) outlines what to do:

College personnel shall advise all students, faculty, and staff responding to or having contact with an officer engaged in immigration enforcement executing an immigration order to refer the entity or individual to the appropriate President’s Office or the President’s designee, for purposes of verifying the legality of any warrant, court order, or subpoena. Central Services personnel shall notify the Chancellor’s Office or the Chancellor’s designee under such circumstances.

• If you see ICE activity in Santa Clara County, you may call the Rapid Response Network at (408) 290-1144.

• Santa Clara County also has printable templates for Red Cards with Know Your Rights (KYR) information in multiple languages (LINK):

• I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.
• I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door.
• I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights.
• I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.

This is a worker issue, a community issue, and a moral issue of humane treatment of people. We can all have a substantial impact by being informed and spreading power.

In Service,

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

ACE Members,

Staff Development Leave Application Deadline
… and don’t forget that the deadline to submit your staff development leave application is December 15^th. The form can be summitted without supervisor signatures for now, but those signatures would be needed by January 31^st.  See 10.13 (LINK).

The easiest applications to approve clearly show exact leave start and end dates, along with supporting documentation detailing activities which fit eligibility for the leave.

In Service,

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

ACE Members,

President’s Message
We’re always looking for stories that demonstrate the value of working in a unionized workplace. If you have a story you would like to share about how ACE has impacted your life, let me know. Hopefully my story highlights the value of high-quality labor representation. Without union consultation and intervention, my experience would have ended very differently because there would have been no one on our family’s side. Even if you never experience a critical moment, our Agreement creates a fairer and more equal workplace every day.

LiquidOffice & Floating Leave
Rarely you’ll hear someone saying, “I’m taking 170 on Friday”, which refers to the LiquidOffice (LO) code for vacation. Below is a sample image of my LiquidOffice Time Card (LOTR) from October which includes the dropdown of available codes. I’d like to focus on 3 of them:

• 180 Sick Leave – This is most commonly used for when you are sick and does not require pre-approval.
  • How to use it: “I’m staying home today, I’m sick” or “I have a medical appointment for preventative treatment or diagnosis”
  • See 10.1 (LINK)
• 185 Personal Necessity Leave – This covers unavoidable emergencies and obligations related to your household (does not require pre-approval [unless it can be anticipated/scheduled]).
  • How to use it: “I have an unavoidable obligation that takes place during work hours. If you have questions, let schedule a conversation.”
  • See 10.10 (LINK)
• 300 Floating Leave – This could be used for anything (requires pre-approval).
  • How to use it: “I would like to use floating leave on Friday. I’m not required to disclose the purpose or nature of this request.”
  • See 9.3 (LINK)

Human Resources is still working on negotiations with other bargaining units to align these leave labels in each contact and update the LOTR system. Until then, the best practice if you are using Floating Leave would be to select 300 and add a note in the “Comments” box stating that this time was used as Floating Leave. If you have difficulty using any of these leaves, consult with a steward.

DACA Resources
We are in the early stages of discussions with the District to do as much as possible to protect the employment of members who are covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Individual employees can consult individually with an attorney from Path2Papers – https://sites.lawschool.cornell.edu/path2papers/ – but we are also doing so as an employer. Solutions would still have to comply with federal regulations, but we are doing as much as we can to make sure resources are provided and our Agreement supports continued employment if an employee authorization document (EAD) is not renewed. We’re checking the viability of sponsored work visas along with other options.

Foothill College hosts a representative from the Immigration Institute for the Bay Area (IIBA) – https://iibayarea.org/ – who is also available for employee questions. Appointment can be made via https://findyourally.com/ .

Reach out directly if you need support.

Classified Holiday Party 12/11 @ 12:30

Classified Staff at De Anza have arranged a holiday event at 12:30pm tomorrow. Get out of your office! Bring your ugly sweater to the campus center. ACE is providing pizza from Tasty Pizza and we’ll have membership applications handy if you have a new colleague who has yet to join as a member or has questions. Classified Senate is providing appetizers and drinks.

FHDA CCD Board of Trustees Vacancy
Do you know someone who lives in Sunnyvale who you would trust to weigh in on District decisions? There is an opening for appointment to fill the seat formerly held by Patrick Ahrens. Applications are open until January 3^rd, 2025. Details are available online (LINK).

To be eligible they must be a California citizen, over 18 years old, registered to vote, and reside in Trustee Area 2.

In Service,

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