On Monday, March 5, at the end of the reception for
classified employees in the Staff Lounge, John Mercer, President; Alex Drake,
Vice President of Local 707; Michael Allen, General Manager of Local 707; Roz
Ringle, Elections Committee member; Cathleen
Cummings, newsletter assistant; and Ann Samson, Elections Committee member counted ballots
for the Negotiation Team. Elected were John Hemenway, Shirley Davis, Jeff
Holzworth, and Charles Gachet. Out of 101 ballots cast, one contained two
write-ins for people who declined to serve, and three ballots were rejected for
not meeting published standards (no membership verification on the back of the
envelope).
A joint training of District and
Classified negotiations team members will take place as soon as it can be
arranged.
Heartiest thanks to all candidates who were willing to run. Serving on this team is a commitment to one's co-workers, representing a significant sacrifice of personal time and effort. Although Don Jones, former Union President, was not elected, 54 members regard him enough to have voted for him, and the Classified Advisory Council hopes he will use his influence in some capacity to improve our general condition.
The Classified Staffing
Committee recently met and joined IPC's (Institutional Planning Council)
recommendation that the standards and procedures for approving classified
positions developed last spring by the Classified Staffing Task Force be
implemented. This recommendation to Dr. Agrella, shared with the Board and the
public in August, sets forth a
clear set of standards for reviewing and approving positions, whether new
positions or increases in hours of existing positions. It has been several years
since we have had a clearly understood procedure for addressing staffing needs,
and this process is intended to regularize the process.
Zoe Forbes, former member of the
Classified Negotiation Team, has completed Steward training and was recommended
by Field Agent Steve O'Keefe and approved by Classified Advisory Council to join
Millie Tripp and Ann Samson as a steward. Stewards act as advocates for members
of the classified unit in the area of wages, hours, and working conditions, on
the employee's request. Stewards are not intended to act as mediators in
inter-personal disputes between and among co-workers nor between employees and
their supervisors but are trained to read and interpret the contract between the
District and SEIU and to otherwise advocate for your employment rights.
It’s Your Turn!
Any current SEIU Member interested in serving on the
Classification Study Committee, please contact John Mercer who is formulating a
list of potential candidates to fill one open position.
The CSC meets on an as needed basis to review job
descriptions of new positions and to place positions on the salary schedule
using the Hay Methodology. The remaining members of the CSC will train the
chosen candidate in the Hay Classification Methodology.
Power Source Support! Is
there anyone interested in writing an article for the Power Source? If you are
interested, contact Doug at 527-4654
or <dkuula@santarosa.edu>.
CAC Bylaws Update! Please remember to check the current and proposed
CAC bylaws posted on the SEIU, Local 707 website at http://www.santarosa.edu/seiu/.
Get your comments to any of the CAC members.