December 2002

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The new General Membership Bylaws were approved at the December 4th SEIU General Membership Meeting by a landslide vote. Thank you. The document was a huge investment of time, with council members spending many, many hours writing, reviewing, and discussing the bylaws. In essence, the new bylaws more clearly delineate the terms "fee payer" and "union member;" redefines the election process and running for CEC office; changes the name of the governing body of the SRJC Chapter of SEIU Local 707 from the Classified Advisory Committee to the Classified Executive Council; and establishes the composition of the council.
Betty Larson raised a good question during the membership meeting pertaining to Article 3 Section 2-Dues. Ann is currently looking into the matter and will report back to the membership. If a change in the bylaws is warranted, an amendment will be drafted and forthcoming to the membership for a vote.
Thank you to all the council members who participated in this process, and to Steve O'Keefe and Michael Allen for their guidance.

As a member of the Classified Executive Council (I represent the stewards), I participated in reviewing the applications for classification review submitted by members of our unit and assisted the Negotiations Team in developing SEIU's proposal to the District, due on November 30. At the general membership meetings earlier this month, we shared with you the groups we proposed for review:

1. Administrative Assistant Series

2. Bookstore Family

3. Custodial Technicians

At our general membership meeting on the 4th and 5th, there was no time on the agenda to report stewards' activities on your behalf. Most of what we do is confidential, so what follows is an outline of the issues:

Working Out Of Class: We have succeeded in getting approved disputed claims for out-of-class work; it is important to remember that the percentage of out-of-class pay is not a flat 10% but variable depending on the amount of work an employee performs beyond his/her job classification up to 10%.

Shift Differentials: Most of our success has been in clarifying the terms of differentials. The language influencing shift-differential pay is closely tied to the language of the Hours of Employment article. Since this issue is still under dispute, we continue to struggle with management about it. One issue we have succeeded in clarifying is that shift differentials are not variable but are 5% of the employee's salary for the period s/he is working an eligible shift. We expect the differentials language to come to the table for revision.

Transfer And Promotion Eligibility: With a number of retirements and other vacancies, the transfer and promotion language in our contract is serving both employees interested in a change and departments with vacancies that may be able to fill them without enduring the extended public recruitment process. SEIU and management have held a number of contentious meetings about transfer and promotion eligibility, resulting in a less restrictive, more inclusive application of this process and, therefore, more opportunity for employees. The ability of employees to apply for transfer or promotion opportunities does not guarantee that they will he chosen; management has the right to open recruitment to the general public, and employees have the right to request a written report of the reasons they were not chosen.

Evaluations Workshops: As a result of some very serious problems employees have experienced because of being unaware or failing to take advantage of their rights in the evaluation process, the stewards will conduct several Evaluations workshops after Winter Break. We will hold them at both campuses and at Windsor. The interaction we have with you will be valuable to SEIU's participation in revamping the evaluation process that was identified as needing improvement by the Accreditation team that made its visit and report in the fall. These workshops will focus on the time period during which your evaluation should take place, the period it should cover, the aspects of your performance it may cover, your opportunity to set goals and identify supervisors' support for reaching those goals, the conference you and supervisors should have to discuss its contents, your responsibility to sign it, your right to rebut it, and the potential consequences of your failing to do so in a timely manner. Watch for notices of the schedule of workshops.
If you have a question about your working conditions, please call the Stewards' Shop at 522-2758. We check this line daily, and one of us will call you back to see how we can assist you. There are six of us: Zoe Forbes, Bob Peterson, Ann Samson, Ann Sebastian, Esther Soto, and Virginia Zola. When we need help, we call our Local 707 Field Rep, Steve O'Keefe. It's easier to resolve a problem earlier than later. Give us a call; we're in your corner!

A Memorandum of Understanding between SEIU and the District pertaining to health insurance coverage for regular full-time and regular part-time classified employees (50% FTE or greater) has been signed. The memo establishes Health Net as the health insurance to replace Health Plan of the Redwoods effective November 1, 2002.
In the past, the same HMO policy under HPR covered classified employees living in both Sonoma County and those living in Lake and Mendocino counties. Health Net does not currently offer its HMO policy to those living in Lake and Mendocino counties, considered outside the Health Net HMO service area. For these employees, the college purchased a PPO health insurance plan through Health Net.
I don't know how many of you have had experience with a PPO. A PPO is a different type of plan than an HMO. Under an HMO, an individual (the insured) pays a set dollar amount co-pay for medical services received, and is restricted to a specific network of doctors, specialists, and other medical service providers. Referrals for medical services must be generated from the individual's primary care physician. Under a PPO plan, the insured may "self-refer" - meaning see a doctor, specialist, or medical service provider of their choice. Sounds great, but there is a $$$ trade-off. A PPO is more costly, both in terms of premium for the policy as well as out-of-pocket expenses for the insured. Under a PPO, each member must first satisfy a calendar year deductible before most medical services are reimbursed. (Doctor visits are exempt and may be accessed for a co-pay). Once the deductibles are met, the PPO reimburses the insured for "customary and usual charges" - in other words, what the insurance company considers the cost of a service to be worth. The insured is liable for the different between the fee for service and the actual billed amount, plus a % co-insurance fee.
Under the terms of the Memo of Understanding, the district agrees to continue paying the entire health insurance premium for all regular full-time classified and on a prorated basis for regular part-time classified (50% FTE or greater) through June 30, 2002. The District also agrees to reimburse employees covered under the HMO health plan $500 for hospitalization or out-patient surgery, $50 for emergency room, and $25 for urgent care. For those living outside the HMO service area and covered under the PPO, the District agrees to reimburse the employee for the calendar year deductible.
Effective January 1, 2003, the District will offer the Medicash Option (previously offered only to management) in lieu of District-provided health plan benefits. And on July 1, 2003, the existing practice that allows double health insurance coverage to an employee who is married/partnered to another employee working for the college, will end.
All aspects of health benefits, for the next contractual period beginning July 1, 2003, will be subject to negotiation.
During spring SEIU will be sending out a survey to determine the level of satisfaction employees are experiencing with their Health Net coverage. In the meantime, if you have any questions about your health coverage be sure to contact Louise Burke in the Human Resources Department, at extension 4304. A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding is included on page 4 of this newsletter... and on the web here.

I am working with the Local to fund a graphics account so we can print the Power Source on campus. Currently, Cornell Chesnik from the Electronic Technology Department makes a trip downtown to the Local to have the Power Source copied. We are hoping that future editions will be much more readable.

Congratulations to Alex Drake of the English Department on being re-elected as the Vice President of SEIU Local 707.

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