A Fallen Brother
Darren Stahl, Enterprise Network Administrator in the Information Technology Department and long-time Chapter 262 member died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident Friday, 18 October 2019.
Stahl was riding his motorcycle to work Friday morning when he was struck by a vehicle and critically injured. While being transported to the hospital, Darren succumbed to his injuries. He loved riding motorcycles and often rode to work on Fridays when the weather was good. He would always call his wife Sheral to check in when he arrived at work. Friday Darren never checked in. His wife was notified by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s office Friday morning.
Darren had worked at Mt. SAC more than 30 years. He was a very well-liked and respected member of the Information Technology and Mt. SAC family, and he enjoyed his work and the people with whom he worked. Darren was hired in February 1989 as an instructional student lab assistant and was soon hired full-time as a computer operator covering the mid-shift and eventually the graveyard shift. He was promoted to an IT Technician in 2001, and then a Network Administrator in 2008 where he supported the Technology and Health Division. He was also an adjunct professor in the Technology and Health Division.
In 2015, Darren was again promoted to Enterprise Network Administrator and supported the campus-wide networking infrastructure working in the IT central office. As well as his regular duties, Darren was also one of the primary IT support technicians for the Mt. SAC Relays, and he travelled to the off-campus site to provide technical support to help make the Relays timing and scorekeeping system a success.
Darren was also a Mt. SAC alumnus. He earned a certificate in COBOL programming and, in 1997, he earned an Associate in Science degree. Prior to working at Mt. SAC, he served his nation from 1984 to 1988 in the United States Marine Corps.
Darren was an integral part of the IT Department, and his friends and colleagues mourn his loss.
It was a little more than a year ago on 1 September 2018 when IT lost another long-time friend and colleague, Iffiok Nsek, who died from head injuries while riding his off-road bike with his wife and family. Iffiok had worked at Mt. SAC for more than 28 years, and was instrumental in designing, building, and modernizing Mt. SAC’s networking and telecommunications infrastructure.
Darren is survived by his wife Sheral and his son Hunter, who is also currently serving in the United States Marine Corp. Additional information will be made available when known.
The CSEA 262 Leadership Team extends its deepest condolences to Sheral and Hunter and the entire Stahl family.
Access Center Interpreter Seriously Injured
Brian Carr, an hourly sign language interpreter in the Access Center, was seriously injured on August 31 and sustained a broken neck. Brian has already had multiple surgeries, but he remains paralyzed from the chest down. In the upcoming months, he will need more hospitalization as well as occupational and respiratory therapy.
Brian is a graduate of the Mt. SAC Interpreter Training Program and was hired as an Interpreter Intern in 2010. He is one of the main interpreters on every Disabled & Hard of Hearing (DHH) camping trip as well as appearing in several productions of Putting on the Hits. His girlfriend of 11 years, Twyla Banks, is also an Interpreter Program graduate and interpreter at Mt. SAC. As an hourly employee, Brian is not eligible for health benefits, and he has no health insurance. He will be out of work as he recovers from this accident.
Brian’s friends have started a GoFundMe page to help with the extensive medical expenses. To date, $40,000 of the $100,000 goal have been raised. The funds are going to Twyla Banks, Brian’s girlfriend of 11 years and with whom he has live for the past two years. Since Brian is unable to handle his finances, Twyla is taking care of the medical expenses. Brian could benefit greatly from any support you can offer.
In early October, Brian was moved to a rehabilitation facility in Pomona. He is breathing on his own with no trachea tube, and he does have a valve that allows him to talk. Having his voice back has helped out his spirits.
You can read updates of his progress or leave a message for Brian on the GoFundMe page, and you can make a donation for his medical expenses if you wish. Follow this link to Brian’s GoFundMe page. Look there for more updates and visitation information.
Nominations for Chapter Officers will again be accepted at the November 20 Chapter meeting. This will end nominations for this year. The Chapter elections will be held in December. The new, revised Chapter 262 Constitution as you may recall permit online balloting, and this year will be our first Chapter elections using the online voting system.
During elections this year, you will be able to vote on online, which should allow more members to participate in the elections process than ever before (although we average around fifty percent now, which is awesome!). We are working to get that system in place in time for the Chapter Elections in December.
Offices up for election this year are 1st Vice President, Secretary, Chief Union Steward, and Site Representative Coordinator (follow this link to view the officer duties). Also new this year are the eligibility requirements for Chapter Officers. Eligibility requirements for all Chapter Officers include:
Active member in good standing
Continuous Chapter membership (Note: not employment with Mt. SAC) for six calendar months preceding the month nominated
Must have attended a minimum of four Chapter meetings during the 12 months prior to the month nominated
See the Chapter web site for the Article IV, Section 3 eligibility requirements and to view ordownload the revised Chapter Constitution. Remember that attending Chapter meetings are release time, but make sure you inform your manager so he or she can ensure there is coverage in your department. You are not required to use your personal time to attend.
Welcome to Mt. SAC: New Classified Professionals
At the October 9 Board of Trustees meeting, the college welcomed the following new or promoted classified employees:
Permanent New Hires
Victor Alexandrescu, Lead Telecommunications Support Technician (Information Technology)
Haneen Sabah Alghita Aguilar, Coordinator, Case Management (Student Services)
Andrew Franco, Printing Services Technician (Printing Services)
Maria Hernandez Figueroa, Coordinator, Project/Program (EOPS/CARE)
Dominique Perez, English as a Second Language Instructional Support Assistant (English as a Second Language)
Randy Sanchez, Community Services Officer (Police and Campus Safety)
Rodolfo Sanchez II, Financial Aid Specialist (Financial Aid)
John Wilson, Career Services Specialist (School of Continuing Education)
Promoted Classified Professionals
Dolores Mahan, Coordinator, Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services)
Vanessa Ulloa, Project/Program Specialist (Learning Assistance Center)
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.
Labor Relations and Steward Updates: Disparate Treatment
One of the more common complaints CSEA 262 members discuss with union stewards is about how they are treated by their managers differently from other classified employees, particularly when it comes to the disciplinary process. Stewards are often called by members who believe they are being “singled out” or treated differently or that a manager “plays favorites” with certain classified staff.
At a recent labor arbitration conference, a senior labor arbitrator gave a lecture about Due Process and discussed disparate treatment, the due process principle that similarly situated employees be treated equally. The principle of disparate treatment relates to fairness. The question arose, “Is it fair to give a different penalty to similarly situated employees for the same violation?” They key to the answer of whether treatment is disparate partly comes from the phrase “similarly situated.” The phrase “similarly situated” generally means similar longevity and work record.
As example, two employees work in the same department. One is a newly hired employee who has worked in the office for a little more than a month. The other is a seasoned veteran employee who has worked for six years in the department. One day they both arrive 15 minutes late for work. The manager calls each of them into her office separately. The manager explains to the new employee the rules and consequences about arriving late to work. The veteran employee is given a verbal reprimand (the lowest level of progressive discipline) for arriving late. Is this fair? Is the veteran employee being given disparate treatment?
Labor arbitrators would say no, the treatment is not disparate because the two employees are not “similarly situated” in that one is a new hire on probation who may not yet be familiar with all the department policies and procedures, and the other is a veteran employee who should already know these policies and procedures. If they had both been new hires, however, then the treatment might be disparate.
Progressive discipline also considers the degree of severity or consequences of the act. For example, if a new, probationary employee is late to work 10 days in a month and other employees have to “cover” by doing work this new employee should be doing, the degree of severity of the tardiness increases, and so do the consequences. In this case, the severity overrides the leniency a manager might give to a new employee. Is this a subjective and arbitrary treatment? Not as long as the manager applies this same process to all employees.
Some people might believe this to be “unfair,” but many cases like this have gone to arbitration, and the labor arbiters are pretty much universally in agreement that the circumstances of a violation dictate the penalty much more so than the violation itself. There are other factors and exceptions, of course, but disparate treatment is not always unfair.
That is a basic outline of the principle of disparate treatment. However, if you ever believe you are being treated unfairly, whether for violating a rule or just in having your leave requests ignored or denied, or if you are unsure as to whether treatment is unfair, make sure you talk to a steward immediately. Explain the circumstances and let the steward help determine whether you are being treated unfairly and address the issue with the manager.
Legislative Updates Affecting Mt. SAC
On Friday 4 October 2019, Governor Newsom signed several higher education bills including several that may impact Mt. SAC students and classified professionals who support these programs. Here are some of these bills. Details about these bills are available on the California Legislative Information web site: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/home.xhtml.
Assembly Bill 2 — expands access to the California College Promise Program by allowing students who are part of our Access Center programs to qualify even if they are not enrolled in a full-time course load.
Assembly Bill 5 — requires Mt. SAC prove workers can meet a three-part (ABC) test in order to be lawfully classified as independent contractors. This will make more difficult using contract employees to do classified bargaining unit work.
Assembly Bill 540 — This changes the name of the Cal Grant B Service Incentive Grant Program to the California Dreamer Service Incentive Grant Program. The bill would require that an organization at which the community or volunteer service is performed by a participating student under the program to have been established for a minimum of 2 years before the first date on which a participating student begins performing service hours to qualify for the program.
Assembly Bill 943 — Authorizes the use of funding from the California Community Colleges (CCC) Student Equity and Achievement Program for emergency student financial assistance to help students overcome unforeseen financial challenges that would prevent them from completing their course of study.
Senate Bill 390 — Requires the District to provide during their regular work hours the latest training developed by the Department of Consumer Affairs to all Campus Safety personnel whether full- or part-time.
Senate Bill 586 — This law requires the Mt. SAC Board to ensure the District’s many Career Technical Education (CTE) programs consult with the appropriate local workforce development board to ensure their career technical education program is aligned with regional and statewide employment needs.
California Paraeducator Conference
Invest in yourself in 2020 with this professional development opportunity that is open to ALL CSEA members. It's not just for Paraeducators! Classified School Employees serve students and this conference helps you do that even better.
More than 1,300 paraeducators and other classified school employees from all job classifications across the state attended the Paraeducator Conference last year, which is specifically designed to help you be effective with students. Attend workshops and listen to experts to gain knowledge about the latest in industry standards. Learn about the rights you have under the law, and network with other CSEA members.
As a classified school employee, you are a students’ confidant, coach, safe person and more. The true effects of your influence are immeasurable, which was made so clear and so passionately at 2019 Annual Conference by keynote speaker Jonathan Mooney (you should watch Mooney’s impassioned keynote address by following this link). The success of the conference can be found in the respect, value, and pride you feel in your profession and the confidence you gain when you take new knowledge and skills back to your district and the students you serve.
March 17-19, 2020 - Ontario Convention Center, Ontario - Only $109
Find out more and register at www.csea.com/paraconference
“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