My CSUEU opinions

Closing down this union blog!

2006-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

I am closing down this Blog, and starting a new one
I am closing down this Blog and moving my union related content over to a new union blog. For a continuation of this content please check out my new union blog here:

http://myunion.wordpress.com/

Technorati Tags: unions, csueu, ssloansjca

Staff contract extended 31 days at SJSU

2006-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Staff union contract extended 31 days
I first reported this as 30 days, according to a memo from the union it is 31 days! My bad...
On the last day of the existing statewide contract between between the California State University and the California State University Employees Union, both sides agreed to extend the contract for 31 days. Today was the last day of this negotiation session that has been at SJSU for the last three days. This is what the union just sent out:

"The CSUEU bargaining team reports that the contract has been extended for 31 days - up to July 31, 2006. A bargaining update will be issued early next week"

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on July 10 at San Francisco State University.

Cindy Chavez for Mayor of San Jose

2006-05-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Our duties as citizens
Today the help desk closed at 5pm and I rushed out of the office to the headquarters of the South Bay Labor Council [Link]. I believe one of our responsibilities as citizens is to participate in the democratic process. That is why many times over the years I have volunteered my time to precinct walk and phone bank for candidates I believe in. Candidate for mayor of San Jose Cindy Chavez [Link] is one of those candidates. I was especially thrilled when she came by the union hall to thank those of us who were there working for her. It was a thrill too to see so many of the people, like Ron Lind of the UFCW local 428, whom I have known for so many years, there. Plus, it was also exciting to see the new faces, young people who were working their hearts out for Cindy. It was really fun, and for a good cause too. Cindy is a great person who has helped university employees and really been there for working families in the San Jose area. I think Cindy will be a fine mayor and is worthy of every effort we can make to get her elected.

Hope folks had a good weekend

2006-04-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

A great Easter with family and friends
We had a very fun Easter at Jeff and Nicole's. Despite the intermittent rain we had a nice barbecue and even an Easter Egg hunt. Quite a contrast to other years where I remember having Easter swim parties. I am still struggling with poor health and have had to ration my time. Family and friends come first, work second. I am sorry I have been missing some events I meant to cover and podcast. I hope to be back in the swing of things soon.

SJSU is a commuter school

2006-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

According to Mercury News columnist Sal Pizarro [Link], speaking to the Rotary Club of San Jose on Wednesday, San Jose State University President Don Kassing said:

It's time, he said, for people to stop calling San Jose State a ``commuter school.'' It makes SJSU sound second tier and inferior, he said, and it's insulting to the students who don't live on campus, including many who work to support a family.

It's a first step toward getting people to stop thinking of San Jose State as second-rate. The 30,000-student school has seen a 30 percent jump in applications from last year and admissions are also up, Kassing told the audience. And, he pointed out, the new library and Campus Village residence mean there are more students on campus now than there have been for decades.

I do not think there is anything wrong with being a commuter school. In my opinion it reflects our role as serving students who are not served by the traditionally more expensive, primarily residential, private and University of California universities. I do not think it makes us inferior. I think it makes us stronger. The vast majority of SJSU students still live off campus and some commute long distances to attend SJSU classes. The great big library we have is not just ours, it is the result of partnering with the city. Like most of our students the library has one foot on and one foot off campus. I think embracing and being proud of that enables us to better serve our students.

My other podcast

2006-03-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

I have a bicycling podcast
This is a lot of fun for me. I really enjoy doing this. It is a great way to showcase a passion of mine, my great friends, and a great solution to some vexing problems our society has. Anything that helps resolve the energy, fitness and the obesity problems we have is a great thing to be involved with

My Bicycle Club podcast:

Oh yea, it is also on iTunes!

SJSU Reflection

2006-03-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

It is Spring Break
This is the wettest Spring Break I recall. It is cold, much more like January than the end of March. Normally winters here are so short, not this year. The halls are empty on campus. I can hear footsteps echo as we walk. It is quiet time, the puddles are undisturbed. It's a great time for reflection and enjoying them.

Goodnight Knight Ridder

2006-03-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

San Jose Mercury News Employees Seek to Save Paper and Their Jobs
Employees of the San Jose Mercury News, fearing that the planned sale of their newspaper will lead to staffing and coverage cutbacks, launched a website that asks readers to push for a new owner committed to high-quality journalism. The website [Link] appeared just four days after McClatchy Co. said it intended to sell the Mercury News and 11 other papers around the country as part of its $4.5-billion acquisition of Knight Ridder Inc., a San Jose-based chain that owns 32 daily papers.

Today at SJSU

2006-03-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Podcast: CSUEU Board of Directors Meeting Mar. 04

2006-03-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

CSUEU Board of Directors meeting, March 4, 2006
These conversations were recorded at the CSUEU Board of Directors, SEIU Local 2579, meeting in Sacramento, California. It is about 45 minutes long. It is made up of three seperate recordings.

CSUEU President Pat Gantt's president's report to the board.
A recorded conversation with CSEA President J.J. Jelincic.
J.J. Johnston SEIU's California Area Director's presentation on the International's review of local jurisdictions in California.

To listen to this podcast, click on the podcast button immediately below this text, Podcast here:

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, SEIU, ssloansjca

Thinking of the passing of my sister

2006-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Thinking of passings
The following started out as an E-mail to a friend who lost a loved one and ended up as this blog post:

With today being the one-year anniversary of the passing of my sister Lura, I have been thinking about the passings that we all have in our lives. I have been there at the beginning and at the end of life in this world. What I keep coming back to is the transience of much of what, in the moment, seems so important and the preciousness of what, in the moment, seems so expendable. We spend so much of our time focused on our work and tasks we let take precidence of how we spend our time. Yet, the most precious commodity is the time we spend with those we love. Too often we let that slip through our fingers thinking we can get it back "later."

The most important aspect of life is love and precious moments lost can never be recaptured.

Protest at SJSU

2006-03-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

Faculty, students and staff rally for higher quality
Today at SJSU a group of faculty, students and staff spoke out on issues related to quality education at our university. They spoke in opposition to higher fees, reduced class availability and more crowded classrooms and in favor of better wages and working conditions for faculty. It seems amazing to me that in a flat world where our citizens are having to compete on a global scale that we are cutting education and making it more inaccessible. It seems to me we should be going in the other direction. The group of about 75 marched on the office of SJSU President Don Kassing.

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, ssloansjca

Emerging Technologies of Importance for Labor Unions

2006-03-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Emerging and Disruptive Technologies
Emerging technologies represent a new paradigm that at first grows on the edge in relative obscurity and often seems to be of no threat or even of little utility to users of the sustaining technology. Then through development of new features and unexpected capabilities relative to the previous paradigm, the new emerging technologies disrupt and supplant the existing technologies. These kinds of technologies are called disruptive technologies and their utility makes them impossible to avoid. Preparing for these new technologies is the key to making the best use of them and perhaps gaining a strategic advantage with them when dealing with institutions that may not be prepared for them.

RSS, (Really Simple Syndication)

Positives:
- E-mail is broken
- E-mail is insecure, RSS is a trusted source
- Combines push and pull technologies
- Client centric packaging and consumption
Negatives:
- E-mail is ubiquitous
- RSS has an adoption curve ahead
- Requires act of subscription
- Requires client software (aggregator) and configuration
Podcasting
Really a subset of RSS & Blogging. Can be thought of as audio/video blogging.

Positives:
- Video or audio
- Puts human voice and/or face to union
- Allows for conversations
- Capture of oral history
- Bandwidth forgiving
Negatives
- Requires either a fast or a pervasive Internet connection to move files
- Not indexed
- Time consuming
- Production considerations

Blogging
(Duplication is intentional)

Positives:
- Hierarchies based on time
- Conversational
- Hyperlinks subvert hierarchies
- Eases publication of web content
Negatives:
- Hierarchies based on time
- Conversational
- Hyperlinks subvert hierarchies
- Eases publication of web content

Portable device technologies
A whole range of technologies associated with affordable portable devices:
- Camera Phones
- Text messaging
Positives:
- Puts the power of documentation in our members hands
- Enables instant access
- Can group send information
- Smart Mobs
- Smaller, cheaper devices than computers
- Extends reach of Internet
Negatives
- Requires having, charging and using portable devices
- Small devices easy to lose
- Time consuming and learning curve
- Generation gap with this technology
OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language)

Positives:
- Hierarchies can be linked, mapped, imported/exported
- OPML files can be linked to form a tree of information
- All kinds of things relate to hierarchies
- With an intuitive taxonomy it is easy to find information
- Can share & import lists of RSS feeds
Negatives:
- Hierarchies need to be intuitive
- Not clear that symbolic links are supported
- Grafting and pruning issues
- Very new, spec subject to change
VoIP (Voice/Video over Internet Protocol)

Positives:
- Can allow personal video and/or audio conferencing
- Clients like skype are free
- Can save us gobs of money in travel expenses
- Collaboration is greatly enhanced
Negatives:
- Human interaction critical
- Initial cost a barrier to entry
- Considered a peer-to-peer technology may violate acceptable use guidelines
- Can be bandwidth intensive
Other Web 2.0 technologies
The web as a platform
- Social Networking (FOAF, XFN)
- Wikis and other collaboration software
- Mapping

In conclusion
Most core technologies that we now use and consider part of our daily lives were once "nascent" and were considered emerging technologies. For example, 100 years ago the steam powered passenger train was the primary mode of interstate travel and automobiles and airplanes were nascent technologies. The same can be said for the telephone, the personal computer, the Internet and the Web. In time these technologies evolved and the previously existing paradigm was disrupted and devolved. This is the lesson of history. The advantage goes to the person who sees the change when it is on the horizon and is prepared to timely apply the new technology.

Link to PowerPoint file for presentation [ppt, 204KB, link]

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, ssloansjca

Tower Hall, SJSU

2006-02-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

February Fourth of July
I love the tower at SJSU, I am always looking for new angles, new ways of shooting it. This angle made me think of fireworks! I have been at SJSU since 1979. I love being here, working here and having the university as a part of my life.

Too fast to blog about it

2006-02-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

Too fast to blog
Lately it seems life has been going too fast for me to get it down on the computer. My mother-in-law turned 80. We had a great get away to Healdsburg and Petaluma. We discovered some great new wineries and wines. I spent a day photographing and podcasting at a bike race. I did another edition of the bike club newsletter, 24 pages! Sue has been working like a demon. Kenneth came to visit. We bought a new digital camera. There has been no time to sit and think or collect my pictures and blog. Today was the Tour of California. What a great event! Too much fun. Must blog soon!

I have a new podcast!

2006-02-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Almaden Cycle Touring Club Podcast
Here is the link to my new podcast [Link]. This podcast is about the bicycle club I am the publisher for and it is a lot of fun. It is wonderful how this medium can be used, not only to tell people about an organization but also really put a human voice to the organization. The first contact we have with the world is sound. We hear the world through our mother's womb before we even see it. There is something really connecting and human about podcasting. I think they are just so human, and that is huge.

Podcast: Board of Directors Meeting Feb. 06

2006-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Board of Directors meeting, Feb 4 & 5 2006
These conversations were recorded at the Regional Directors budget meeting and the Board of Directors meeting in San Jose that weekend. Issues discussed include the threat of revocation of the charter of CSEA afilliate SEIU local 1000, the layoff of four long-term CSEA union employees and the funding of, and role of, CSEA's Regional Directors, As always, opinions expressed are solely those of the speakers, not CSEA or any of its affiliated organizations. Any allegations made in these podcasts are only those of the speakers and are not confirmed or denied by being presented here.To listen to this podcast, click on the podcast button immediately below this text, Podcast here:

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, ssloansjca

Podcast: The role of regions in CSEA

2006-02-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Two Regional Directors Speak
Two regional directors speak in these podcasts with very different opinions and views of the union and the role of Regional Directors (RDs) in CSEA. These conversations were recorded after the Regional Director budget meeting in San Jose on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006.

Terry Re [8 minutes 32 seconds, MP3 Audio file]
Re is the Regional Director from region 5 of CSEA which includes San Francisco and the East Bay.
Yolanda Solari [3 minutes 17 seconds, MP3 Audio file]
Solari is Regional Director from region 8 which is from the Central Valley, from Stockton to Fresno.

As always, opinions expressed are solely those of the speakers. Allegations made in these podcasts are also those of the speakers and are not confirmed or denied by being presented here.

NOTE: These conversations are included in the Board of Directors Meeting podcast.

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, ssloansjca

Steward Training came to San Jose

2006-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

University employees attend steward training for many reasons. Some employees attend to learn their rights, others to help other people, but no matter the reason employees attend, many find steward training really changes their lives. "We want people to come and learn more about representation. Everybody has seen injustices in the workplace. We want people to go away knowing their rights, knowing how to file grievances and help their chapters. The ah-ha happens on a lot of faces," said CSUEU Chief Trainer and Labor Relations Representative Jerrie McIntyre.

On January 20 and 21 the CSUEU held a steward training at the SEIU Local 715 offices on Zanker Road in San Jose. Many new steward trainees from several campuses were there, along with several experienced stewards who helped out in the training and two CSUEU staff members serving as trainers.

Steward training is an important part of what unions do. Unions are all about representation. One way unions represents employees is as a group, through contract negotiations. Once a contractual agreement is secured and a union has a Collective Bargaining Agreement, as we do, the union then represents individual employees through one on one enforcement of the contract. It would be impossible for our union to enforce the terms our contract without having trained union stewards.

"Steward training gives the union trained activists that become able to enforce the contract and defend employee rights," according to CSUEU President Pat Gantt. "There is no better way to impact bargaining than enforcing a current contract. Contract enforcement is a continuation of bargaining and it helps to protect rights and improve future contracts," said Gantt.

"I decided to take steward training so I could understand what it really takes to be a union member," said Michael Bowlin. Bowlin is an Equipment Technician II at the California Maritime Academy who was at the training. According to Bowlin, he has been a union member for 25 years but has never been trained to be a steward.

McIntyre said she joined the union because she saw how the university treated good people during the layoffs in the early 90's. McIntyre has a passion for training stewards and it shows in the quality of her training. "I always learn something from the training sessions, it is never the same. I started out as a sidekick to the former officer in training. Then something clicked in me and between me and the members," McIntyre said. McIntyre has been employed by CSUEU and CSEA for five years. She is also a retired university employee. Before working for CSUEU, McIntyre spent 15 years as a staff member at San Francisco State University.

According to CSUEU Labor Relations Representative Phillip Coonley, the other of the two union trainers at the San Jose training, "Steward training is not just for university employees interested in being a steward. It is a place for employees to learn about the relationship employees have with management and the contract that governs that relationship." Coonley said the training is invaluable and that he couldn't imagine what the union would be like if we didn't train union members to be stewards.

The training covers a two-day period. The first day is an overview of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that is the contract between the California State University and the employees through their union. "When you are functioning as a union steward, you are the equal of management," Coonley told the employees. The second day is mostly role-playing. The steward trainees are given scenarios and go through simulated grievance meetings with experienced stewards who have lots of grievance experience playing the role of mangers. This is a great learning experience and a safe way for steward trainees to put their skills into practice.

The second day is critical. People who attend the training are not certified union stewards unless they attend both days. The union provides release time for the first day, which is a Friday. The second day is a Saturday and the union members are giving up one of their weekend days to learn more about the contract and to become certified as union stewards.

Frances Barron, from the Division of Information Technology at San Francisco State University said, "We need to be absolutely professional as union leaders. We expect the most from our lawyers, doctors and other professionals. The perception I had before getting involved with the union, of the union, was that the union person would go in screaming when meeting with management."

Derek West is a groundsworker from San Jose State University. West was one of many people from SJSU at the training. West said he was at the training because, "I want to help people to try to understand the union is here for us."

After completing the training all the trainees became newly certified union stewards in CSUEU. Carl Baer, the SFSU Chapter Vice-President, coordinated the event and did a great job making it happen.

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSUEU, ssloansjca

Spring semester has begun at SJSU

2006-01-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

I shot this photo with my cell phone while walking to my desk this morning.

Google to do evil in China?

2006-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Google moves into the People's Republic of China and Reporters Without Borders [Link] responded blasting Google, accusing it of hypocrisy [Link]. Google, who's motto has been don't do evil, has agreed to censor it's content of terms that are considered politically incorrect in repressive China. China has become the fourth largest market in the world and it seems companies like Google's values are less important than their pocketbooks. Reporters without Borders publishes the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents [Link] available for download here.

UNIX Update

2006-01-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

We have a count now of 86 tickets in GWI related to this issue. This does not include tickets created either Thursday or through other portals (such as direct contact of campus techs with UCAT's help desk.) Still, this is a marked drop off from Monday where the count was 72 (as I remember.) Hopefully the UNIX crisis has peaked and the "perfect storm" scenario I was worried about of UNIX Crisis + SJSUOne + Semester Start + Wireless will not occur.

~Steve

UNIX crisis at SJSU?

2006-01-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

First signs of trouble
The two main Email systems at SJSU are the UNIX system and Lotus Notes. UNIX is also used to authenticate to and provide access to the university's Web servers. Mid-day Thursday we saw the first signs of trouble with UNIX. Mid-afternoon we started getting calls at the Help Desk requesting password resets. When I went to log onto the UNIX system to reset these accounts my own password did not work. Normally I am the person who resets passwords, but now I needed my own password reset. More and more people were calling in reporting they could not log onto UNIX to either get email or update their web pages. I called the Computer Center to report there was a problem with the UNIX system. At first glance it appeared the authentication server might be down or having problems. I sent an Email to the SJSU techs Email list saying there appeared to be a problem with UNIX. I received a response that there was nothing wrong. In effect, I was told, this was a planned process to cull a handful of dormant and duplicate UNIX accounts.

Then, one tech from a university college called and reported to me that all the department Email accounts in that college appeared disabled and that mail to them appeared to be bouncing. That evening I sent an Email to all the students who work at the Help Desk to start marking all the tickets we receive with boiler plate language that would enable them to be traced. This went out Thursday after we closed:

Please copy this text and paste it into each GWI ticket you send to (Name Deleted) regarding the inability to log into client's email:

UNIX Account - user reports inability to log onto UNIX account. Please check to see if user's account has been locked and unlock it if it has.

~Steve

A busy Friday?
Normally Friday is a quiet day and I was not in the office that day. I called in several times to the students on Help Desk and they said it was the busiest day they had since the hectic start of the school year in September, normally the busiest days of the year. They estimated they turned in about 30 tickets using the boiler plate language. This volume of Help Desk calls is not good on a Friday.

Monday, is that a wave on the horizon?
There were thirty messages on the phone lines when I came in and the phone was ringing like crazy. Accounts that were locked included the library reference desk and HR accounts. At the rate we were going we would never be able to get ahead. On top of that administrators were calling wanting to know what was going on. Answering those questions took more time. I Emailed every staffer we have at the Help Desk asking for any staff who could come in to come in. We have three student work stations and one is down on maintenance. So counting me, we had three on computers and a couple out dealing with walk ins. By around three a search in the ticketing system using the boiler plate language turned up about 72 tickets. Those were just the tickets we created Friday and Monday and did not include Thursday tickets or tickets that may have come in through other portals. It is my guess there were 90-100 trouble tickets issued, or handled verbally, on this UNIX account issue by close of business Monday. According to one administrator, I am told, the total number of UNIX accounts marked to be locked was around 300 and about half of those were resolved in December. If that is true we have most of those reset already. But, another SJSU IT professional told me reportedly did a search of the database and found about 1,400 accounts that had been locked. If that is true, what we have seen so far may be the tip of the iceberg.

Should we be expecting a perfect storm?
Tuesday is the first day of the semester and Wednesday classes are starting. We were expecting the normal storm of folks coming to the Help Desk for routine stuff. We expected to add to this the storm of new users trying to figure out how to use the new wireless network. Now, we may be adding to this a lot of angry folks who are going to be coming back to SJSU just to find their UNIX Email accounts locked. We have a physical limitation in the help desk. We can only have three students on terminals answering phones and entering tickets at a time (when all the terminals are working.) We can maybe have a fourth moving around dealing with walk ins.

So, has this blown over? Will it be smooth sailing tomorrow? Or, will this be one of those cases where three smaller storms converge to form one, big, perfect storm?

Friday is steward training at SJSU

2006-01-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Folks who have signed up for steward training at San Jose please
remember that it starts on Friday and extends to Saturday. If you have
any questions please get in touch with a union rep as soon as possible.

Microsoft & PRC vs. China Blogger & Free Speech

2006-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

The story was in today's San Jose Mercury News
The issue is that Microsoft's MSN division shut down a blogger, who went by the name "Anti", who was using it's service and making political statement's critical of the government in The People's Republic of China (PRC). This story has also been on CNN [Link]. I am deeply troubled with how our American companies, specifically Microsoft in this situation, embrace doing business in and with and cater to the oppressive policies of countries that have such a poor record on human rights, specifically China in this situation. According to CNN:

International companies have adopted Chinese standards, saying they must obey local laws.

Microsoft's Web log service bars use of terms such as "democracy" and "human rights." On the China-based portal of search engine Google, a search for material the Dalai Lama, Taiwan and other sensitive topics returns a message saying "site cannot be found."

In an increasingly flat world with global markets and supply chains we are seeing what seems to be a race to supply goods, services and that means jobs at the lowest cost possible. Can freedom and freedom of speech survive if global corporations are willing to sacrifice their principles so quickly to make a buck. Can they be blamed even for doing so, if their competitors are doing so? Can a company survive if it doesn't do so?

China is such a big market, and such a major part of the global supply chain that companies are going to coddle them if people do not take a stand and stop it. But, if the providers of information to the Internet ban such speech in fear of loosing both a huge market and angering their chief global supplier, what hope is there?

Microsoft Evangelist Robert Scoble, who at one time offered space on his own blog [Link] to the Chinese dissident blogger, has been silent on this subject for awhile. As John Welch [Link] one of the commenters to the most recent post [Link] I can find that Scoble made on the subject said:

with China’s economic power, when China says “jump”, MS says “How High”.

Well said John. I wish more folks were paying attention to this issue. Scoble, with all the Google Juice he has, is in a position to greatly increase the visibility of this situation.

A look at CSEUnited

2006-01-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

According to their website, www.cseunited.org, "California State Employees United (CSEU) is a group of current and retired state employees who have come together to help strengthen the California State Employees Association (CSEA) and its affiliates from within."

If you send an email to the email address on the website it will be answered by Ed Perez, the northern region coordinator for CSEU. According to Perez, "CSEU (also called CSEUnited) started as a group organizing for the Local 1000 election in May of 2005."

The former Civil Service Division of the California State Employees Association (CSEA) is now named SEIU Local 1000. Like CSUEU, local 1000 is one of the four affiliated organizations that now make up CSEA.

Jim Hard was re-elected president of SEIU Local 1000 in that May 2005 election, while his No. 2, Secretary-Treasurer Cathy Hackett, appeared to narrowly lose her bid to return to office to State Compensation Insurance Fund employee Kathleen Collins, 3,623 to 3,797. Collins was a CSEU endorsed candidate. On July 5, Kathleen Collins, accompanied by some members of the Local 1000 Council, reported to CSEA headquarters. She was sworn in by CSEA statewide president J.J. Jelincic as the new Local 1000 Secretary-Treasurer and as a member of the CSEA Board of Directors.

Both Hard and Hackett are also leaders in another group in local 1000 called the Caucus for a Democratic Union [Link to related story] (CDU). The CDU has been around for about a decade. It was once described by the Union Democracy Review, a bi-monthly publication of the Association for Union Democracy as, "a reform caucus working for more democracy in CSEA." Also according to the Review, "Jelincic was one of the founders of the Caucus for a Democratic Union." At one time Ed Perez was an activist in CDU and reportedly even webmaster for CDU.

The closeness of the election led to demands for a recount by CDU and allegations of election misconduct. After much contention, the election was re-held in August. According to the Sacramento Bee, "both sides said they believed there were voting irregularities" in the first election. In the August re-run of the election, Cathy Hackett was reelected after all as Local 1000 Secretary-Treasurer.

The CDU movement has been focused in civil service and existed almost exclusively within what is now called Local 1000. At the October 2003 General Council Joseph Jelincic, then a CDU candidate, was elected as the new state president for all CSEA.

According to Perez, it became evident after the 2003 election that the war (within civil service) was not over. What many saw as an effort to reform CSEA became an effort by others in CDU to destroy CSEA. There was a big debate within CDU. "Many of us had gotten involved with CDU with the intent of reforming CSEA and we accomplished that in 2003. Some people did not get off their war horse after that election," Perez said. After it became evident that what some saw as a movement to reform CSEA, others saw as a movement to destroy it, CSEU was born.

Despite being one of CDU's founders a serious rift occurred with J.J. Jelincic on the side of keeping a strong CSEA together with Hard and Hackett on the other side. Others sided with Jelincic and rallied around CSEU. According to CSEU's by-laws, Barbara Powers, another former CDU member, is the president of CSEU. "Barbara Powers was my inspiration," Perez said. "After the local 1000 elections we saw we needed to open it up to all four affiliates to prepare for General Council in October 2005. Right now we are mostly former CDU members," Perez said. "Within a month of forming we had about 200 delegates supporting our position, half of whom signed on as members of CSEU," said Perez. We went to the 2005 General Council the CSEU supported candidates, including Jelincic, were elected and the CDU supported candidates were defeated.

"We are trying to keep the momentum going. We are trying to stay the course and stop wasting time fighting amongst ourselves. We are trying to win elections and win good contracts and keep CSEA together. We need to reach out and use untapped resources. We need to focus on working together," said Perez.

In my opinion, that is what CSEU, and CSEA, is all about.

Technorati Tags: unions, CSEA, CSEUnited, ssloansjca

China health care crisis

2006-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Globalization leaves rural poor in China without health care
According to a recent article in the New York times [Link] there is a health care crisis in China. As nations, including our own, compete in the flat world global marketplace to provide goods and services cheaper the citizens of those nations are increasingly being left without basic needs like health care and reliable retirement benefits. The drive to compete is a drive to maximize cost savings. That means those unable to participate in the cut throat competition are left to wither and in many cases are left to die. Is this really the kind of world we want to be building?

This is our university

2006-01-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Winter break
It is winter break at San Jose State University and the campus is quiet. Winter break is a short pause between semesters. It is marked by alternating days of rain and days of crisp cold clarity. For a few weeks in January the faculty and students are gone and the campus belongs to the staff. The campus is quiet. Footsteps echo in the corridors. Even though we still have to work, it is now our place. This is our university.

Here are some pictures of Kenneth

2006-01-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my youngest son Kenneth's birthday. He will be 19.

As Kenneth's birthday has been approaching I have been thinking a lot about it. It seems like he was just a little boy. Now, in 12 months he will be 20. Days go by so fast their passing seems trivial. But, each day is unique and never to be repeated again. Kids, they grow up so fast. It seems like yesterday, but just a little over a decade ago Kenneth was a little 8-year-old.

One of our favorite things to do was to go camping at a place called "camp." This is a place where my first wife Candy went since she was a little girl. After she died, this is where we buried her ashes. I hope we can go back there this year.

Here are some pictures of Kenneth.

Great family times

2005-12-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

I hope you are having a great family holiday. I am taking a posting break from this blog, to spend time with my family. I will be posting some of these holiday activities and you are invited to follow along at the Sloan family blog [Link].

NYC subway strike settled, what's next?

2005-12-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

War has been declared on public employees
If you have not noticed, we public workers have been under constant attack and have been on the defensive for quite some time. The push to move more of the cost of retirement benefits from the agency to employees is just one shot of what has been a campaign of attack on public employee unions. As organized labor fights for its survival and battles to redefine itself in a flat global economy we are having to fight for rights and benefits we used to take for granted. We fought and won against proposition 75 this year, but what about next year? We public employees cannot sit on our laurels. We cannot afford apathy in our ranks. If we don't stand together we will fall apart. That is more than a slogan, it is a reality.

That is just the way it is for all of labor, organized and unorganized. Let us not forget, if it were not for a fairly paid workforce there would be no consumers driving our economy. Do we really want to live in a society where nobody can afford to retire and/or go to see a doctor when we are sick? Think about it. That is where we are headed.

Technorati Tags: Organized Labor, Steve Sloan, unions, ssloansjca

Labor unions to face takeaway contracts

2005-12-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

Public Employees on Strike in NYC
It is having a well paid workforce that has driven the American economy since the great depression. Henry Ford doubled the wages of his factory workers because he wanted them to be able to afford the cars they built. Now, with globalization, the labor movement is challenged to react to an economic climate where even companies that desire to do good are forced to find the lowest price for production. Only by globalizing themselves will unions have a chance to respond. Meanwhile, unions in all sectors are going to be faced with take away contracts, automation, layoffs and further off-shoring of the work we do.

Fatal car crash gives personal lesson in perspective

2005-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

The news of the death of our dear friend Marie's sister near Lincoln, CA [Map Link] in a tragic Thanksgiving Day car crash [Link to family blog post] really puts all of this in perspective. We are mortal and vulnerable [Link to news report summary.] What we do as union activists, in my opinion, has value to the extent that it enriches and improves the lives of people. We only have a limited number of days and if our efforts do not somehow improve those days, what value is there to our efforts?

San Jose area union news

2005-12-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

From the Southbay AFL-CIO Labor Council

RALLY FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
Workers at Stanford Hospital and University have voted to reject the employers' last, best, and final offer - meaning that unless Stanford is willing to come back to the negotiating table workers will be going out on strike. Join Stanford workers in demanding a fair contract at a rally next Thursday. Workers are fighting for fair and equitable wages and benefits, for representation, and for job security. Stanford should live up to its name as a first class university and treat all its workers with dignity and respect. Come show your support to the workers!

Thursday, December 8, 4:00 PM
Stanford Hospital
300 Pasteur Dr
Stanford, CA
PLEASE RSVP.
For more information or arrange a carpool call 408-266-3790 x585.

LIGHT A CANDLE FOR CHANGE
Candelight Vigil at Wal-Mart
Join thousands of Americans as we expose Wal-Mart for the greedy corporation that it is. Join clergy and community leaders as we hold a candelight vigil in front of Wal-Mart to highlight the moral and ethical issues related to the Wal-Mart's business practices. Walmart employs 600,000 people without health care, 2 million women are suing them for discrimination, they have repeated child labor law violations, and pay poverty-level wages. In cities and towns all across the nation, hundreds of thousands of Americans are standing up to corporate greed and demonstrating the amazing power all Americans have to change Wal-Mart for the better.

Saturday, December 10, 5:00 PM
Wal-Mart
777 Story Rd, San Jose
For more information, call 408-266-3790.

Message to SJSU Folks

2005-11-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

Are you unsure of what your rights are as an employee? Are you angry because inept and/or abusive managers are making you regret showing up for work? Attend steward training to find out if you can do something about it.
CSUEU is scheduling steward training for SJSU early next year. We have two sets of dates that we are considering. The training will take place either on January 20 and 21 or on February 3 and 4. These are Friday/Saturday pairs. If you elect to attend training, CSUEU will arrange release time for you on the Friday. If you are considering attending, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can confirm your status as a member and get you on the list of employees eligible for release time.
Please consider attending steward training and help us make SJSU a better place to work.
************
Dennis Fox
CSUEU Chapter 307 Chief Steward/BU9 Rep

Sunday in the south land

2005-11-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

We worked on our sunshine proposal
The rest of the weekend went great. For most of Saturday and Sunday we worked on the contract proposal for the new contract coming up next year. This is called the sunshine process where both sides say what they would like to see in the next contract. Negotiations then start from there where both sides work toward a meet in the middle. Saturday evening we had a dinner and a party. Working on the sunshines is very intense work. It takes a lot of input. Not only do we try to improve wages, hours and working conditions for employees, the union strives to improve contract laguage to provide better protections for workers rights. At the dinner CSUEU union president Pat Gantt presented awards to good folks in the union who have made special contributions to our cause. Many of my friends were recipients. I think we have an excellent statewide team!

San Jose State Union Documents

2005-11-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am posting this to let folks know about the democratic traditions of our union. These are not the official and current versions. These documents speak about that tradition and what the role of your chapter and state-wide leadership is. These are not the official versions, but they are the best I have and are pretty darn close:

CSUEU (San Jose) Chapter By-Laws
These are the rule under which our chapter functions and describe things like elections, the budget, committees, officer's duties and responsibilities.
CSU Division policy file
Again, this is not the official version. Policy file outlines the policies and procedures of the statewide university employee organization. Outlined in here are many things about how the union operates. Also here are an employee's rights inside the union itself. The division policy file supercedes chapter by-laws in the event of a contradiction between them. The chapter by-laws have to conform to policy file. Items in here include how an employee can file a grievance within the union if he/she feels that either of these two documents are not being adhered to.

Russell Kilday-Hicks

2005-11-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

I cannot say enough great things about Russell. He is from San Francisco State University and the chair of our union's communications committee and is editor of the newsletter, the University Employee. What great words can I associate with Russell. Integrity, commitment, intelligence, passion for a cause, honesty, humility, devotion, drive, ethics, all these are traits I readily associate with him. In short he is my hero. Nobody could find a better role model than him. He is the consummate labor activist. And, I have known a lot of labor activists. I am proud to be associated with him and anything he does.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

CSUEU Division Council in Manhattan Beach

2005-11-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

SJSU Chapter 307 Highlights
Our great unit seven rep. and statewide vice-chair of unit 7, Vera Acevedo, introduced chapter Vice-President Shannon Staley to the delegates and guests at CSUEU’s division council the weekend of November 5 thru 6 at Manhattan Beach. This is Shannon’s first Division Council. Staley received a warm round of applause! Vera also introduced me.

Gus sings, we sing to Gus!
CSUEU President Pat Gantt introduced Gus Lease and noted his years of service to CSEA. He also told the delegation it was Gus’s birthday. Gus is a music professor at SJSU and a very talented singer. He often sings the Star Spangled Banner at CSEA events. This time the tables were turned for Gus and the university delegates sang happy birthday to Gus. He also received a warm applause and many well wishes.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

How cool is that!

2005-11-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

In my opinion it is important to invite folks to make input to our unions even if we may not want to hear what we have to say or are angry because we feel they are unfairly criticizing our hard work.

Unions are democracies. Democracies are political. Political bodies are made up of folks with differing views of reality and different memories of events. In democracies conflict and some strife happens and is a good sign of a healthy democracy. I think we must tolerate dissent in order to remain democratic. To expect folks in a union to have just one opinion and voice and to attack the expression of opinions we don't agree with, I think, is bad. To listen, debate, tolerate and encourage the healthy expression of differing ideas, rather than attack the speaker; I think that is good.

Union activists may complain because the folks we feel are whiners have not gotten active before, or not run for union office before. There are plenty of reasons why some folks cannot get deeply involved. Some of the folks may have children or partners requiring special attention, sick elder parents or have health issues of their own. Becoming an activist is also very stressful at times and you can't expect everybody to be able to handle that. But, some of the reasons folks may have not gotten involved is perhaps because they did not feel empowered to do so. As folks find road maps to how they can get involved, they gain the capacity to do more. As we learn about them they learn about us. Maybe not, but perhaps thus empowered they will become us!

How cool is that!

Please report this to your union!

2005-11-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

The law that guarantees university employees the right to organize collectively, represent each other and/or form unions is called the Higher Education Employee-Employer Relations Act (HEERA). Employees have a right (even across bargaining unit lines) to talk about matters related to representation and unions. It is very important that you report to your union reps and/or stewards any instances of interference with the rights of employees to talk about matters such as unions, representation, grievances and/or the right of employees to file them.

According to Article 3571 of HEERA it is an unfair labor practice (ULP) for the university to interfere:

3571. It shall be unlawful for the higher education employer to do any of the following:

(a) Impose or threaten to impose reprisals on employees, to discriminate or threaten to discriminate against employees, or otherwise to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees because of their exercise of rights guaranteed by this chapter. For purposes of this subdivision, "employee" includes an applicant for employment or reemployment.

(b) Deny to employee organizations rights guaranteed to them by this chapter.

(c) Refuse or fail to engage in meeting and conferring with an exclusive representative.

(d) Dominate or interfere with the formation or administration of any employee organization, or contribute financial or other support to it, or in any way encourage employees to join any organization in preference to another. However, subject to rules and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to Section 3563, an employer shall not be prohibited from permitting employees to engage in meeting and conferring or consulting during working hours without loss of pay or benefits.

(e) Refuse to participate in good faith in the impasse procedure set forth in Article 9 (commencing with Section 3590).

(f) Consult with any academic, professional, or staff advisory group on any matter within the scope of representation for employees who are represented by an exclusive representative, or for whom an employee organization has filed a request for recognition or certification as an exclusive representative until such time as the request is withdrawn or an election has been held in which "no representative" received a majority of the votes cast. This subdivision is not intended to diminish the prohibition of unfair practices contained in subdivision (d). For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "academic" shall not be deemed to include the academic senates.

Here's looking at yourself, kid

2005-11-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

In the end you have to look at yourself in the mirror
It is written, "what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul?" Being committed to doing the right and honorable thing and helping people as much as you can is more important that getting ahead, getting your boss's approval and perhaps getting a promotion. The most important relationship we have is with ourselves, I think. If we can't respect ourself, what else matters? When the time comes to step up to the plate, how can you live with yourself if you do not step up? That is my opinion, anyway.

Technorati Tags: ssloansjca

Statewide CSUEU contacts

2005-10-31T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes CSUEU represented employees want to know who their statewide reps are and how they can be contacted. The answer to that is right on the cover of the University Employee, the publication for university employees represented by CSUEU, SEIU Local 2579:
Board Officers
Leadership
President
Pat Gantt .....................530/570-5803
Administrator (staff)
Virginia Watts .............916/319-4800
Vice President for Organizing
Hylah Jacques ............805/756-2706
Vice President for Representation
Dennis Dillon ..............818/677-2662
Vice President for Finance
Lori Williams ..............805/756-5267
Bargaining Unit Chairs
Unit 2—Health Care
Pam Robertson ...........916/278-6037
Unit 5—Operations
Sharon Cunningham ...619/594-5799
Unit 7—Administrative/Clerical
Annel Martin ..............909/880-5241
Unit 9—Technical Support
Rocky Waters ............. 707/826-4208
Committee Chairs
Classification
Lynn Barba .................714/278-2069
Catastrophic Dues
Richard Perry .............916/454-9330
Finance
Lori Williams ..............805/756-5267
Legislative
Vicky McLeod ..............909/869-2340
Organizing
Hylah Jacques ............805/756-2706
Policy File
Jay (J.W.) Jimenez II ....714/278-7386
Representation
Dennis Dillon .............818/677-2662
Communications (UE editor)
Russell Kilday-Hicks ......415/338-3008

Shameful: Trustees raise own salaries by almost 50%

2005-10-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

CSU Employees Union Pat Gantt asked that we forward his message to as many employees as possible.

Just when we thought relations with the CSU Chancellor's Office and the Board of Trustees were improving, the Board of Trustees unanimously took the second most shameful action they have ever taken - increasing executive compensation by a staggering 49.5% over the next 5 years. Many of you will recall the most shameful action ever taken by the Board of Trustees: On March 19, 1996, they unilaterally took away annual merit salary adjustments (known as "steps") from employees represented by the CSU Employees Union and imposed discretionary performance pay.

The CSU Employees Union was looking forward to the October 27, 2005, Board of Trustees meeting, where plans would be announced for trying to close the faculty and staff salary gap. At the September 2005 Board meeting, Finance Committee Chair Bill Hauck announced the creation of a subcommittee which would look at the lag between faculty and staff salaries at the CSU and comparable institutions of higher education. Over the past few years, members have made it clear that our wages have not kept pace with inflation, that they cannot move through the open salary ranges, and that many salaries lag those paid similar job classifications in comparable agencies. Vice Chancellor Jackie McClain reported to us that "our members made a strong case at the Board meeting for some classes being significantly below market" and as a result of the union's actions, the Board of Trustees "added the equivalent of one-half percent to the 2005/06 compensation pool to address such issues."

So, CSUEU was pleased when the Board of Trustees distributed the outline of a 5-year plan to close the faculty and staff salary gap. The CSU plan for FY 2006/2007 included funding for an additional $16.6 million for the first year of their five year period. The CSU explained that the so-called "compact" between the Chancellor and the Governor assumes a 3% base compensation increase each year from 2006/07 through 2010/11. Their summary document stated that another $300 million was needed to reduce the salary gap to zero. While we might argue that this is not enough to reduce the salary gap for faculty and staff to zero, at least it was a start and we were prepared to praise the CSU's initial efforts. Until

Until the matter of executive compensation came up.

The CSU contends that the pay of presidents and senior staff at the Chancellor's Office lag the market by a staggering 49.5%. They said that this 49.5% gap is proportional to the faculty salary lag of 13.1%. And, they proposed a five-year plan to increase executive pay by ten percent each year! On top of that, presidents will receive substantial increases in their housing and auto allowances. After hardly any debate, the board unanimously approved this plan. Also, keep in mind that the Trustees had just voted to increase student fees by another 8% next year - the fifth year in a row of hikes in student fee increases.

The only word that comes to mind in shameful. The timing and the amount of the raise makes me think that the CSU Trustees are totally out of touch with the employees or students. Could it be they really don't even care? The fact that they took this brazen step in the same meeting where they raised student fees shows that the CSU system is really becoming a corporate model where only the executives benefit and the employees and customers (students) are exploited.

The CSU Employees Union is in the process of developing bargaining proposals for next year's full contract bargaining. You can be sure that closing the staff salary gap will be seriously considered.

A complete review of the trustees action are in the following article:

[Link to story on SF Gate]

If this link doesn't work, go to SF Gateand search [Link] for October 28, 2005.

Remembering Rosa Parks

2005-10-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

Fifty years ago, on September 15, 1955 I was born. Less than three months later Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a bus to a white man. It is amazing to me to think that in just my life time's worth of time it was expected that she would. When asked to move to let a white bus rider be seated Parks refused. She did not argue and she did not move. The police were called and Parks was arrested.

To me, in the here and now, the idea that a person could be arrested for this and that it could be considered a crime seems absurd. Yes, we have a long way to go. Also, we have come a long way thanks to Rosa Parks and many who shared her courage. The day she died recently, a short time after my 50th birthday, is a sad day. We lost a genuine American hero.

The statue of Smith and Carlos at SJSU is an important statue. It is a symbol of activism, but it is also a symbol of the struggle of black people in our society to be free and to break the chains of oppression that still bind them. This is an important icon for us all to see and remember. It was not that long ago that people had to give up seats on a bus, just because they were black. Thank you Parks and Smith and Carlos and so many more...

From Wendy Seltzer

2005-10-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Good Night and Good Luck: See It Now:

If you care about politics or media, you owe yourself a viewing of Good Night, And Good Luck, the new film on Edward R. Murrow and his fight to expose Joseph McCarthy. The film, shot in black and white with McCarthy playing himself via old news footage, powerfully captures the horror of McCarthy's witch hunt. Equally important, it reminds us of journalism's power -- and its obligation -- to educate and lead.

Unfortunately, that is a reminder we urgently need. The closing speech of Murrow's McCarthy broadcast, quoted verbatim in the film, is timeless:

[T]he line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men -- not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.
This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it -- and rather successfully. Cassius was right. 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.'
Good night, and good luck.

Participate's 'Report It Now' works to translate those ideals into action by modern citizen journalists. Xeni Jardin collects more good resources at BoingBoing, including the entire Murrow address that bookends the film.

(Via Wendy's Blog: Legal Tags.)

Staff employees have a voice

2005-10-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

With the emergence of enabling technologies, like blogging and podcasting. Everybody, including all university faculty, students and staff have access to powerful global communications tools to post ideas to the Internet. This seed change has marked the end of business as usual. Using search engines like Google and even more, Technorati these Internet posts can be found, linked to and remixed in ways unimaginable just a short time ago. It does not require the blessing of the institution to make these posts accessible.

The result is a good thing. This is a conversation where ideas are free and easy to give, get and rehash. Everybody must be able to join the conversation. Historically students and faculty have been parties to the conversation to a greater and lesser extent, depending on the institution and the circumstances. Support staff, the so-called classified employees, have not been invited to the party. The staff in the past has been like the servers at a social event. We pour the punch but we are not allowed to dance.

Those days are over. Staff have important contributions to make to the conversation. We see things other folks don't see. We have ideas that deserve to be heard. We have paid our dues, and at public universities like SJSU we pay our taxes. It is everybody's loss to expect us to check our brains at the campus gate as we walk onto our universities. Not only are we members of the campus community, we are taxpayers and we don't want to see our investments squandered.

Administrators can't stop it, and shouldn't want to. We are here and we are ready to dance! The universities will be better for it.

SJSU wireless: Late and out of date?

2005-10-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

The new campus-wide wireless network being put in for SJSU has already missed two deadlines and is will soon be a full semester behind schedule. It was supposed to be live before the start of the Fall term in August. After that failed, a new date of October 17 was set and missed for startup of the new wireless network. Now they are saying the network will be turned on sometime after school ends in December. Reportedly the issue is lack of stability of the network which is funded primarily by student money, provided by Associated Students. The network is being installed and will be run by Comcast. Comcast is the contractor for this project. It is replacing a reliable, smaller scale project run by SJSU employees.

Even if the new network can be made to work, and roll-out finally does happen sometime around Christmas, the next big question is, will it already be obsolete?

The new network will rely on a somewhat complicated user authentication method. Everybody who goes to use the network will have to have a user log-in. This log-in will be based on a system (never tested on such a scale) called SJSUOne. All users of the new network have to have an SJSUOne account, or be a paid Comcast wireless customer. SJSUOne, in turn, is based on the PeopleSoft HR and Student database.

All users of the new network will need to activate their SJSUOne accounts and then use the password they create to authenticate to the wireless network. This is not an option for people are not either university employees or students. Many folks come to the university, like guest speakers to classes and/or vendors, who are not in the PeopleSoft database but have real business to conduct at SJSU that may need Internet access. It is still not clear how these folks will be accommodated.

SJSUOne itself has had major problems. Useability of the system's account activation interface has been a major fail point with over 50% of the folks who tried to use the current version to activate their SJSUOne accounts not being able to work through the interface (based on testing.) There is a new interface being planned for SJSUOne account activation, but the folks slated to test its useability have not yet been able to. Even when they do, they are not usability experts. Usability is a science not best left to amateurs.

A huge amount of money is being spent supporting and designing this user authentication method. But, is it even necessary?

In metropolitan areas, like San Francisco, companies are falling all over themselves to provide free and open wireless access. Companies like our very own local company Google, who make their living off people having as easy access as possible to the Internet, are installing wireless networks that are free and open to any user who wants to use them.

Couldn't all the money we are spending keeping folks from using our network be better spent improving it? You can't say we need to have user authentication for the sake of university security. All users of the wireless network are going to be treated as outside users anyway and will have an additional layer of security to go through to reach university network resources. They will already be outside the university firewall, like all other Internet users from off campus.

I do not understand why we don't just make the new wireless network free and open to the public. In my opinion the SJSUOne authentication method will complicate and hinder easy use of the wireless network. Other new wireless networks are open, why not ours? Free open and accessible networks encourage collaboration and are the current state of the art. Our new network, in my opinion, will not be. So in my opinion is it not only late, it is out of date!

A train photo of mine ran on Altamont Press

2005-10-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

A train photo of mine, that is much better than the one shown here, ran in today's version of the on-line daily train E-newsletter Altamont Press [Link]. It was cool seeing it be used there. I think Altamont Press is a neat web publication and a real example of the enabling ability of on-line delivery for niche news markets (like union publications.) While Altamont Press is not technically a weblog, I think a similar experience could be provided a consumer of news, as this publication provides train buffs, using a weblog.

The University Employee On-line

2005-10-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

The University Employee [Link] is the official publication of the CSUEU. It can be found on-line. It includes union news, stories of interest to state employees and contact information including telephone numbers of CSUEU state-wide officers (transparency is good.) I am proud to be associated with this fine publication!

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, SEIU, Labor, ssloansjca

Contract ratification meeting at SJSU on 10/18

2005-10-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

To all San Jose State University Staff Employees in Bargaining Units 2, 5, 7 & 9

CSU Staff Employee Union CSUEU, Chapter 307
Contract Ratification Meeting
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Noon, Spartan Memorial

The CSU Employees Union, SEIU Local 2579, is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with the CSU on wages and benefits for fiscal year 2005/06. Funding for the Tentative Agreement (TA) is consistent with the overall compensation package of 3.5% that has been used by the Chancellor’s Office for all of the settlements reached with other unions so far. CSUEU was told that the 3.5% package included 1/2% for market salary adjustments. The TA provides for a general salary increase of 2.075% and a service salary increase of 2%. In addition, market salary adjustments of an additional 1% to 5% will be provided to approximately 3,000 employees in specified classifications. This means that approximately 85% of the employees represented by CSUEU will receive a 4.075% (or greater) adjustment to their base pay during fiscal year 2005/06. Those employees with satisfactory performance who are at or above the Service Salary Maximum will receive a bonus of $400, to be paid within 90 days of ratification.

There will be a contract ratification meeting, to discuss the TA, on Tuesday, October 18th at Noon in the Spartan Memorial (also known as “the chapel.”) The meeting is being held to discuss, and have your questions answered, regarding the tentative agreement. Only members may vote on the tentative agreement, but non-members may join the at the meeting and thus be eligible to vote. Please plan to be there.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, SEIU, Labor, ssloansjca

Defending the contract

2005-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Our local union president recently took a position opposed to a new method one of the departments at our campus was considering imposing to request vacation time. This is an area where our contract has language. An employee questioned our president taking this position. I believe our president was correct in taking this position and I applaud his action. This is my response to the employee:

I am just speaking on my own, but I, (as I mentioned in our conversation) believe that CSUEU Chapter 307 president Jeff Baldwin is appropriately defending the contract. Management has three options when considering a move that is possibly within the scope of the agreement.

They can either not implement
They can unilaterally implement and, if a grievance is filed, attempt to prove through the grievance process that the contract is not being violated
Or, the university can request to meet and confer with the union on the subject.

Speaking on my own I can say that I believe the union has a responsibility to defend the collective bargaining agreement and cannot discriminate on what articles of the collective bargaining agreement to defend even in the event that there is a perception of benefit by some employees. If the university chooses to implement without the union's agreement, if the union feels there is grounds to grieve, the union should. If the university feels this will be in the benefit of all parties then the university should request to meet and confer on this subject before implementation and ask for the union's agreement.

Again, that is my personal opinion and not the unions'.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, SEIU, Labor, ssloansjca

Great moments at GC

2005-10-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

It was a General Council full of great moments. In my opinion the greatest was the election of Hylah Jacques as Executive Vice President of CSEA. In my opinion she is the best of the best. She is among the hardest working, smartest, most honest, fair minded, kind hearted and all-around greatest people I have ever known, ever. Her election is a great victory even for the people who voted against her, because they could not have elected better. She is the best in my book!

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, SEIU, Labor, ssloansjca

Union business being done

2005-10-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Union business being done today
Today is the day when most of the hard core business is done. Today we pass our budget and deal with changes to our policy and bylaws. Today we shape the future of our union. Then, we go home. It is intense work and a lot of folks are being heard.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

Last GC Day

2005-10-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Steve Jr.
Today my oldest son Steve turned 29. For the first time. Happy birthday son!

The heart of the union
The union is more than meetings, contracts and representation. It is about people! At every GC we celebrate the friendships we have built with each other at a GC dance. It is great fun!

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

The CSUEU delegation

2005-10-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is our CSUEU delegation to General Council 2005

The University Employee Delegation
These are the folks who are representing university staff employees at this statewide union meeting. They are fine hard working folks who are sincere, who care about the pay, working conditions and the benefits of university employees. I am proud to be associated with them.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

More General Council Podcasts

2005-10-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some recordings of conversations from early Sunday October 9, 2005; the second day of CSEA General Council 63 in Anaheim:

Conversation with myself [mp3 audio file link]: While brewing my morning coffee I ruminate about Andy Sterns talk to the CSU delegation, the events of the previous couple of days, this podcast and how emerging technology can be used in the labor movement.
Conversation with Donna Snodgrass [mp3 audio file link]: A brief conversation with Vice President candidate Donna Snodgrass about running without being on a slate of officers.
Conversation with Jennifer Oneal-Watts [mp3 audio file link]: First time GC delegate Jennifer Oneal-Watts shares her impressions of GC 63. Jennifer Oneal-Watts is from CSU Sacramento and is also that chapter's unit 7 rep and is on the statewide BU 7 committee.
Conversation with Hylah Jacques [mp3 audio file link]: A brief conversation while walking up to the voting room. Hylah is a candidate for Executive Vice President of CSEA.
Conversation with Russell Kilday-Hicks and Joseph Jelincic [mp3 audio file link]: Joseph Jelincic, the son of the CSEA president and Russel speak about this GC, CSEA politics and the elections.
Conversation with Ray Reynolds and Mike Roskey [mp3 audio file link]: Ray Reynolds is from DLC 789 and Mike Roskey is from DLC 767 of SEIU Local 1000. They both also are supporters of the Committee for a Democratic Union. They speak here about General Council and the common ground we all have as state workers.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

General Council Podcasts

2005-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here are two recordings of conversations from Saturday October 8, 2005; the first day of CSEA General Council 63 in Anaheim:

Conversation with Rich McGee [mp3 audio file Link]: McGee is a member of the CSUEU Communications Committee and a chapter officer from CSU San Bernardino. McGee talks about Andy Stern's talk yesterday to members of the California State University staff employees union.
Conversation with Jay Jimenez [mp3 audio file Link]: Jimenez is a former Division Director of the then CSU Division of CSEA. He is the chair of the CSUEU Policy File Committee, serves on the CSEA Bylaws and Policy Committee and is the CSU Fullerton President. Jimenez talks about the CSU role in General Council and how that has changed over the years.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

Andy Stern speaks to university staff employees union

2005-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Andy Stern "gets it!"

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president Andy Stern spoke with university employees Friday evening on the eve of the California State Employees Association's 63rd General Council. Stern gave a rousing come to Jesus speech about the importance of the labor movement. Then he stepped from behind the lectern. Stern listened as well as talked and the result was a very lively conversation. Stern, as head of SEIU, recently led a group of formerly AFL-CIO unions out of the AFL-CIO to form a new organization named Change-to-Win.

In his Friday talk Stern, whose SEIU is growing in union membership, spoke about why it was necessary for SEIU to leave the AFL-CIO. He answered the concerns of folks, like myself, who do not like to see the house of labor divided. He cited declining membership in the labor movement overall and the seeming unwillingness of the AFL-CIO to change its strategy to meet the demands of a changing world.

What really impressed me about Stern is that, he gets it! He referenced Freedman, who's book The World is Flat I am currently reading. He spoke about globalization and the role of unions in a changing global economy. I was able to ask Stern a couple of questions about globalization and the public perception of the labor movement. Stern answered my questions. He spoke about global organizing to meet global markets, unions embracing emerging technology and how unions need to be reorganized to effectively organize workers globally. In short, I was very impressed!

Fiscal issues in CSEA
The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) is one of four organizations in the California State Employees Association (CSEA). Kathryn Plunkett is on the statewide CSEA fiscal committee. Last night, after Stern left, she spoke to us about the ongoing struggle within the statewide organization over central support issues. Central Support is the CSEA entity that provides support services and coordinates activities involving all the four affiliated CSEA organizations. There is a big conflict within the CSEA affiliates about how strong and well funded Central Support should be. Kathryn is a long time close friend of mine. I spent a lot of time in Friday's fiscal committee meeting. It was a long day for Kathryn and a hard day as she and her allies were almost constantly being out voted on issues that are core for university employees.

The meeting of university employees Friday night went to about 10pm. After the meeting we went to a hospitality suite where we discussed the day's events until the early morning hours of the next day. I had a great long discussion with CSUEU Chapter 307 president Jeff Baldwin. I like Jeff a lot and really enjoyed our conversation. Today, at 1pm, the 63rd General Council Convenes.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

General Council Going Ons

2005-10-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

I am at GC, the big union meeting in Anaheim, and the pre-council committee meetings are happening. I just took this photo of Gus Lease, who is the guy I spoke to in my recent podcast with him [Link]. Gus is a great guy and I admire him very much!

I also just met Steve Aunan, the webmaster for CSEA. He is a sharp guy, and is a blogger, that is so cool! Here is his CSEA blog [Link]. I have taken this photo and one of Fred Cordova for a daily newsletter we are doing of the convention.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University, ssloansjca

Podcast with SJSU Professor Gus Lease

2005-09-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2005, A conversation with Gus Lease, Looking at the labor movement in the California State University System.

To listen to audio, click here --> MP3 File Here
SJSU Music Professor and good friend Gus Lease has been with SJSU since 1950. He joined the California State Employees Association (CSEA) before it was a union. This union now does not include faculty, but then it was an association that everybody who worked at the university could belong to, including managers. He describes how the association evolved and discusses the upcoming statewide CSEA meeting, General Council.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU, California State University

SBLC and OPE Endorsement Interviews

2005-09-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Next week the South Bay Labor Council will be interviewing candidates for the Sunnyvale City Council, Foothill-De Anza CCD, Cupertino Union School District, and the City of Palo Alto. All union members are encouraged to attend and join the discussion of the candidates responses. Dinner will be provided. Please call 408.266.3790 to RSVP or for further information.

Thursday, September 22

6:00 - Sunnyvale Seat 1
Tim Risch
Anthony Spitaleri

6:30 - Sunnyvale Seat 3
John Howe
Nancy Smith

7:00 - Sunnyvale Seat 2
Darab Ghaffary
Christopher Moylan
Pete Richards

8:00 - Foothill - De Anza CCD
Paul Fong
Laura Casas Frier
Julia E. Miller
Bruce Swenson

Friday, September 23

6:00 - Cupertino Union School District
Pearl Cheng
Lynette Lee Eng
Ben Liao
Gary McCue
Susan McGhie

7:00 - City of Palo Alto
John Barton
Norman Carroll
Peter Drekmeier
Sanford Forte
Karen Holman
Harold "Skip" Justman
Larry Klein
Danielle Martell
Jack Morton
Roger V. Smith
Victor Frost

Open enrollment for SJSU folks

2005-09-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

The Benefits Open Enrollment period for 2005 is September 15 through October 31. This is the time to change your health or dental coverage, add dependents to your coverage, or enroll in the Health Care and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts for 2006. Check the Benefits pages of the Human Resources website www.sjsu.edu/hr for more information. The Open Enrollment Worksheet and the HCRA/DCRA Enrollment Form is on the Human Resources website under Forms. Bring your completed forms to the Human Resources Office, 3rd floor of the UPD Building. Please call your Benefits Representative or the Benefits Information line at 408-924-2270 with questions.

Be sure to visit the Benefits Fair on September 29, where you can talk to our various vendors and your Benefits rep in person!
Start Date/Time:9/15/2005 08:00:00 End Date/Time:9/30/2005 17:00:00 PST

The price of truth

2005-09-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

"Fear not the path of truth, for the lack of people walking on it," Robert Kennedy.
It is easy in the present to praise folks in the past who were willing to stand up for truth in the past and suffered the consequences for it. We see their courage but pay no cost for honoring it. We safely celebrate Galileo, Martin Luther King, Caesar Chavez and at SJSU, Tommie Smith and John Carlos. It is easy in retrospect to pay respect to these folks who stood up to the establishment, the then existing administration, when we are not in their time. It is easy to sing their praises when doing so is safe.

The real challenge is in the present, to suffer the consequences for speaking the truth when it costs your job, a better job or the wrath of your boss and/or coworkers, or worse. That is the measure of courage, in my opinion. Courage is standing up for the truth when doing so is not the easy path. Courage is standing up for the truth when standing up for the truth costs you. Too many times in my university career this is exactly what I have seen happen, good people suffer in academia for standing up for the truth. This has been happening in academia since the days of Galileo. This happens still.

Definition of a Supervisor (and a lead employee)

2005-09-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is for California State University (CSU) Employees. This is from California Government Code, Section 3580.3 I believe violation of this constitutes an unfair labor practice.

3580.3. "Supervisory employee" means any individual, regardless of the job description or title, having authority, in the interest of the employer to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees, or responsibility to direct them, or to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if, in connection with the foregoing, the exercise of such authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment. With respect to faculty or academic employees, any department chair, head of a similar academic unit or program, or other employee who performs the foregoing duties primarily in the interest of and on behalf of the members of the academic department, unit or program, shall not be deemed a supervisory employee solely because of such duties; provided, that with respect to the University of California and Hastings College of the Law, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that such an individual appointed by the employer to an indefinite term shall be deemed to be a supervisor. Employees whose duties are substantially similar to those of their subordinates shall not be considered to be supervisory employees.

This section defines and expands upon the duties of both a supervisor and a lead employee. The key part of this that defines a lead is that the lead's duties shall be "of a merely routine or clerical nature." If you feel you have been assigned inappropriate duties, or are being managed by someone who has, you should contact a union steward.

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU

About rights

2005-08-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Fear of retribution?
If you cannot exercise a right without fear of retribution, it is not a right. Over and over I have seen instances at this university where, in my opinion, employees have been retributed against for exercising their rights under the collective bargaining agreement and the law. In my opinion every one of the officers I know of our union, myself included, has suffered reprisals for doing things like filing grievances, rebutting performance evaluations and complaining about working conditions. In the book the Art of War, by Sun Tzu, it is said that you do not have to defeat your enemy, you only have to defeat your enemy's will to engage. In my opinion, the enemy of some San Jose State University managers is the rights of the employees they supervise. It is some managers tactic to defeat the willingness of employees to engage their rights through acts of retribution and intimidation.

A right without a remedy?
Bill Clinton said, "a right without a remedy is not a right." Without a strong collective bargaining agreement, and a union willing to back it up through the grievance process and the willingness to file charges through avenues such as filing unfair labor practices, employees do not have real rights. You do not get rights through lame vision plans and mission statements that are not enforceable. Only through strong and able representation is a union able to protect the rights of the folks we represent.

A right denied one is a right denied all!
Every union represented employee has to have his or her rights protected by the union. Sometimes a worker may think that a certain other employee may deserve to be mistreated. It is a unions job to protect the rights of every employee by defending the rights of each employee. Equal protection under the law is a basic principle of American law. Only through vigorous defense of employee rights, each and every time rights are violated, can their availability be assured.

That's my opinion anyway.

~Steve Sloan, CSUEU Union Steward

Technorati Tags: SJSU, CSUEU, CSU

Is there a dirty little secret at SJSU?

2005-08-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

San Jose State University is a great university. It has beautiful grounds and talented faculty, students and staff. The view of Tower Hall seldom fails to inspire. But, there is something dark and dirty here. Sometimes it seems to me to be a bit of a facade when you can step a few feet away from the lovely lawns and see sights like this that just scream neglect. These dark and dirty places at SJSU that just seem to get darker and dirtier. Some messes here just never seem to get cleaned up. I don't understand why our great university tolerates such malaise and mediocrity. Is it that the folks who make decisions are so mesmerized by what they want people to see that they are blind to details that so plain and out in the open? How can our institution tolerate and fail to see the malaise that has so long been in the open and begging to be cleaned up here? That, in my opinion, is a huge mystery.

In and out of the saddle

2005-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

In his start of the school year address University President Don Kassing told a story about the Tour de France, showed bike racing videos and told the university faculty, staff and students assembled at his Monday August 22 speech how we should be inspired by Lance Armstrong's out of the saddle hill climbing style. I was so inspired the next day that I rode my bike to work. Continuing on that thread of inspiration after I get off work today I think I will go on a bike ride. Yes, I am feeling very inspired.

Do SJSU's zombies get health benefits?

2005-08-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

According to a SJSU manager in UCAT, "SJSU employees are automatically removed from the new campus directory as soon as they are inactive in People Soft." That should happen as soon as they stop working for the university (and stop being paid.) Yet, one former employee has been deceased for over three months and he is in the directory. Since the university certainly would not be paying somebody who is not working, we can only assume the university must be hiring zombies now. Do they pay union dues. Do zombies get health benefits?

Technorati Tags: SJSU

President Bush, Meet with Cindy

2005-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I found this thanks to Joe Trippi's blog [Link]. It struck a resonance with me as a father of three sons. On the way home from work I saw these folks on a corner in Willow Glen. Joe Trippi is an amazing guy who wrote an amazing book [Link], and he is leading a charge to evangelize the cause of Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq [Link.] This is the letter they are gathering signatures to. When I checked over 12,000 patriots had signed. It is a real Internet movement:

Dear Mr. Bush,

On August 3 you said the soldiers who were killed in Iraq, "died in a noble cause." Cindy Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq, but she takes no comfort in your words. She wants to meet with you to ask you directly: Why did my son die? What was the noble cause that he died for? We, the American people, urge you to meet with Cindy Sheehan to answer her questions.

Please consider signing the petition here [Link]

We need to do a better job than this!

2005-08-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am frustrated that we cannot do a better job than this at our university. On July 18 I reported on this blog [link] that Jay King, a staff person who had died about three weeks earlier, was still in the on-line staff directory. I reported this fact weeks ago to the head of the telecommunications department and this was not then fixed.

Well Jay is still there!

It has now been over a month. This is supposed to be our new more accurate directory! How can we serve our students well when we are unable to give them access to resources without such gross errors? We need to do a better job than this!

A great wedding

2005-07-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

My eldest son Steve and new daughter-in-law Luci had a great wedding in North Bend, Washington. I am blogging about this on my family blog.

On vacation again

2005-07-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am in Seattle with family for my oldest son's wedding. I will be back in August. I am covering the trip on my family blog.

CSUEU News

2005-07-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Bargaining Alert is on the web

From Tevin Laxer at UNION HQ:
Bargaining alert #7 is on the web. How is bargaining going? Click here to find out.

SJSU Union Meeting Planned

From San Jose State Chapter 307 President President Jeff Baldwin:

To all Units 2,3 5 and 9 staff:
The next general meeting of the CSUEU (the union formally known as CSEA) will meet on Monday, August 15th from 12 noon to 1 PM. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Music Room 150. Details of the meeting and confirmation of the meeting place will be sent in a later email.

One of the agenda items is the vote to approve the chapter's budget for this calendar year. The budget, as proposed, has been posted on the chapter website http://www.sjsu.edu/~csueu for your review.

Tell your members of Congress that you oppose CAFTA!

2005-07-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

The time to act is now!

Despite being passed by the Senate, we still have a chance to stop CAFTA when it goes to the House of Representatives. A formal CAFTA vote is most likely to take place THIS WEEK, so the time to act is now. Our representatives NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU in order for them to make the right decision. That is, they need to hear from you why you oppose CAFTA!
Please take a minute of your time and send a letter to your representative by going to:
[This Link]
In Solidarity,
South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Representative Anna Eshoo (if you live in CA, and in district 14)
Representative Mike Honda (if you live in CA, and in district 15)
Representative Nancy Pelosi (if you live in CA, and in district 8)
Representative Richard Pombo (if you live in CA, and in district 11)
Representative Sam Farr (if you live in CA, and in district 17)
Representative Zoe Lofgren (if you live in CA, and in district 16)

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: I urge you to oppose CAFTA

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I urge you to oppose DR-CAFTA, the Dominican Republic-Central American Trade Agreement that President Bush is sending to Congress.

This trade agreement will harm US and Central American workers, environmental and consumer protections.

Under NAFTA, California lost thousands of jobs, and we cannot afford to loose any more. CAFTA would give new protections to US multinational companies for operating outside the country. At the same time, CAFTA would reduce protections for workers - here and in Central America.

In addition, our worker, consumer, and environmental protections that are passed by the federal or state government can be challenged by foreign investors.

CAFTA's provisions would undermine many common state purchasing laws and preferences, handcuffing state governments with restrictive "trade" rules that limit legislators' policy options to promote good jobs and a healthy environment. CAFTA's provisions are an unwarranted usurpation of! state sovereignty. Our state has much to lose, but little to gain, by signing up to CAFTA's purchasing rules.

Please voice your opposition to this trade agreement.
Sincerely,

In memory of Jay King

2005-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just learned this today:

Jay King died about two weeks ago. He was having heart problems, and then had some sort of seizure that made his heart stop and the doctors couldn't revive him. He was 53 years old and was also planning on taking early retirement (that would have gone into effect right about now.)

I have known Jay for a number of years. Jay worked in the College of Education as a tech. Jay was a real gentleman, with a heart of gold. Unfortunately it was not a healthy heart and he suffered from other medical problems. He had a passion for technology and a child-like curiosity for how things worked. He struggled with disabilities and one or two people who were not very accepting of his. I am proud to have known him and proud that he was my friend. The university is worse off without him and I will truly miss him. My heart goes out to his family and friends for he was a good man and was loved by many.

Arnold coming to south bay

2005-07-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

As his poll numbers plummet, we need to keep the pressure on Arnold - let's stand together to show California that we won't stop fighting until his attacks on working people are beaten!

Bring Signs! Bring Banners! Bring Everybody!

Monday, July 11, 2:00 pm

Yahoo! Headquarters
701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale
For more information call CJ at 408-266-3790 x578.

Directions

From San Jose:
Take 101 North and exit on Mathilda Avenue.
Turn right on Mathilda and continue to First Avenue (also marked as Bordeaux on the right).
Make a left on First Avenue.

From San Francisco:
Take 101 South and exit onto 237 east (Alviso/Milpitas exit).
Merge onto 237 and exit immediately toward Mathilda Avenue.
Turn left onto Mathilda Avenue and continue to First Avenue (also marked as Bordeaux on the right).
Make a left on First Avenue.

Contract bargaining update, July 7, 2005

2005-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Click here to see a CSUEU Contract Bargaining Update, Issued July 7, 2005.

Statewide CSUEU Update

2005-06-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

CSU Employees Union Update
June 22, 2005

REOPENER BARGAINING

Bargaining moves forward, though at a snail's pace. We submitted a written proposal to the CSU in February, and four months later they gave us theirs. Rallies in support of our bargaining team have made a real impact. At CSUN, where the team was bargaining on June 13, 14 and 15, well over 100 people from as far away as San Diego participated with whistles, chants, and posters. CFA members joined in as well. See the following link:

[Click Here]

Future bargaining dates are as follows:

June 28-30, Chancellor's Office - Observers welcome. Contact your local LRR for information.
July 12 -14, Dominguez Hills - Rally planned for July 13. Contact your local LRR for information.
July 26-27, San Luis Obispo - Rally details to be announced.

ULP filed alleging that the CSU bypassed the union when it promised a 3.5% raise to all employees

CSUEU has filed an unfair labor practice charge alleging that the CSU bypassed the union when they announced a 3.5% pay increase to employees, failing to state that this is a matter for collective bargaining and not something that the Chancellor can decide unilaterally.

Bargaining proposals from both the union and management are now being posted on our website. Here is the link:
[Click Here]

Steps vs. Open Ranges: Then and Now

CSUEU has also posted a chart comparing the distribution of salaries in 1992, when we still had steps, to 2005, when we have open ranges. You can find this comparison at: [Click Here]

CalPERS adopts new rates for 2006

At a recent meeting of the CalPERS Board they adopted new premiums. Employees will see these new rates during the fall open enrollment period. The basic HMO premium increased to 8.7 percent, the lowest gain since 1999. More info at:
[Click Here]

Governor's supporters lay out plan to attack workers.

In a conference call of the Governor's supporters, the attitude toward public employees and their unions became clear. The corporate interests supporting the Governor wish to demonize public servants.
Special Election news at: [Click Here]

CSUEU Update sent to you by
Pat Gantt, CSU Employees Union President, SEIU Local 2579
SEIU Local 2579, AFL-CIO, CLC
an affiliate of the California State Employees Association
1129 10th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
voice (916) 319-4800, ext. 104
FAX (916) 319-4808
www.calcsea.org/csu

Back from the journey

2005-06-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my bike tour!
Sierra to the Sea 2005 was a great bike tour. It was a bit cooler than past years and that was to the better. I had some great ride and saw many old friends and made new ones. I just returned yesterday so I have not yet processed a lot of the memories. On the last day many of the riders talked about their journeys. It impressed me that the experiences everybody shared were so different that at times they could have been talking about different trips. I guess life, and bicycle tours, is like that.

I am going off the grids

2005-06-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

I will be a short turn drop out
For the next nine days I will be off the Internet grid and off the power grid. I will be on a bicycle touring the middle of California. If you want more information I will be on a bicycle tour called the Sierra to the Sea. I am really looking forward to the adventure and will blog about it after I return.

Blog full disclosure statement
Every now and then I like to post a link to each of my six blogs. This link gives a more honest view of my Internet identity than does reading one or two of the blogs alone.

Who is who at the statewide level of CSUEU

2005-06-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

This information is from the cover of the University Employee Newsletter of CSUEU. So, it is public information and can be shared. If you wish to contact any officers in the statewide organization, here is how! Note this information will possibly change later this month when the union holds elections:

Local Union News

2005-06-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

PROTEST SCHWARZENEGGER'S ATTACKS ON WORKING FAMILIES
Join teachers, nurses, janitors, firefighters, police, and community members to protest the Governor's attacks on working families. At yet another fundraiser, the Governor is raising money from his corporate sponsors. Despite public opposition, the Governor has declared a special election on November 8, with initiatives that would result in cuts to education, cuts to social services to the elderly and poor, and would stifle the voice of police, firefighters, nurses, teachers, and other working people.

Wednesday, June 22, 4:00 pm
Stanford Park Hotel
100 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA
Ample parking across the street at the Stanford Shopping Mall
For more information call CJ Wilson at 408-266-3790 x578.

RENTAL CAR WORKERS ON STRIKE - HOW YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
Rental car workers at Avis car rental company (Cendant Car Rental Group d.b.a. AVIS) have been out on strike for over a week. The company wants to eliminate the union's health care plan and replace it with an inferior one. Rental car workers, the people who clean, service, and drive the rental cars, have united to fight for a better contract. Join workers at the picket line to show your solidarity in their fight!

Ways to show your support:
1. Come to the rally on Monday, June 20, 12:00 Noon, 2103 N 1st St., San Jose.
2. Join us at the picket line, next Friday, June 24, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm, 2103 N. 1st St., San Jose
Please RSVP to CJ Wilson at 408-266-3790 x578.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
Support workers at San Jose Medical Group
Join workers at the San Jose Medical Group in informational picketing. SEIU UHW workers have been negotiating with the company for better working conditions. Despite the fact that the workers are what makes the company what it is, San Jose Medical Group has rejected their latest offer. Show your support for these workers who are fighting for a better contract.

Wednesday, June 22 12:00 Noon 400 Race St, San Jose

Support Workers at El Camino Hospital
Join workers at El Camino Hospital in protecting fully paid health care beneftis, safe staffing, and competitive wages.
Tuesday, June 28 2:00 pm El Camino Hospital, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View
For more information email organize@atwork.org.

Iraqi Worker Delegation
Learn from two officers of the General Union of Oil Workers in Basrah what the occupation has meant for working people and the labor movement. Hassan Juma'a Awad Al Asada, union president and father, and Faleh Abbood Umara, union general secretary and father, will both speak and answer questions on how the labor movement has dealt with the occupation. Learn what you can do to support these courageous workers.

Sunday, June 19 1:30 pm Offices of SEIU Local 715 2302 Zanker Rd, San Jose
For more information call CJ Wilson at 408.266.3790 x578

Two Years is Too Long! Help United Airlines Engineers win their first contract
The first group of airline engineers to organize have been fighting for their first contract for two years. Last month UAL terminated all of their pensions. The engineers wages have slipped to 20% below market and the engineers' attrition rate is exceptionally high. We are rallying to say Two Years is Too Long! This group will not be ignored any longer. Show your support by being at this informational picket.

Wednesday, June 15th 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: McDonnell Road and San Bruno Avenue Sidewalk in front of United's Maintenance Base San Francisco, 94128-3800

Workshop on the new Paid Family Leave Law
Do you know that most working Californians are eligible for 6 weeks of partial pay when taking leave from work to bond with a new baby or care for a seriously ill family member? 78% of Californians have never heard of the new paid family leave law. Join us for a workshop conducted by the Labor Project for Working Families at UC Berkeley about the new law for union leaders, union reps, and shop stewards.

Thursday, July 14 6:00pm 2102 Almaden Rd, San Jose
For more information and to sign up please call CJ Wilson at 408.266.3790 x578.

A matter of ethics

2005-06-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

One again, in my opinion:
In the private sector a company sells a product or service to a client in exchange for money. The money the company gets can be considered the company's at that point. In the public sector the money comes from the citizens and the government is entrusted by the public to wisely administer these funds. If the private company makes bad decisions and squanders its own money it has violated a trust to its share holders. If the public sector agency makes bad decisions and squanders money entrusted to it, it has violated a trust to its citizens. If the private share holders let such a situation continue the company will go out of business. In the public sector there is little threat of bankruptcy and we call the coverup of such incompetency corruption. In the private sector there are legitimate trade secrets about mistakes that may sometimes need to be kept secret from the public, as long as SEC rules are followed, in order to protect a company's image. In the public sector keeping such secrets may be a violation of the public trust. I believe it is unethical to coverup such bad management practices.

Performance review info

2005-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

If you get a bad performance review, in my opinion you need to call a union steward. This is really important! If you got a bad rating, even if you feel as though you deserve a poor rating, this is very important. No matter how good or bad your rating was, if you feel any information in your evaluation is unfair, questionable or wrong, in my opinion you should call your union. You always have rights and in my opinion you need to be sure that your rights are being respected. That is why we have a union! If you have any questions, concerns or other issues regarding your performance review in my opinion you should call your union rep. At SJSU the chief steward is Dennis Fox. He is in the campus directory. The union is on our side.

Camera phones can copy documents

2005-06-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

The shadow is my hand holding the phone. Just to see what it would look like I took a quick snap of this document using my camera phone. It was so easy and fast that I could have easily acted like I was answering an unexpected phone call when I was doing it. Imagine a person saying, "Oh, it is my baby sitter!" The person may not even have a child, but without any knowledge the document could have been photographed and pix mailed to a whole group of other people in the time it takes to say, "the cough medicine is in the medicine cabinet."

Performance Evaluations

2005-06-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

Performance evaluation advice
It is time for that annual spanking of employees at our university. Yes, it is performance evaluation season. There is nothing that can be more damaging to morale or hurt productivity more, in my opinion, than a poorly conducted evaluation. The most appropriate advice I can give to supervisors who have evaluation responsibility is, don't do evil:

Do not lie: This is obvious. Be accurate and fair. Inaccurate information costs a manager respect! Have backbone and be the kind of manager employees respect. Tell the truth. Even if the truth is negative, how can an employee improve if he/she is not given an opportunity to know the honest and fair truth?
Do not blindside the employee: There should be no surprises in an evaluation. Anything that is marked down as a negative in an evaluation, that was not discussed with an employee well prior to evaluation, should not be presented as a negative. Instead this should be presented to the employee as a goal over the next evaluation period. Negatives always have to have a clear history of previous discussion. Never blindside employees if you want their loyalty.
Provide guidance: Give the employee a path to improve and set clear goals. Every person has things he or she is good at, and we all have weaknesses. It is your job as a supervisor to provide your employees with a path to improvement and to set measurable goals so the employee knows if he/she has improved. How can an employee improve if he/she is not given direction on how to improve and is given a way of telling if he/she has achieved the desireable performance level?
Follow the process: Don't just do what you are told in HR. As a manager you have to know the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). For CSUEU employees, evaluations are covered in article ten. You need to know it and follow it. If HR will not give you a copy ask a union rep. Employees, you too need to know article ten of the CBA.
Do your job, get help if you need it!: Poorly done evaluations cannot be tolerated! It costs productivity, morale and wastes the taxpayers money. Poor evaluations can also lead to needless grievances. If you are an employee and receive a poor evaluation I believe you should contact your union rep ASAP! If you are a manager and want to do your job well, attend HR training (but don't trust them to tell you the whole story,) read the appropriate CBAs for the employees you supervise and for God's sake, don't be evil.

Cell cameras to improve safety

2005-06-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Using devices like cell phone cameras; employees and students have a powerful tool to literally expose unsafe work and learning environments. Everything from chemical handling methods to trip hazards can be visually documented and reported. If institutions do not make changes to create safer work and learning conditions the images can be posted, anonymously if necessary, to the Internet on weblogs and the process of either cleaning up the hazard, or not, can be reported.

RENTAL CAR WORKERS ON STRIKE - YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED!

2005-06-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Rental car workers at Avis car rental company (Cendant Car Rental Group d.b.a. AVIS) have voted to reject the company's last best and final offer. The company wants to eliminate the union's health care plan and replace it with an inferior one. Rental car workers, the people who clean, service, and drive the rental cars, have united to fight for a better contract. Join workers at the picket line to show your solidarity in their fight!

6 AM - 12 Midnight
2103 N. 1st St., San Jose
For more information please call 408-266-3790 x578.

Susie buys a new dress (and changes the world)

2005-06-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

When I am riding my bicycle I keep my cell phone in my back pocket. I was riding my bicycle through Los Gatos yesterday when my cell phone rang. It was my wife Sue who asked where I was. I told her I was in downtown Los Gatos. She said good, she was there too and was trying on a new dress and she wanted me to see it. I said, okay, I will be there in five minutes. I arrived, we looked at the dress and liked it. I said, wait a minute and I took her picture. Then I blogged her picture so the whole world can potentially see her new dress.

Susie buys a new dress, is hardly big news. But, this information transaction is illustrative of the huge changes happening in our society. In the 90's ubiquitous portable phones came into reality. Now 50% of those phones have cameras. According to a story I read in this morning's paper those in-phone cameras will soon be as good as regular cameras. What will this mean for news coverage? What will this mean for politics? What will this mean for labor or education? What will this mean for the world?

Imagine if folks on the top of the world trade center on 9/11 had such phones and could send out pictures using them? I remember the chant during the 1968 democratic convention in Chicago. The crowd chanted, "the whole world is watching." Soon it will be, "the whole world is broadcasting." When that happens there will be no keeping secrets anywhere.

The implications for the labor movement are huge! Every employee will be armed with the technology to reveal safety violations or harsh working conditions. This technology will empower employees to take on evil employers who lie and cover-up the truth about how they treat employees. It will be as easy as telling folks about a new dress, and just as quick. Everybody will soon have the power to do this right at their fingertips.

On taking back the university

2005-06-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Internet allows, in fact someday will force, us to do what we do not do well, listen to our students. It amazes me that at the same time student fees are going through the roof we are spending university resources installing wireless networks and installing Tivo-like digital video recorders in the university president's house. Our university is a confusing maze of little fiefdoms where students as well as employees struggle to get through their academic day and yet they are seldom consulted about how to improve it. We waste the taxpayers dollars on redundant resources and our customers are virtually powerless to do anything about it.

All that is changing and changing thanks to the Internet. By empowering students, faculty, staff and the public through emerging technology tools like weblogs, podcasts and RSS; the students, faculty and staff are taking back the university. The old top-down principles of handing down decrees from the ivory towers are changing. This vertical method of controlling the message where the administration is on top and the students and employees are on bottom and the information flow from the campus community to the world is tightly controlled is gone. Now everybody has an equal voice on the Internet and we can all participate in how to make the university, and all the universities of the world, better places to learn, collaborate and exchange ideas. This is the global conversation for academia and it is very, very long overdue!

Legislative Counsel Opinion on Public Employees Retirement System

2005-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Senator Perata has requested and received a Legislative Counsel Opinion on whether the rate of contribution of current state employees to the Public Employees Retirement System is a vested right, and to what extent, if any, may an increased rate of contribution be bargained by a representative of employee members or imposed on unrepresented management members and exempt employee members.

The Legislative Counsel opinion states the following.

The courts would apply an independent analysis to any modification in the employee contribution rate, and for it to stand, the change would be required to have a material relation to the theory and successful operation of the pension system, and changes that disadvantage vested employees would have to be accompanied by comparable new advantages.
Even if the increase in the employee rate were to be negotiated, the courts would still apply the above analysis. Therefore, a collectively bargained increase in the employee contribution rate could be ruled illegal and unconstitutional if it did not have a material relation to the theory and successful operation of the pension system, and the increase in rate was not accompanied by comparable advantages to the affected employees.

The same applies to unrepresented and exempt employees.

Dave Low of the California School Employees Association wrote that "This is a very good opinion for workers. Essentially, it opines that neither the Governor (through collective bargaining), nor the Legislature (through legislation), can impose an increased contribution rate on state employees unless a comparable new advantage is also provided."

Teven Laxer
Senior Labor Relations Representative
California State University Employees Union

San Jose, call to action

2005-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Support Workplace Safety: Call your legislator to support AB 815
AB 815 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber will close the gap between workplace and environmental regulations so that workers are as safe on the job as they are in their homes and communities. Cal/EPA already sets standards for environmental exposure to many chemicals, but there are some toxic chemicals that workers may legally be exposed to in the workplace. 15 chemicals that are known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity are simply not regulated in the workplace. This legislation addresses this disparity. Let your legislator know that you support this bill by calling them at their office.
Ira Ruskin
(916) 319-2021

Support Local Workers: Picket at Municipal Stadium June 2 & June 3
Instead of hiring local union stagehands, Jam Productions will be using non-union workers at the Def Leppard / Brian Adams show this Thursday and Friday. Join IATSE Local 34 for picketing at Municipal Stadium to show your support for local workers.
June 2: 8 am to 5 pm
June 3: 8 am to 10 pm
Municipal Stadium
588 E Alma (Senter & Alma)
For more information please call at 408-266-3790 x578.

The Iraqi Labor Movement and the US Occupation
Learn from two officers of the General Union of Oil Workers in Basrah what the occupation has meant for working people and the labor movement. Hassan Juma'a Awad Al Asada and Faleh Abbood Umara will speak and answer questions on: How the US still enforces Saddam Hussein's 1987 law banning unions for most Iraqi workers. How workers have successfully resisted privatization of Iraqi workplaces. Why the oil workers' union calls for an immediate end to occupation and for dismantling of all military bases. Join us as we learn how the occupation has affected their lives and what we can do to support them.
Sunday, June 19
1:30-3:30 pm
SEIU Local 715 Office
2302 Zanker Rd (Between Brokaw & Trimble Rd.)

Govenor in San Jose Today

2005-05-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

GOVERNOR'S EVENT AT 10:30 AM
Let's show the Governor he has to STOP the attacks on working families!
Bring signs, banners, and people!
Indian Ave & Laguna Seca

Another day in paradise

2005-05-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

Great Rally on May 11th!

2005-05-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

From CSUEU Administrator Virginia Watts:
Great Rally on May 11th! 70 + CSUEU members volunteered their own time to journey to the Chancellor's Office to the Board of Trustees and demand Raises, Rights, Respect! And there were many other rallies with hundreds of CSUEU and CFA employees on campuses to support our cause.

Here's the message: "As reopener bargaining begins CSUEU employees will not be passed over again. We are essential to the mission of the CSU and we need appropriate compensation for the crucial services we provide.

We are the first-line employees who meet, greet, and facilitate student access to the University. We are doing more and more with less and less. Don't use our salary savings to redecorate offices, provide adminstrative perks, or new buildings. Support your staff, or we won't be able to support you."

See our website soon for pics and quotes. Stay tuned -- there's much more to follow.

Strike Averted

2005-05-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Bargaining Update May 11: Tentative Agreement Reached! - Strike Averted

Great news!! We have reached a tentative agreement with the University and have therefore called off the Unfair Labor Practice strike scheduled for Thursday, May 12th.

The agreement is contingent on ratification by our members and the CSU Trustees. We will begin the process of ratification immediately, which consists of a meeting at which members can discuss the tentative agreement and a vote on whether to approve the agreement. We will send out the details of the ratification process for each campus in a separate email.

We appreciate all of your support, organizing efforts and commitment. This is a historic first agreement for our unit and it would not have been possible without the hard work and support of our membership.

In Solidarity,

The CAASE/UAW Bargaining Committee

Strike tomorrow at SJSU?

2005-05-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

From Union HQ:
UAW may be on strike tomorrow, May 12th, at our campuses. While CSUEU strongly supports our UAW brothers and sisters, our contract prohibits us from participating in any strike activity during work hours.

CSUEU represented employees may participate in picket lines on their own time should they choose to do so. They also may use personal time to join with the strikers or refuse to cross the picket line.

Let your conscious be your guide. If you have any questions, please call our HQ’s office at 916/319-4800.

Be free to blog safely!

2005-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Electronic Freedom Foundation has posted this for those of us who are bloggers but have good cause to fear retribution for saying what we feel to be things that need to be said. On my desk I have a copy of Mark Gen's business card. Gen was Product Manager at Google and was fired by Google for what he wrote about in his blog. Retribution happens folks! If you need protection when you blog, heed these words!

My sister Lura's memorial is tomorrow

2005-03-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

On September 16, 1942, my sister Lura was born in Parsons, Kansas. She died on March 7th of this year. I don't know what I can say about my wonderful and all of the good things she has done for so many people. I made this movie [ 45 MB, Quicktime Movie ] about her life. It only touches the surface of the love she had for so many, and the love we have for her.

If you do not already have it, this movie requires Apple's Quicktime Player.