Hello Union Siblings,

Happy New Year! 🥳

This is a reminder to celebrate writing “2022” instead of “2021” on documents.

District Pandemic Response 🦠

Myisha Washington from Human Resources posted a message on December 31, 2021 to https://hr.fhda.edu/_covid-19/ , but it was not sent via email – here are the highlights:

… we (the district) will continue to follow the COVID-19 guidance of the Santa Clara County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control CDC, as well as any requirements and standards of CalOSHA.

… whether you are working on campus or working remotely from your home or other location, please follow the prescribed preventive measures including, social distancing protocols, washing your hands frequently, and wearing a face covering when away from your home, around others who are not members of your household, or caring for someone who may be experiencing symptoms.  

contact your supervisor or manager if you are experiencing COVID19 related symptoms or have tested positive for COVID19, even if you are working remotely. The District is required to assist in reporting cases and may need to conduct contact tracing and notification to help reduce the spread of the virus. In addition, if you or someone you had contact with has symptoms or has tested positive, we can assist by providing information about the follow up steps you or others may need to take, and to discuss leave options if you are unable to work (on campus or remotely) for a period of time. 

In order to be able to contact you in the event of potential exposure, please ensure your home contact information is current by updating your information via MyPortal and by clicking the “My Profile” link. In the event of potential exposure we want to be able to notify you as quickly as possible. 

Facilities also updates their message regarding district building Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) concerns: https://facilities.fhda.edu/_tile-facilities-safety/index.html

… the district has met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) requirements by enhancing ventilation, air flow, and filtration in the buildings.

If your concerns are not being addressed by the district, reach out to your steward or me directly. Our contact information is always kept up to date on the ACE website, linked to in my signature below.

Welcome New Members! 👏

Crystal Chen – Senior Administrative Assistant at Foothill

Michelle Lapitan – Accommodations Coordinator at Foothill

If you forward ACE emails to employees who aren’t receiving them, they are either not a member or we need to add them to our email listserv.

Please encourage your colleagues to recognize the value of ACE and join. The strength of our union is in its membership and it sends a strong message when we are united together. Banner is currently being pinpointed for the inability to produce complete member rosters, so I could use your help introducing ACE to new hires until a fix is developed.

Quick President’s Update ⛅

This (first) week I have been working remotely to respond to member concerns and handle ACE business, but hope to be on campus following recovery from a recent surgery over the holiday break – it was an expensive Christmas gift to myself.

I will begin sending out regular messages in the established format and posting them to the ACE website soon. Hopefully as the days get longer and sunnier, so will the updates I provide.