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President’s Message 2 81st Conference Report 3 Who Prints Your Newsletter? 3 Executive Board Members 4 Union Trivia answers 4 Who ya gonna call? 4 Union News You Can Use 5 CSEA Member Spotlight 6 CSEA Holiday Luncheon 7 Chapter Calendar 8 Inside This Issue Connect to CSEA by logging in at http://chapter33.csea.com Volume 2, Issue 1 January 2008 SAN MATEO COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT CALIFORNIA SCHOOL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION CHAPTER 33 NEWSLETTER Union Film Trivia: Salt of the Earth (1954) is one of the best films about Unions ever made in the United States. Esperanza Quintero (Rosaura Revueltas) prepares to wash the laundry as the film opens. Whose eventually washes the clothes? What two songs do the women on the picket line sing in the film? What does Esperanza gain at the end of the film? Answer all three questions. A winner will be randomly chosen from all cor- rect entries and will receive a pair of movie tickets. Email answers to [email protected]. CSEA Voices Resolutions for the New Year with a Union twist? Why? Well, why not? YOUR union contract will play a vital role in your economic livelihood each day of the new year. That’s why. Your paycheck, your benefits and other rights described in your CSEA con- tract enabled you to take part in the economy. My resolutions for 2008 start with my unfinished resolutions from 2007. My Union resolutions for 2008 are as follows: Call my State Representative & State Senator again and tell them I support SB840 Invite other members to the monthly Chapter 33 meetings (see calendar on page 8) Vote for pro-CSEA legislation February 5th, 2008 (see page 5) Come up with better Union Trivia (that isn't so trivial) Attend a training offered by the South Bay CSEA Field Office Read the current Chapter 33 contract more often What about you? If nothing else, resolve to read YOUR Chapter 33 newsletter! 2008: Resolutions for the New Year? Photos from the 2007 CSEA Holiday Luncheon celebration (continues on page 7) Maggie Ko, Medeline Lowe (standing), Ann Mitchell and Kay Rabb Linda Herda, Donna Elliott, Mike Celeste (standing), Marian Kelly, Ruth Miller (standing), Gunilla Harshman and Dennis Tordesillas Viva Las CSEA! Can you believe how fast time flies? Seems like just yesterday, I was standing on a side- walk down south, where someone was holding a heater-fan about 5 inches from me with it turned to HIGH and that was in the shade! Then I realized I was in Las VEGas!!!! I had been chosen by a vote of CSEA members within our District last April 2007 to attend the CSEA 81 st Annual State Conference scheduled for July 29 through August 4 th . Chapter President Ulysses Guadamuz, Past President Charles Jones and Chapter member Russell Cunningham were also chosen by a vote to attend. (continues page 3) By Cass Christian, Admissions & Records, Skyline College

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Page 1: C SEA V o i c es

President’s Message 2

81st Conference Report 3

Who Prints Your Newsletter? 3

Executive Board Members 4

Union Trivia answers 4

Who ya gonna call? 4

Union News You Can Use 5

CSEA Member Spotlight 6

CSEA Holiday Luncheon 7

Chapter Calendar 8

Inside This Issue

Connect to CSEA by logging in at http://chapter33.csea.com

Volume 2, Issue 1 January 2008

SAN MATEO COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT CALIFORNIA SCHOOL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

CHAPTER 33 NEWSLETTER

Union Film Trivia: Salt of the Earth (1954) is one of the best films about Unions ever made in the United States. Esperanza Quintero (Rosaura Revueltas) prepares to wash the laundry as the film opens. Whose eventually washes the clothes? What two songs do the women on the picket line sing in the film? What does Esperanza gain at the end of the film? Answer all three questions. A winner will be randomly chosen from all cor-rect entries and will receive a pair of movie tickets. Email answers to [email protected].

CSEA Voices

Resolutions for the New Year with a Union twist? Why? Well, why not? YOUR union contract will play a vital role in your economic livelihood each day of the new year. That’s why. Your paycheck, your benefits and other rights described in your CSEA con-tract enabled you to take part in the economy. My resolutions for 2008 start with my unfinished resolutions from 2007. My Union resolutions for 2008 are as follows:

Call my State Representative & State Senator again and tell them I support SB840 Invite other members to the monthly Chapter 33 meetings (see calendar on page 8) Vote for pro-CSEA legislation February 5th, 2008 (see page 5) Come up with better Union Trivia (that isn't so trivial) Attend a training offered by the South Bay CSEA Field Office Read the current Chapter 33 contract more often What about you? If nothing else, resolve to read YOUR Chapter 33 newsletter!

2008: Resolutions for the New Year?

Photos from the 2007 CSEA Holiday Luncheon celebration (continues on page 7)

Maggie Ko, Medeline Lowe (standing), Ann Mitchell and Kay Rabb

Linda Herda, Donna Elliott, Mike Celeste (standing), Marian Kelly, Ruth Miller (standing), Gunilla

Harshman and Dennis Tordesillas

Viva Las CSEA!

Can you believe how fast time flies? Seems like just yesterday, I was standing on a side-walk down south, where someone was holding a heater-fan about 5 inches from me with it turned to HIGH and that was in the shade! Then I realized I was in Las VEGas!!!!

I had been chosen by a vote of CSEA members within our District last April 2007 to attend the CSEA 81st Annual State Conference scheduled for July 29 through August 4th. Chapter President Ulysses Guadamuz, Past President Charles Jones and Chapter member Russell Cunningham were also chosen by a vote to attend. (continues page 3)

By Cass Christian, Admissions & Records, Skyline College

Page 2: C SEA V o i c es

President’s Message

P A G E 2 C S E A V O I C E S

Here at CSEA headquarters in San Jose, we have a staff of trained Public Relations profession-als. So who do you think the most important PR people are in CSEA? The PR Staff? PR Commit-tee? The Association President? No; CSEA’s best PR people are you, the members of CSEA. Who better knows the commitment classified employees make each and every day? Do we expect you to go out and solicit the local media for publicity? No, we can leave that for the pros. But there is no shortage of opportunities to promote who classified employees are, and what we do for the communities we live and work in. So the answer to my question is simple…you are the most important PR person in CSEA. How do you do this, you may ask? Really there is little or no extra effort required. I take great pride in being a classified employee, and the vast majority of the members that I meet and talk with feel the exact same way. So beyond just showing the pride in our craft, and doing the best job we know how to do, and focusing our efforts on what’s best for the students we serve, what can we do? We can talk about our efforts, both at work and in our communities, and we can make the connection between who we are as classified employees and also as upstanding members of our community and CSEA. Our union is forever involved in political and social issues. Our Board of Directors is consistently taking positions on bills that affect the quality of education in our public schools and colleges. And very often we partner with other organiza-tions on social issues that also have an impact on the students we serve. The 37 million residents of this state – the par-ents of the kids we work with at our schools and colleges, legislators, taxpayers, local media, business and community leaders –voters, don’t know who we are. And how can we ask and expect them to support us if they don’t understand who we are. They may know us as individuals, but they don’t know that we make up the California School Employees Association. It’s our job to communicate who we are to the general public. Imagine the challenge of asking someone to change their opinion of unions or public employees if they can’t envision who they are supporting. Together we must make the con-nection between who you are, what you do and the organization that stands behind you. The voters of California need to connect the well being of their children with the efforts of CSEA members. CSEA is not an organization of faceless workers, but the people you already know and love at your kid’s school. We need to connect with our communities be-cause they can lead the fight for our issues. Take the time to express the pride you have for the job you do and let everyone know, that you are a Classified School Employee and a proud member of CSEA. The students deserve the best, and with you, they have it. In strength and unity, Rob Feckner, Association President

Rob Feckner

Do you know who prints your CSEA Chapter newsletter, CSEA Voices? Now that you have your copy of CSEA Voices in your hands, have you ever wondered who prints it and where it is printed? It is not easy to know the answer. Yes, there are by-lines and email addresses of contact people listed in the newsletter but where does it say who printed it and where? It doesn't.

In the world that we inhabit, most human artifacts we encounter do not readily identify who is responsible for their material fact. As members of a Union, it is important for all of us to remember that someone labored to make the thing you are reading. Moreover, the fact is, that no matter what ideas the writers and editor of CSEA Voices have in mind, only when the newsletter gets printed is it a newsletter.

So, who do you think prints your CSEA newsletter? Kinkos? An administrative assistant in the Chancellor's office? An IT person controlling a network of printers in Building 34? What about those digital recording facilities at KCSM TV Master Control in the basement of Building 9? No, it's none of the above. Your union newsletter is printed by Kathy Z-

Taylor, a Classified staff member, Joseph Cabaltica, a short term temp and Gilbert Bui, a student assistant in the Graphic Arts/Production Department at Skyline College.

Thank you all for making the idea of a Union newsletter our CSEA Chapter 33 newsletter.

Is there a Union perspective on the current Subprime Mortgage crisis? Absolutely! It’s just not easy to find, You cannot expect to be informed by the corporate media system that surrounds us. Here is where to go: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/23/ED6BU1DDN.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

You are CSEA's best public relations person

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P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

(continued from page 1, Viva Las CSEA!)

SATURDAY The week began for me with a flight to Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon, then grab-bing my checked suitcase and hopping on a bus destined for my hotel, The Paris! Ooh-La-La! This Paris Hotel is Elegant beyond words, really. You can only imagine just so much. It is truly beautiful, every detail of it. Being the only female from the Chapter to attend, I had a room to myself and what a PRINCESS ROOM I had! And for some reason, I think my room was upgraded a bit. I had a separate bath and changing area, as well as a writing desk – I’ve never had it so good! And I’ll tell you, at 50 years of age, my thoughts were “well it’s about time!” I deSERVE this fabulous treatment. Doesn’t everybody??????

That evening I met up with Ulysses and Charles for dinner. Even at this early point in the conference, I really enjoyed the camaraderie we were building. The next morn-ing Russ Cunningham joined us. Now our team was ready for ACTion.

SUNDAY The week began with Registration on Sunday around noon. Registration included receiving a THICK binder of activities and a name tag that is to be worn at all times while on the Convention Floor. No Name Tag – No Entry onto the Con-vention Floor. I was given a NEWBEE Button and Ribbon to wear so that other delegates would help me if I needed it.

There were approximately 2000 delegates from all over the State of California, mostly from K-12 and the Community Col-leges, which included every school district north to south and east to west. The dedicated delegates came together to conduct the business of CSEA. Our District was well represented with our Area B Director, Michael Mazzanti and our Regional Representative, Kay Kekauoha.

DURING THE WEEK On Monday morning, there was a New Delegate Orientation. The delegates who attended were given information about how the week would flow, the basic ground rules for the Convention and ‘general housekeeping tips’ for attend-ing the workshops and being on the Convention Floor.

The business of the union during the Conference requires a delegate read, listen, vote, debate, concur, disagree and at-tend meetings. Your opinions on any given resolution which is open for debate on the floor can be voiced at micro-phones during the Convention. It was all so interesting to me. I had no idea that I would enjoy participating in business of CSEA throughout the week until I experienced it first hand.

During the week, many guests spoke to the Convention delegates. One of our Guest Speakers was Mr. John J. Sweeney, the AFL-CIO President. CSEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and as such, CSEA benefits from the hard work of Mr. Sweeney. We also were fortunate to have speak to us the author of the book “The Pursuit of Happyness”, Chris Gardner. He was SO interesting. I was on the edge of my chair listening to him narrate a part of his true life experience. What a story! I bought his book after his talk. I would highly recommend his book.

In addition to the speakers, there were many workshops during the Convention. A delegate is free to select the ones that would benefit them the most. And so, during a given day, a delegate can attend one workshop and then another. These workshops ran the gamut from Part-timer Benefits to Civil Rights/Social Justice, to Identity Theft and Gang Infor-mation Educators Need to Know and MANY others, too numerous to mention here.

Since I work in the Admissions Office at Skyline College, I felt it was important to attend the Identity Theft workshop. Knowing more about this subject would be helpful if it ever happened at our campus. A fantastic workshop I attended was the Kids in Chaos with Ray Culberson as the Presenter. This workshop gave attendees strategies to deal with difficult students by informing us of the many issues that some of our youth are facing today and possibly bring with them when attending Community College.

Ray had an impact on the way I view incoming new youth at our Admissions Counter. We really do not know what some of these kids have had to live through prior to coming to college. This workshop really raised my awareness about the compassion needed when reaching out to new students coming into the Admissions Office. I feel my ability to over-look defensive attitudes in some of the young people today was strengthened. Ray also mentioned the importance of building relationships with students based on trust. If we’re going to ask them to continue their educa-tion at Skyline, students need to feel they can trust us to support their endeavors. I also learned that it is important to look beyond their words and to have a basic understanding of the lack of trust students might possess. Moreover, how I treat a student on that first day of class when they are standing there before me could make all the difference in their future. One wrong word or look could send them away and you wouldn’t even know the powerful impact you have made. (continues on page 7).

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P A G E 4 C S E A V O I C E S

CSEA South Bay Field Office Training Opportunity — Job Steward: Basic Consists of 9 hours of training dedicated to learning the A, B, C’s of being a Job Steward. When? March 11, 18, & 25, 2008, 5-8pm (This is a three part training). Where? San Mateo Country Office of Education, 101 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City. Contact Stacy Trujillo at 800-487-2440 X7991 to register and to get directions.

Executive Board Members, Chapter 33

Who ya gonna call? CSEA Scholarships—Apply NOW! until March 31

Since the early 1960s, CSEA's Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1 million to members and their dependents who want to begin or continue their secondary education. Scholarships of $1,000 are awarded to recipients based on academic achievement, character, leadership and extracurricular activi-ties within the community. Financial need may also be taken into consideration. There are graduating high school senior, community college and college or vocational school scholarships. Return a com-pleted CSEA Scholarship application along with a copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can download the FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Applications are accepted from Jan. 1 through March 31 and will be available at csea.com/scholarships.

Answers to Union Trivia Questions from the November 2007 CSEA Newsletter

Union Film Trivia: Who was the influential CSEA member who edited the documentary Golden Lands, Working Hands, a ten-part, three hour video series about California labor history? Clyde Riv-ers, of course.

Union Music Trivia: The song, “You’ve Got To Walk That Lonesome Valley” was adapted by Woody Guthie into a Union song entitled “You’ve Got to Go Down and Join That Union.”

President......................................................... Ulysses Guadamuz............... 650 524-6968

1st Vice President/ Chief Job Steward Annette Perot........................ 650 574-6328

Treasurer ........................................................ Brian Tupper ......................... 650 574-6415

Secretary......................................................... Jeanne Stalker...................... 650 574-6495

Worksite Vice President, Skyline .................... Richard Tidd ......................... 650 738-4143

Worksite Vice President, CSM/District ............ Kathy Chaika ........................ 650 574-6209

Worksite Vice President, Cañada.................... Martyns Kanu........................ 650 306-3265

Past President................................................. Charles Jones....................... 650 574-6517

Steward, CSM................................................. Chuck La Mere ..................... 650 574-6109

Steward, District Office.................................... Stephanie Samuelsen........... 650 358-6730

Steward, Cañada ............................................ Maria Lara-Blanco ................ 650 306-3122

Steward, Cañada ............................................ Mario Peña ........................... 650 306-3272

Steward, Skyline ............................................. Catherine (Cass) Christian.... 650 738-4453

Steward, Skyline ............................................. Steven Cornejo ..................... 650 738-4301

Parliamentarian............................................... Richard Tidd ......................... 650 738-4143

Chapter Political Action Coordinator (CPAC) .. Charles Jones....................... 650 574-6517

Chapter Public Relations Officer (CPRO) ....... Herb Mintz ............................ 650 524-6960

Webmaster/Web Designer .............................. Alejo Vasquez....................... 650 306-3170

Regional Representative Region 5.................. Kay Kekauoha ...................... 650 802 5576

Labor Relations Representative...................... Diana Hull ............................. 415 242 0396

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P A G E 5

UNION NEWS YOU CAN USE

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Classified Employees and their Personnel Files— What rights do you have?

Your employer, the San Mateo County Community College District, keeps your Personnel file in the Human Resources Department at the District Office. Your Personnel file contains your official records, such as Personnel Action Forms, Per-formance Evaluations and Request for Classification Review documents. These and other records comprise your perma-nent file. These records form the basis for any decisions affecting your employment. Personnel files kept by supervisors are not your official Personnel file.

You have a right to see the contents of your Personnel file. This right is guaranteed by State of California law under the Education Code Section 87031 To read the Ed Code for yourself go to this link <http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycodesection=edc&group=8700188000&file=87031-87045>. You have a right to view your Personnel file at a time when you are not required to provide service to your employer. In other words, you must view your Personnel file on your own time. You can review all materials in your file except pre-employment records, examination committee re-cords or promotional examination records. You have a right to have a copy of the contents of your file with the excep-tion of the above. You have the right to access numerical scores obtained as the result of a written examination.

You have the right to respond to any negative documents placed in your file and have your response attached to the negative document. This process shall take place during normal business hours and the employee shall be released from duty for this purpose without salary reduction. This is open ended and there is no time limit. You don’t have to finish your response at one sitting. It is important to rebut any negative documents as soon as possible.

Know Your Rights!

CSEA endorses Propositions 92 and 93 on the February 5th ballot: Benefits classified school employees If approved by voters, Proposition 92 would guarantee that community colleges statewide have adequate re-sources to accommodate the state’s growing student population and would set student fees at $15 per unit while limiting future fee increases to no more than the cost of living. The community college initiative would also help secure classified jobs at the community college level. In the past, when the state finds itself short of funds, it has resorted to cutting back personnel and programs at community colleges.

CSEA has also endorsed Proposition 93, the term limits initiative. This initiative would reduce the total time legisla-tors can serve in the California Legislature from 14 to 12 years, but it would allow legislators to serve the entire 12 years in one house of the Legislature, either in the Assembly or in the Senate, or a combination of both.

This initiative is good for classified employees because it would allow legislators to serve more time in one house (Assembly or Senate) so they can gain important knowledge about education funding and other issues that are important to classified employees. The term limits initiative will help keep labor- and education-friendly legislators in one house of the California Legislature longer, so they can build expertise and leadership on education, labor, health and other issues that are important to CSEA. It will also reduce partisan-ship by ending the constant campaign cycle. This will empower legislators to work more effectively together across partisan lines, instead of planning their next campaign. When you head to the polls on Feb. 5, please consider supporting propositions 92 and 93.

CSEA opposes 94, 95, 96, 97 (Gaming Initiatives) on the Feb 5 ballot:: harmful to workers Last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed four bills expanding tribal gaming in California. If approved by voters, these bills would become law. CSEA and other labor unions oppose this proposed expansion in tribal gaming because it doesn’t include protections for workers.

CSEA opposes AB 1X 1 (Nunez) – Inadequate healthcare reform

CSEA has adopted an OPPOSE position on legislation passed in December by the State Assembly and supported by Governor Schwar-zenegger to revamp the health care system in California. While AB 1X 1 makes progress toward expanding health care for Califor-nians, it fails to meet the principles established by the CSEA Board of Directors. The most important issue facing CSEA members is the skyrocketing cost of health care, which is not adequately addressed in AB 1X 1. In addition, the bill falls short in several other major areas, including the fact that minimum benefits and the cost of benefits are not included in the measure. The cost to employers is fixed in the bill, and cannot be increased without a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, so all future cost increases will be shifted to individu-als who will be required by law to purchase health care. AB 1X 1 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Health Committee on Jan. 16, where we expect Sen. Sheila Kuehl to conduct an extensive review of the bill that may take more than one day. CSEA members are encouraged to call, write and visit your State Senator and communicate opposition to AB 1X 1. If you have quesitons, call Charles Jones at 650-574-6517.

SUPER TUESDAY is February 5th: Get Ready! California, along with more than 20 other states, will hold its Presidential Primary on what is known as Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008. This is the day when the most states simultaneously hold their primaries and the single day when the most nominating dele-gates to the respective national conventions can be won. Voter Registration postmark deadline is January 22, 2008. Members not registered to vote can register through their County Voter Registrars Office, call 1-800-345-8683. or go to <www.sos.ca.gov> .

Page 6: C SEA V o i c es

Union Music Trivia: A union wage is a living wage. Is a minimum wage a living wage? NO WAY! “There was no one flipping burgers” is a line from a labor rights inspired song that suggests one means to achieving better wages. Name the song and the singer. Hint: Two words of the song title are in the first two sentences of this article. Email your answer to [email protected]. A winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries and will receive a pair of movie tickets. Answers to this union music trivia will be in the next issue. Thanks to all members who enter!

P A G E 6 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

CSEA Chapter 33 Member Spotlight

I started working for the District.: Started working for the District in 1982

What do you like about your job? : I really love the various duties and responsibilities.

What do you like about your work?: I absolutely love the folks whom I work with as well as helping people.

Where do you live?: I live in El Sobrante, CA

Where were you born?: I was born in Berkeley, CA

What is your favorite food? : I have to say that my favorite food is Italian, however, I like many different types of foods.

What is your favorite song? : “Peel me a Grape” sung by Diana Krall.

What is your favorite movie?: “The Good Shepherd” , directed by Robert De Niro

What is your favorite book?: My favorite book is “The Captain and the Kings, by Taylor Caldwell

Where did you go on your last vacation? : I went to Yosemite National Park on my last vacation.

Where is the best place on Earth? : To me, the best place on Earth is the Wine Country in Napa Valley, CA

Whom would you like to meet?: Personally, I would love to meet Beyonce Knowles in person.

Do you have a dog or cat or what? (Please include a name, too)? : No, however, I have two pet Bull snakes. Their names are Barnabus and Quentin

Is there a significant other, partner or spouse in your life? : Yes, she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nev run-ning her own engineering consulting business.

Do you like to sing or play a musical instrument?: Years ago, I played the trumpet and would like to take it up again with a colleague.

Please complete the following sentences.

The one thing I always wanted to do is: Travel to more places over seas.

If I had the time I would: really like to learn how to make good wine and exotic cheeses.

When I am tired I: simply dose off.

I am the happiest when: I am fishing, smoking a good cigar while sipping a good “ single malt” scotch and being surrounded with good friends and family.

If I had a magic wand I would do this one thing: I would build a nice stone house complete with a vineyard located in the “Great “ Napa Valley, CA

Charles R. La Mere, IT Support Tech II, ITS, Building 34, CSM

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P A G E 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

To see more photos (in color) of the Chapter 33 2007 Holiday Luncheon go to http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/csea/cseaholidayparty2007

Steve Opson, Juanita Celaya, James Ball, Lavine Mar and Judith Cheung

Cory Putnam, Martha Tilman, Irma Betan-court, Ronald Andrade & Sue Roseberry

Charles Jones and Anyta Archer

More photos from the 2007 CSEA Holiday Luncheon at the Wedgewood Banquet Center

(continued from page 3) Conference delegates gathered in the main Convention Hall during the week, some days starting at 8am and ending at 10pm. This is where the main business of the Union takes place. Picture in your mind the Cow Palace in Daly City when the floor is EMPTY and filled with tables and chairs with plenty of walkways between each row of tables. Then fill it up with delegates. When this massive group of delegates comes to order – they mean BUSiness! This is where our VOICES are HEARD. Not only CAN we make a difference.....we DO make a difference. I saw it all first hand. And it’s a great feeling of EMPOWERMENT.

Here is one example of the delegate voting process to pass or oppose a resolution. The proposed change was to the CSEA State Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, Officers Elected at Conference, letter (d), specifically, on eliminating the two-year term limits for the Association offices of President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, and the Association Secretary. Delegates went to the microphones one by one, stating their views, for or against, for quite some time on this one subject. It took about an hour for all to be heard. And then a vote was taken. Those agreeing to the revision held up Green YES Cards. Those disagreeing to the revision then held up Red NO Cards. Quite often it’s easy to see which side is in the majority. But sometimes, the actual number of cards of each color are spread out in such a way that it’s just too close to tell. So then, there is a Roll Call Vote. When this happens, the doors to the Convention Floor either leading out or in are locked. However, with this revision, a Roll Call Vote was not necessary. It was clear that the Red NO Cards were the predominant color for this vote, that is, the members were against the proposed revision. I felt the arguments for and against were very interesting to hear and I’m sure there were people who had started out with one opinion and later changed their mind after hearing from members who spoke on this subject.

One evening we went to dinner at the French Restaurant in the Paris Hotel. The food was out of this world delicious. We were fortunate to dine with our invited Administrators and Board of Trustee members. I had a marvelous time in this relaxed atmosphere, especially, talking with Trustee Karen Schwarz and Director of Human Resources Harry Joel. Isn’t it funny how when we get away from the regular scenery of our everyday working world, people become just people? No labels. I also met Kurato Shimada; such a down-to-earth and genuinely humble man. It was a real pleasure conversing with him that evening. He’s done so much for CSEA members over the past 40 years. If you ever have the chance to meet him – don’t pass it up. He’s currently a Member of the CalPERS Board and really has us all in mind as he deals with all issues and aspects of CalPERS business.

I came back from the Conference with the realization that when people work together they can accomplish whatever they set out to do and for US, that means for the benefit of the working class. That is our Union. And we are CSEA in ACTion! No one said the working world is perfect – even our district could find improvement, but I heard from many other dis-tricts that made me end up thinking we have it pretty good.

This was an event I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. A well organized, well thought out, well planned convention. There’s certainly more I could tell you, but time and space permit just so much. If you would like to know more about the Annual Convention, feel free to contact me up at Skyline in the Office of Admissions. I think more Classified Members of our District should attend this at some point if you can.

Ulysses asked me each day through the week “So, do you like this convention? Would you want to come back?” By Thursday morning, I had a definite answer. “Oh yes, Ulysses. I’d-come back.” (Questions? Contact Cass @ <[email protected]>) Cass Christian

All photos by Jasmine Witham

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Today in labor history will return in a future newsletter but you can check it out @ http://www.biglabor.com/history.php

San Mateo County Community College District California School Employees Association

Chapter 33 Newsletter 3401 CSM Drive

San Mateo, CA. 94402

Phone: (650) 524-6968 Email: [email protected] or Email: [email protected]

Did you know we’re on the Web?

http://chapter33.csea.com

Labor joke of the week? Are Unions fun? Yes they are. Check out this website for joke of the week http://www.biglabor.com/jokes.php

California School Employees Association Chapter # 33, 2008 Meeting Calendar San Mateo County Community College District

Executive Board Meetings Chapter Meetings

Jan 09 CSM (27-212) 30 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

Feb 13 CSM (27-212) 27 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

Mar 12 CSM (27-212) 26 Brown Bag – Individual campus

Apr 09 CSM (27-212) 23 Drive Release Meeting CSM (5-106)

May 07 CSM (27-212) 21 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

June 11 CSM (27-212) 25 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

July 09 CSM (27-212) 23 Drive Release Meeting CSM (5-106)

Aug 13 CSM (27-212) 27 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

Sep 10 CSM (27-212) 24 Brown Bag- Individual campus

Oct 08 CSM (27-212) 22 Drive Release Meeting CSM (5-106)

Nov 05 CSM (27-212) 19 CSM (5-Gallery Room)

Dec 10 CSM (1-115) -- Combined Meeting

YOU are the Union!

This is YOUR newsletter!

All meetings are from 5-6pm. Meeting times and locations are subject to change. Watch for emails. Attend a Chapter Union meeting and meet members of YOUR Union. It’s easy. It’s good

Got an idea for YOUR newsletter? Send it to [email protected] Thanks!

Mailing label here

P A G E 8 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

*Please note: If the Drive Release Meet-ing is held at CSM, for example, then folks from Canada and Skyline get 1/2 hour of drive time to get to the meeting at CSM and 1/2 hour drive time to return their own campus.

Questions?

Send an email to [email protected]