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ACE Members,

This is a departure from the usual ACE updates about contract language and current concerns. As time goes on more people are less familiar with my job history, but more importantly the spirit in which I serve in the union president role. After working for a very small tech company in Mountain View for 6 years, I was hired at Foothill-De Anza CCD in November 2007 as a Workstation & System Support Technician I (a mouthful of a job title). In 2008, I was promoted to a Tech II which is essentially the classification I’ve been in ever since. It’s a great job. ETS work requests took me across Foothill, Central Services, De Anza, Middlefield, Sunnyvale, and Hope, so it provided a lot of opportunities to meet people and understand the organization. Computer progress bars used to take quite a while, which allowed time for conversation. As I became more familiar with the available benefits of being a district employee, I made sure new employees I saw also knew about them. Many of the benefits are negotiated:

• Professional Growth Awards – Get at least one.
• Cell Provider Discounts – Ask your carrier.
• 403b/457b Retirement Plans – Get started with a good vendor.
• CollegeBuys.org $20 Internet – If you live in a small space, it’s great.
• Educational reimbursement, cell phone stipend, shoe stipend, travel and conference, staff development leave…

My union-member colleagues encouraged me to pursue a lot of these bullet points. I also leveraged a District computer loan program (no longer available) which enabled me to get my first DSLR camera for taking photography classes in the evenings at Foothill. So, I’m a tech support guy who transitioned to being an employee support guy. In November 2016, I joined ACE as a Central Services board member and have served in a union role ever since.

I grew up in San Jose and attended River Glen Elementary (bilingual), Hoover Middle School, Lincoln High School, (Middle College), San Jose City College and ITT Technical Institute. I met my future wife (Sara) in middle school. She’s an accomplished card player, KJ’s barista, and x-ray technologist with 2 degrees from Foothill College and a BA from PIMA Medical Institute. My brother-in-law is a De Anza graduate, as is my niece earned her BA in English from SJSU. My parents are both lifelong San Jose residents and SJSU graduates. My dad earned his chemistry degree after high school. My mom earned her environmental studies degree in her 40’s while parenting four kids. I certainly see the value of a college degree and that it increases the likelihood of economic stability. Getting an advanced degree during adulthood is an enormous challenge.

One of the most unique experiences which I treasure was that I worked with my mom at Foothill College. In February 2008 she was hired as a Division Administrative Assistant in Fine Arts. It’s not uncommon to have relatives working at the district in different departments. There was a brief period where we were known as “Scott’s Mom” and “Sindy’s Son”. My mom always said it was the most enjoyable job she ever had because of the community we serve and the product of our work. I will admit there was added pressure when people knew they could come to my mom when a work request wasn’t completed, but often she’d get positive feedback about me. Working with me was likely more enjoyable than raising me.

In many ways she would have made a much better union president, but she also passed down valuable skills. Speak up when something is wrong. Hold people accountable. Show people the way. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (terminal brain cancer) in 2010. Following brain surgery and chemotherapy treatments she continued to work. Her goal was to be vested in CalPERS so that she could trigger additional benefits which granted household financial support. Between her time as an adult ed teacher and time with Foothill, she made it. She would have been 71 this year. She passed at age 61.

Wages, working conditions, and benefits are critically important to all of us but especially those experiencing hardships. Employer decisions can completely alter the trajectory of a person’s life and the lives of their loved ones. There are more stories like mine, but outcomes are always better when the union is brought in for consultation. Our independent labor association is a member-operated “people first” organization – members are the priority, and we review our collective bargaining agreements, ed code, and labor law to make sure we all get the best support and representation possible. If there isn’t already contract or legal language, we’ll explore creating it.

Hopefully this message and the way work as president show I have an understanding of workplace issues and the importance of having a union. There were a number of times that the district would have handled my mom’s case incorrectly if not for intervention by ACE. Never feel bad about reaching out and asking questions. We have a fantastic executive board and attorney group who provide services far beyond the value of pizza.

The simplest and most valuable piece of advice I want to leave you with is, it’s about relationships. Union work, workplaces, families, friends – spend quality time with people. My mom would regularly admit that she regretted not getting up from her desk more often when I invited her to the cafeteria or an employee event. My dad turned 75 this month and told me he felt like he shouldn’t have worked such late hours when I was younger. Even I could do better and have regrets about putting a career before fun opportunities with people. Take your lunch breaks, take your vacation leave, use your sick time for preventative care and treatment, enjoy the holidays. The work will always be here, but other opportunities may not.

For anyone interested in how to add a leaf to the Memorial Tree outside Appreciation Hall at Foothill, details are on the Foundation website (LINK).

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,

During times of uncertainty it can be reassuring to know that there are support structures we can depend on to have our backs. ACE is committed in service of our purpose and focused on our objectives outlined within our Constitution (LINK):

Article 1 – Name, Purpose and Objectives
1.1 Name
Foothill-De Anza Association of Classified Employees (ACE) is the name of this employee organization.

1.2 Purpose
The purpose of ACE is to represent its members who are classified employees in Unit 1 employed by Foothill-De Anza Community College District (District) pursuant to the Educational Employment Relations Act, commencing with Section 3540 of the Government Code (EERA).

1.3 Objectives of ACE
The objectives of ACE shall be to improve the wages, work hours and working conditions of its members, to promote active participation of its members in the decision-making processes of ACE and District; to promote the economic, intellectual and social welfare of its members; and to represent them in all disputes with their employer.

As a result of National and State elections I can’t immediately predict the challenges to public higher education, the District, or collective bargaining, but I know our independent labor organization will respond and continue to represent members. We continue to receive excellent legal advice from the Booth Law Group, which has helps anticipate labor law changes. Our Negotiations Team is highly effective at improving our Agreement, which provides benefits beyond Ed Code. Members can feel confident that we will continue to deliver on objectives.

We’re still here. We’re still operating with a purpose.

In Solidarity,

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

ACE Members,

For many new employees who come to the district there’s an unfamiliarity about what a union is and how a local independent labor association is different from a national/statewide labor organization. Our history is outlined on our webpage (LINK) but here are a few takeaways:

• We control our money:
  • We set the dues rate.
  • We determine our budget expenses.
  • We gain interest on funds set aside for litigation, strike, and operating expenses.
  • We don’t charge dues when we have sufficient funds.
  • Our dues are low, and the percentage members pay is fair and solely funded as a percentage of their base pay (excludes overtime, special compensation, etc.).
• We have direct access to an attorney group versed in Ed Code and Labor Law:
  • We are the only bargaining unit who brings an attorney into bargaining.
  • We don’t have to seek prior approval before contacting an attorney.
• We are member-run:
  • Negotiations, benefits, and actions we take affect the working conditions of the board member representatives and we are shoulder-to-shoulder with members who are affected by decisions made.
  • This is our workplace. We operate in a way that fosters a positive long-term working relationship.
• We have no political position conflicts:
  • Due to representing a specific population, we do not have conflicts of interest or take political positions that may benefit one group but be to the detriment of another.

The opposite was true when we were represented by SEIU and CSEA. We didn’t have control over our own money: the dues rate was higher (1.05%), dues were always charged, and money was managed by the outside labor organization. Prior to speaking with an attorney, we would have to talk to a labor representative. Labor representatives and attorneys changed regularly and without warning, which was frustrating and effected outcomes. We had no say in who our labor rep or attorney was. At times SEIU would take political positions which would not benefit community colleges due to the broad group of workers they represent. Long story short: we paid a lot of money for representation that wasn’t the quality we expected.

Our high percentage of members to those who have yet to join remains high, which shows that quality representation matters and running our own organization matters. 9 out of 10 employees across the district choose to join ACE. Once fellow employees understand what we’ve accomplished and what we continue to work on, joining is an easy choice. We have excellent representation from the Booth Law Group and the Executive Committee. When we say they show up or the board acts based on member interests, what that looks like is this:

• We negotiated a successful classification/compensation study as a means to raise salaries above our negotiated COLAs and more in line with market value for community colleges.

• We’re challenging the District’s use of temporary employees doing work which falls within our bargaining unit. 

• We’ve been able to place workers in open FHDA positions who would have otherwise been laid off.

• PGA awards more than double CSEAs and even though we have a limit of 12 and theirs is unlimited, it takes them twice as long to reach our maximum for the same number of hours needed and 2-year timeframe per award.  Most won’t work for FHDA for that long.  

• We’ve converted classified hourly positions with limited benefits and no guarantee of hours into permanent positions.

• Finally, as president I have 100% release time from my FHDA position. This means I can focus on the work of ACE and representing our members. That is a big challenge for our colleagues in leadership positions in CSEA and Teamsters.

Even with full release time, I can’t be everywhere and talk to everyone which is why you carrying this message is important. Thank you for being a member. Thank you to members who’ve ran for elected union positions. Thank you to members who’ve served in union positions. Being independent requires us to do more work but as a group we’ve proven to be extremely capable.

As always, our member application (LINK) is available on the top of our homepage along with instructions to return it to olsenscott@fhda.edu .

… and as a break for those who made it this far into this message:

Pandora and Barbie are two female cats who desperately need foster parents/re-homing as their pet parent has passed away. For more information, contact @Cheryl Milan .

Upcoming Reclassification Training – Nov 7^th @ Noon via Zoom
ACE members will takeaway best practices for filing a successful position description questionnaire (PDQ) along with a better understanding of the process.

• Should I file for reclassification?
• Can a group file for reclassification?
• What are the criteria that supports reclassification?
• What does not support reclassification?
• Where do I begin? What’s the process?
• How do I appeal if denied?

ACE Agreement Article 15 covers Classification and Reclassification (LINK). Important note:

“A worker who has applied for reclassification may not apply for another reclassification for at least two years from the date of the last reclassification request, including a reclassification request under a prior agreement, except in extraordinary circumstances or reorganization.”

Which is why your first PDQ needs to be your best PDQ

Members will find the link on their Outlook calendars to join.  This will be facilitated by Anthony Booth who has been a part of multiple classification studies at college districts and reviewed many PDQs.

In Solidarity,

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