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]

South Bay Labor Council Reports!

For the best information, please go directly to the SBLC Web Site: http://www.atwork.org

Living Wage campaign @ SJ International

Better airport service and security will come from extending San Jose’s Living Wage policy to cover all San Jose International workers. The South Bay Labor Council, Working Partnerships USA, faith and community leaders launched a campaign to do so last week, supported by Vice Mayor Dave Cortese and City Councilmember Forrest Williams.

Speakers at the April 30 San Jose City Council Rules Committee meeting expressed the urgent need for action by the Council, relating tales of severe economic hardship - exacerbated by continually increasing housing and food prices. A recent survey indicated that workers who don’t receive wages at the standard of a living wage are far more likely to seek other employment, resulting in continuous turn-over and new, untrained employees at the airport.

Visit www.buildingabetterairport.com for more information and to get involved in the campaign.

Sunnyvale Council supports Service Workers

The local Labor movement and UNITE HERE won big in Sunnyvale last week when the City Council, led by Mayor Tony Spitaleri and Councilmember Otto Lee, adopted a resolution encouraging companies to hire food service, janitorial and security contractors that meet Code of Conduct standards. The 5-2 vote asks employers to ensure that workers receive good pay, benefits and working conditions, be allowed to remain in their jobs when contractors change, and be allowed to unionize.

Leading up to the vote, Silicon Valley religious and community leaders, organized by the Interfaith Council, gathered at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church in a community forum on Human Dignity for Silicon Valley Service Workers.

Food service, janitorial and security workers shared their testimonies of struggle for dignity and respect at the April 7 forum, held almost 40 years to the day after King’s assassination. Dr. Clayborne Carson, founding director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford, and a panel of faith leaders called on local elected officials to pressure business leaders to adopt a Code of Conduct for companies that contract out their support services.

Justice for Janitors @ Applied Materials

More than 400 workers and supporters marched on Applied Materials’ Santa Clara offices April 10 calling for improvements in janitors’ wages and benefits. The march, called by the Interfaith Council, called on Applied Materials will publicly display its support for Justice for Janitors and send a clear message to contractors that the rights and dignity of janitors must be recognized.

More than 20,000 California janitors San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento are bargaining for new contracts this spring leading in the largest-ever statewide mobilization effort. They are demanding good jobs including wages you can raise a family on, access to quality heath care and respect.

Breakfast with candidates primary campaign

Have breakfast with City Council candidate Ash Kalra and Board of Supervisors candidate Dave Cortese on Saturday morning, then spend some time phone banking to kick off the June 3 primary campaign.

Breakfast will be served at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 3 at the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council offices at 2102 Almaden Road, Suite 107 followed by a few hours on the phones. Regular phone banking will run 5:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at the Labor Council. Please RSVP to Gloria@atwork.org.

With the campaign underway, be sure to contact the Labor Council to signup for a night of phone banking! Everyone’s small contribution leads to success on Election Day. And with more than two-thirds of votes expected to come from absentee voters who begin voting next week, the time we need volunteers is now!

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins @ Cornell University

“Our movement is about justice and human rights,” not just wages and benefits, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins told Cornell University’s annual Union Days event last week.

The executive officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council was one of four speakers invited to participate in a panel discussion on “Worker Power in the 2008 Election: Is Change for Real,” sponsored by the Ithaca, N.Y., university’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Also on the panel were Jane McDonald-Pines, executive assistant to the executive vice president of the AFL-CIO; Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute; and Barbara Lifton, New York State Assemblywoman.

For this and more information visit: http://www.unionvoice.org/

Reflections on the convention

Last day at CA Convention marked by great speeches
I came to this convention a relative neophyte to the processes and the personalities of the Democratic Party in California. I have been strongly motivated by what I have seen happening to our university system. Earlier this month I was in Sacramento lobbying state senate and assembly members on behalf of the university system I love. But, I was speaking out of passion for education rather than knowledge of politics. I still have a lot to learn, but I have started to get an understanding of why it is so important for us to be involved and how we can be involved. Of course the presidential election has us very focused on that right now. Today President Clinton and San Francisco District Attorney, Kamela Harris each gave great speeches in support of Hillary and Obama. I had a great seat and took many photos:

[More coverage on my twitter feed]

[More convention photos on Flickr]

Day two at CA Demo Convention

Very long and fascinating day
I am updating my Flicker Feed with well over 250 new photos today. I have no time to edit or label them. I am too tired to write more as well, so here they are for now.

[More coverage on my twitter feed]

[More convention photos on Flickr]

California Democratic State Primary, Day 1

Great evening at the democratic convention
I had a fantastic time at the convention and feel so honored to be able to attend it and photograph it for my union and for you. I saw Nancy Pelosi, John Garamendi and many other top democrats.

Along with several state union leaders, I attended a reception Pelosi had before the evening’s main event. Dave Hart was there, he is the President of the California State Employees Association. This organization includes two locals of the Service Employees International Union, Local 1000 which represents state civil service employees and Local 2579 which represents California State University Employees (that is us!) as affiliates.

On the convention floor, Pelosi spoke about the importance of democrats coming together and the importance of winning this election no matter who is nominated. After the Pelosi speech, at the Labor Caucus, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi spoke about the state budget as well the importance of labor. We simply cannot keep cutting our state budget, Garamendi said. We must find new revenue sources for our state.

I am tired and tomorrow is another long day. I will post more on my twitter feed. In this photo Pelosi is speaking to the delegation while Garamendi looks on.

[More convention photos on Flickr]

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

Southbay Labor News

From South Bay Labor Council

Community Budget Working Group Re-Convenes January 12th
The second Community Budget Working Group Meeting has been set for 9:30am, January 12th, at the Northside Community Center, 488 N. 6th Street. At the meeting, the group will discuss feedback from the analysts who looked at the generated ideas.

Your participation will ensure that recommendations made to the City reflect the concerns of all San Jose residents. We hope to see you there.

City Budget Training January 7th
Next Monday, January 7, Working Partnerships Policy Director and former City Budget Director Bob Brownstein will provide a training covering the nuts-and-bolts of the City’s budget. The training will be at Working Partnerships’ offices at 2102 Almaden Road at 7pm.

Technorati Tags: San Jose, ssloansjca

Election Day Success For Labor

Working Families Celebrate Election Day Success
FROM SOUTHBAY LABOR COUNCIL — Voters throughout the South Bay demonstrated that they share the values of working families as they overwhelmingly supported candidates who had earned the endorsement of the South Bay Labor Council.

Endorsed candidates in Sunnyvale and Gilroy won handily as they advocated for quality jobs and progressive values. Perhaps the biggest successes, however, came in Palo Alto and Cupertino, where Yiawey Yeh, Sid Espinosa and Gilbert Wong all won election to City Councils, thanks in large part to the hard work of volunteers from unions throughout the South Bay who contacted thousands of voters in these communities.

Special thanks are due to the hard work of volunteers from SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West, SEIU Local 521, UFCW Local 5, ATU Local 265 and the Building Trades Council. Stalwarts Fred Hirsch (Plumbers and Fitters 393) and Kevin Connell (ATU 265) were the top volunteers for the campaign cycle. Congratulations are very much due to Labor Council Organizing Director C. J. Wilson who coordinated the campaign, resulting in this enormous success.

Kassing’s Halloween ULP?

Is this an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP)?
Last night President Kassing’s office released two new presidential directives, an hour before midnight on halloween. One of them was regarding the traffic and parking committee. In this directive Kassing said:

Changes in PD 07-05 include creating a broader based selection process for the appointment of San José State staff employees to the Committee…

It goes on to say who will be representing employees on the committee:

Three (3) staff employees selected by the Human Resources Coordinating Council (HRCC), from a list of nominees and self-nominees from each of the divisions across the University…

Maybe I am wrong, but isn’t parking within the scope of bargaining and the only body allowed to represent employees on such matters their union (as defined by HEERA?) I am not a labor lawyer but, if having a committee like this where “staff” (substitute labor here) is represented is legal at all, shouldn’t these staff/labor reps on this committee be appointed by the union(s) representing the staff? Isn’t the failure to do that a violation of labor law and an unfair labor practice?

The Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HERRA) is the law. HERRA section 3571 says in part:

It shall be unlawful for the higher education employer to do any of the following:
[CLIPPED]
(f) Consult with any academic, professional, or staff advisory group on any matter within the scope of representation for employees who are represented by an exclusive representative… [CLIPPED]

So, is this a ULP? Parking is in the collective bargaining agreement (the term used in CSU for our contract,) thus it is within “scope of representation.” What do you think? Did Kassing break the law? In my opinion the answer is yes. I have asked our staff union to look into this.

The heart of the union

The heart of the union
While it is easy to get caught up in hearing the wonderful speeches at the big union meetings like General Council by labor leaders like Andy Stern and politicians like Dennis Kucinich. Yes, that is all great, but the real heart of our union is those many many activists who donate their time and do the hard work without fame or monetary reward. It is folks like Frank and Kathryn and our SJSU labor reps like Jeff, Dennis and Vera and so very many more other unpaid volunteers at all our campuses that make our union work. It is these folks who are the heart of the union and who we all owe a huge debt to. They all deserve our thanks and our admiration because they are all good people who give us so much. Because they all care about us; we have a union.

[See More General Council Photos here on Flickr]