Bicycle, Skateboard Grievance to Chancellor’s Office?

University fails to respond within time lines?

Apparently the university has failed to respond to the level two hearing of the skateboard, bicycle grievance. This clears the way for the union to file this grievance at the Chancellor’s Office. According to California State University Employees Union Labor Relations Representative Michael H. Hejazi, “The response is late. I will appeal to Level 3.” The next step after level 3 would be arbitration.

UPDATE: Both parties, by mutually agreement, have extended the Level 2 response time-line on the Campus Bike Safety Grievance to Monday May 19, 2008.
[Click here to see more related photographs]

[Copy of Grievance Here]

Union Meeting, Thursday

Union Meeting, Thursday May 15, Noon

Full contract bargaining 2009, Budget crisis looming, What better time:
Let’s Build our Union at SJSU!
Bring a friend, Bring your ideas, Bring lots of enthusiasm!
Featuring special guest speaker:
Russell Kilday-Hicks
SFSU CSUEU Chapter President, Editor, University Employee Newsletter
May 15, Thursday, Noon to 1pm, Clark Hall Room 100H, “The Fish Bowl”
Refreshments will be provided
Please RSVP to Steve Sloan
steve.sloan@sjsu.edu
408/605-0692

Study time

The end of the semester is near

Students are hunkering down and working hard; for the end of the term is near. Few opportunities to study are being wasted.

Email to University Police Chief Barnes

My Email to Chief Barnes

I know during our recent phone call you said you and your officers had not seen or reported much dangerous activity or unsafe practices on the part of operators of non-motorized vehicles including skateboards, bicycles and razors. At 4:35 pm on May 5 I saw these youths doing acrobatics on the railings of the east side of Clark Hall. I called the UPD dispatcher and the call was logged on my cell phone at 4:35pm. Since it was time for me to go off work, I went back into the building, got ready to go home, took my camera and went out of the building. I had expected to see an officer there since it is maybe 750 feet from there to UPD. Since I saw no officer I started taking pictures. I kept taking pictures. I shot about 25 photos until I finished my roll of film. (Yes, I still shoot film.)

I then walked over to the bike corral and got my bicycle and rode home (circumnavigating SJSU of course.) I never saw any officers and I guess it is no wonder they never saw any dangerous activity or unsafe practices on the part of operators of non-motorized vehicles that day.

[Click here to see more related photographs]

[Copy of Grievance Here]

Discrimination and the bike policy?

Discrimination and the bike policy The photo shown above is of a university employee riding his bicycle as he is exiting a university building. There has been something bothering me, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, that has nothing to do with the safety argument related to president Kassing’s new bike policy, the part that extends this benefit, “Bicycles are not permitted in buildings unless in a private office, closet, or enclosure…”

The other day it hit me, like a ton of bricks, I should have been more sensitive to it. Like the rider in the photo above, very few of the folks I have seen keeping bicycles in their offices are minorities. Our highest areas of minority employment are among job classifications that do not have a private office, closet, or enclosure where they can store a bike. Most of the minorities in our bargaining units work in classifications that would not be able to use this benefit. I am concerned that by extending this benefit to classifications that are much more likely to be non-minority, my university may have committed de-facto discrimination.

Article 25.1 of our union contract should be also added to this grievance, the part that says, “The CSU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical disability, mental disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition and/or national origin…”

To be able to keep their bike at their work place, in my opinion, that benefit like all benefits have to be given to all employees without prejudice, even unintentional prejudice.

Grievance seeks bike ban at SJSU

Grievance proposes bicycle & skateboard ban on campus A health and safety grievance is now awaiting a decision that asserts that the current policy (as well as its lack of enforcement) regarding the use of non-motorized vehicles (including bicycles & skateboards) in the internal areas of campus poses a threat to the safety of union represented university employees. The union is seeking the ban of the use of non-motorized vehicles in the internal areas of campus and proper enforcement of such a ban.

What is a grievance? A grievance is an allegation by the union, or a union represented employee, that the university has failed to abide by it’s contractual obligations. The California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) is the union representing most staff employees at SJSU. The grievance process has a series of escalations including binding arbitration.

[Click here to see more related photographs]

Packed SJSU Union Meeting

SJSU staff union meeting standing room only
Despite it being Spring break and a number of staff members being on vacation or away at conferences, yesterday’s union meeting at SJSU on compensation and in-range progression was standing room only. California State University Employees Union (CSUEU) Labor Relations Representative Michael H. Hejazi presented to the union members on the topic with the assistance of the local union chapter’s President Vera Acevedo, Vice President Jeff Baldwin and Chief Steward Dennis Fox.

Additional Info (From Dennis Fox):

• Michael Hejazi’s PowerPoint Presentation
• Know-Your-Rights Flyer on IRPs
• Handout on Reclassifications and IRPs
• Link to CSU Classification and Qualification Standards (CQS)
• Link to SJSU IRP Guidelines

Union on sharing of passwords at SJSU

This is an Email from Dennis Fox, Chief Steward for the staff employees union at SJSU:

It has come to the attention of the Union that some managers/supervisors are asking their employees to provide username and password information for email and computer accounts and voice mail PIN numbers for voice mailbox access. Everyone needs to be aware that sharing this information with anyone is a violation of University policy and should never be done.

I will cite three references here to demonstrate that you are required by the University to keep this information to yourself and to show that anyone requesting this information is asking you to violate campus policy.

The policy “Privacy of Electronic Information and Communications” makes a clear statement about the privacy of email and files stored on computers, “All electronic mail and files in authorized accounts stored on any campus computing systems shall be considered to be private and confidential, except as required by state or federal law.” See http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/f97-7.htm for the complete document.

The “Information Technology Resources Responsible Use Policy” tasks every individual with the reponsibility to keep their passwords secure and secret, “In accordance with California State Penal Code Section 502, CSU’s 4Cnet Acceptable Use Policy and other policies and laws, activities and behaviors that threaten the integrity of computer networks or systems are prohibited on both University-owned and privately-owned equipment operated on or through University resources. These activities and behaviors include, but are not limited to:
. . .
4. Negligently or intentionally revealing passwords or otherwise permitting the use by others of University-assigned accounts for computer and network access. Individual password security is the responsibility of each user. The user is responsible for all uses of their accounts, independent of authorization.” The full text of this policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S02-8.htm

The California State University “Policy on E-mail Privacy” states, ” 1. All authorized e-mail accounts stored on the CSU telecommunications network shall be considered to be confidential.
2. Requests for access to these accounts or disclosure of confidential information, for any purpose other than technical problem resolution will be reviewed by the senior Academic Affairs Officer, and honored only when required by state or federal law, or when there is probable cause to suspect illegal activity.”

The Union encourages any employee who has been asked/ordered to provide electronic access information to contact a Union steward. Please let us know who requested this information. If the request was in writing we would appreciate a copy. If you have already supplied this information, we encourage you to change your passwords to secure your accounts. The Union will attempt to work with University management to bring a halt to password requests of this nature.

HR Surveying Staff

Email sent from HR to staff
This afternoon an Email was sent by Maria Rivera to university staff employees. In my own opinion, not speaking as a union rep, I hope all staff members take the time to complete this survey. I hope the response is representational of the campus community. If you are a staff member and did not get the Email, I would recommend contacting HR. Here is the intro to the Email:

We want San José State University to be an exciting and rewarding place to work. Help us realize our vision of a world-class work environment by completing the 2007 San José State University Employee Engagement Survey. This survey is your opportunity to help shape the future of the university and improve your own work experience in the process. Your feedback will be compiled and used to guide further positive changes across the university. It is critical that you complete the survey by March 7, 2008 for your opinion to be counted.

Also, I hope HR showed the union the proper respect by showing the union this survey and discussing its release prior to sending it out.

Budget cut for state (and CSU)

Huge state budget cuts coming
According to the Sacramento Bee, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today will propose a spending plan that cuts virtually every function of state government to close a $14.5 billion budget gap. Reportedly the govenor’s plan asks lawmakers to close state parks and beaches, release prisoners, dramatically pare school funding, reduce Medi-Cal health services to the poor and reduce aid to the low-income blind, elderly and disabled.

The University of California and California State University systems would reportedly be cut under the governor’s plan, but by less than 10 percent because the administration attempts to make good on a long-term “compact” with higher education that promises funding growth each year.