Welcome Back!
Today, Friday 23 August, marks the end of the Summer break and the last work day prior to the start of the Fall 2019 Semester. Friday is faculty FLEX day, so most faculty will be back on campus attending their professional growth workshops as we did last Friday during CPD Day.
The start of this 2019-20 Academic Year will bring many new changes. Some of these changes are major, such as the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF). This new formula will determine how much money the college receives from the state. In the past, funding was primarily based on full-time equivalent (FTE) students and growth. Now, under this new formula, FTEs are only 70 percent of the amount received. The rest is based on the number of transfer students, certificates and degrees awarded, and financial aid disbursed (for more information about the SCFF, follow this link to the California Community Colleges web site for the SCFF http://bit.ly/30w79vW).
Mt. SAC is still ahead of most California community colleges in the system as far as available and reserve funding is concerned. Like most community colleges, though, Mt. SAC is not yet fully aware of the impact the new funding formula will have on the college or the budgeting process. Extremely cautious budgeting is expected for the next few years while we shake out the kinks and work out the bugs of the new funding formula’s impact.
Arguably the biggest change affecting CSEA members directly, though, will be transitioning from the CalPERS Health Benefit plan to the SISC Health Benefit Plan. The Human Resources Benefits Office will be launching a new web site very soon with information about the plans, rates, and the forms needed to enroll. The Benefits site will also be easier for campus employee groups to find the information specific to their group. Once the site is launched, look for our Chapter 262 logo and click on it. This will link you to the CSEA 262 specific information (https://www.mtsac.edu/hr/benefits/). Open enrollment will begin soon as well. Once the new site is launched, you will be notified by both the Benefits Office and by your Chapter 262 leadership.
Please note that all CSEA 262 members must enroll during the open enrollment period. If you do not select a plan during open enrollment, the District will enroll you in the single-person plan, which you will not be able to change until next year’s open enrollment or a qualifying life-event occurs. You will have plenty of time to research the various plans and ask questions before open enrollment ends. Also remember that your current health plan, all your doctors and medications and treatments are unchanged but will end on December 31, 2019. The new medical plans will be effective January 1, 2020. You should receive new health insurance cards and related information sometime in late November or December. As with most new things, we may experience some growing pains along the way. We will work it out together.
Welcome (back) to Mt. SAC!
Successor Agreement Survey Coming Soon
While your Chapter Negotiations Team continues to complete the negotiations cycle for the 2019 Year 3 contract (including the transition to SISC Health Benefit Plans), preparations are beginning for the Successor Agreement Negotiations. Chapter 262 must submit its initial proposal for bargaining to the District by the last working day in October. According to CSEA Policy, the Negotiating Team must survey its members to ascertain what to negotiate.
During successor agreement negotiations, there are no limitations (other than what can be reasonably negotiated in the given time period) as to what issues or how many are negotiated. The Chapter can negotiate terms of any article, completely rewrite any article, remove an article, or even create a completely new article. The only requirement is that CSEA 262 notify the District what “subjects” Chapter 262 would like to negotiate and what the general purpose goal is. For example, we would state, “Article 16: Evaluations. Improving and the evaluation process and form.”
Your Chapter 262 leadership and negotiations team would like you to start thinking about what you would like to be negotiated. Members, as always, will decide what subjects are to be negotiated. As you read through the contract, what do you think needs improvement? Should any articles or provisions be removed? Do we need to add a new Article or new provisions of an existing article? Do we need to create a whole new article? What in the contract is not working well and needs to be changed? These are a few questions to consider as you consider what you want your Chapter 262 Negotiating Team to negotiate. Anything reasonable can be negotiated.
Look for the announcement of the survey soon. Chapter members will need to ratify the initial proposal at the September or October Chapter meeting so it can be presented to the District by the end of October. Negotiations will begin by February 2020.
Welcome to Mt. SAC: New Classified Professionals
At the July and August Board meetings, the following classified professionals were hired or promoted:
Permanent New Hires
Brandon Aponte, Information Technology Support Specialist (Help Desk)
Daniel Berumen, Senior Research Analyst (Research and Institutional Effectiveness)
Jamie Carranza, Student Services Program Specialist II (Counseling)
Allan Castillo, Senior Systems Analyst/Programmer (Information Technology)
Wendi English, Administrative Specialist I (Community and Contract Education)
Cheri Hollenbeck, Laboratory Assistant — Child Development Observation (Business)
Jacinta Jocson, Project/Program Specialist (Strong Workforce)
Desiree Landeros, Administrative Specialist I (Financial Aid)
Eric Lopez-Blount, Administrative Specialist I (Financial Aid)
Gabrielle Quiroz, Student Services Program Specialist II (Student Life)
Jaime Rodriguez, Senior Research Analyst (Research and Institutional Effectiveness)
Shantel Sanchez, Administrative Specialist I (Child Development Center)
Brenda Ton Ho, Admissions and Records Specialist I (English as a Second Language)
Promotions
Priscilla Romero, Fiscal Specialist (Fiscal Services)
Vivian Ruiz, Administrative Specialist IV (Administrative Services)
Shoshawna Smith, Dispatcher II (Police and Campus Safety)
Jazmin Vargas, Coordinator, Project/Program (Financial Aid)
If you happen to see any of these colleagues during your day, extend a warm welcome, invite them to lunch, show them around, and make them feel welcome. Bring them along to the next Chapter meeting so they can introduce themselves.
Selection Committee Representatives Still Needed
Mt. SAC’s most important asset is its employees, because without exceptional administrators and managers, faculty, and classified professionals, Mt. SAC might as well be a parking lot. Exceptional employees ensure Mt. SAC lives up to its mission of providing quality education to the community it serves. You were not hired just to fill a vacancy. You were hired because you are an extraordinary worker doing essential work. To continue hiring exceptional employees, however, Mt. SAC and CSEA Chapter 262 need your help.
CSEA 262 needs you to volunteer as a CSEA representative for selection committees. We currently have an urgent need to place six CSEA members on selection committees! To serve as a CSEA 262 representative, you must first, of course, be a Chapter member. If you are not a member and would like to join, visit our Chapter 262 web site and join today. You also cannot be an employee in the same department that is recruiting the new employee. The college is committed to diversity and equity, so your participation helps the college meet these goals.
Please consider volunteering for a selection committee when you see the announcements. For more information or to volunteer to serve on a committee, please contact Marlene Espina (vp2@csea262.orgor mespina@mtsac.edu).
Upcoming EEO Training
CSEA 262 needs you to volunteer as a CSEA representative for selection committees, but to serve on these committees you must also attend a Selection Committee/EEO training within the last two years. If you have not yet received this training, the next available training will be Thursday, September 5 at 2pm. Please register at the Professional and Organizational Development Activities Calendar (https://bit.ly/320e80J) and log in to register.
Upcoming CSEA Training Opportunities
CSEA prides itself on offering members the training they need to succeed. CSEA staff work side by side with member-volunteers who can teach you everything you need to know, from how to get the most at the bargaining table to how to create a chapter Web site. Listed below are upcoming training opportunities. All trainings below are held at the Santa Fe Field Office in El Monte. The address, phone numbers, and link to register will be found on the web site link below. You must be registered and log in to the CSEA.COM web site to register for training classes. ALL TRAININGS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS! If you are not yet a member and would like to join, contact anyone on the Chapter 262 Executive Board.
If you considering becoming a Chapter Union Steward or would just like to learn more about your rights, the CSEA Santa Fe Field Office is offering the steward training series now through November. Union Steward Training dates are listed below. To become a steward, you need to take all three classes in order. Other field offices also offer the training on different dates. If you want to see the full schedule of training, click on the link below to the training directory. Contact the SFFO if you are interested or talk to the Chapter Chief Steward Liz Jauregui via e-mail at chiefsteward@csea262.org or call 909.274.5342.
Union Steward Training Level 1 • Saturday, September 14, 2019 8:30am • 6 hours
Union Steward Training Level 2 • Saturday, October 19, 2019 8:30am • 6 hours
Union Steward Training Level 3 • Saturday, November 23, 2019 8:30am • 6 hours (Thanksgiving is Nov. 27)
For information or to register, contact Santa Fe Field Office at 626.258.3315 or 800.988.6949 ext. 3315 or e-mail sfforsvp@csea.com.
https://www.csea.com/web/Training/CSEA-Training-Directory
“To improve the lives of our members, students, and community.”
CSEA Chapter 262 • 1100 N. Grand Avenue Walnut, California 91789 • 909.274.6262 • www.csea262.org