Welcome to the premiere issue of the CSEA Chapter 262 e-mail newsletter! These will be coming to you on the second and fourth Friday of each month. Your Chapter Leadership understands the importance of communicating with Chapter members and are committed to creating and maintaining not only transparent leadership but leadership that listens. This is, after all, your union.
Let’s Begin With Introductions
On January 1, 2019, the new Chapter 262 Executive Board assumed duties representing and serving you. Your 2019 Executive Board members are:
Robert Stubbe, President
Rosa Asencio, 1st Vice President
Marlene Espina, 2nd Vice President
Barbara Carrillo, Secretary
Zak Gallegos, Treasurer
Elizabeth Jauregui, Chief Union Steward
Mark Fernandez, Communications Officer
Brandon Gillett, Site Representative Coordinator
Sandra Bollier, Past President
We also want to welcome our new Site Representative Coordinator, Brandon Gillett to the Executive Board. He was elected by the members in attendance at the February chapter meeting. Brandon is a former Mt. SAC student and currently serves on the chapter negotiations committee.
The Site Representative Coordinator plays a vital role in keeping the lines of communication open between Chapter Leadership and members.
Update: Chapter Web Site
Your CSEA 262 Chapter Web Site has been recently updated! New links to the collective bargaining agreement, your Chapter Constitution, Executive Board officers, union stewards. If you want more information about your Chapter, CSEA, or things related, please visit the Chapter web site at http://www.csea262.org.
Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page as well … https://www.facebook.com/groups/CSEA262/.
You Asked, We Answered!
There are some exciting changes coming up for your CSEA Chapter 262. No one needs to tell you how busy you are. Your dilemma is you want to be able to voice your opinions and have a voice in your Chapter’s important activities, but you can’t always come to Chapter meetings.
While Chapter Leadership would certainly appreciate attendance by all at our Chapter meetings, we all know that is not always possible. During the course of the year, our Chapter members must vote on a number of things that come before the membership, for example. Electing Chapter officers, conference delegates, and contract ratifications are just a few important examples.
If you can’t always come to Chapter meetings, how can you participate in these important Chapter elections? Your Chapter Leaders have been developing a plan and working toward offering Chapter members an alternative means for voting!
Currently, you have to attend the Chapter meeting to vote for items on the agenda. You also have to walk to various campus locations to cast a vote in chapter elections and contract ratifications. This is tedious, slow, and time consuming.
For several years, Chapter members have asked whether they could cast a vote with an absentee ballot or by proxy or by using a mail-in ballot. The answer has always been no due to the high cost of maintaining the required mailbox and printing and mailing the ballots. Mail-in and absentee voting is cost-prohibitive, slow, and takes a great deal of time and effort. Association Policy also does not permit proxy voting, and our Chapter Constitution currently only permits in-person voting. So what can we do?
Well, your Chapter Leadership has heard your concerns and are working on a solution that they believe will satisfy everyone’s concerns. All the details have not yet been worked out, so you will have to wait and attend the next Chapter meeting on March 20 to find out. Stay tuned!
Transitions: New Hires, Promotions, and Retirements
At the January and February Board of Trustees meetings, 11 new classified professionals were welcomed to the Mt. SAC family. They are:
Justin Barber, Financial Aid Systems Technician (Financial Aid)
Johnny Chen, Equipment Technician (Architecture, Industrial Design, and Manufacturing)
Belinda De La Torre, Early Child Development Specialist I (Child Development)
Jimmy Doan, Senior Systems Analyst/Programmer (Information Technology)
Lindsay Hunt, Athletic Trainer (Kinesiology, Athletics, and Dance)
Aleksandra Malinowska, Educational Research Assessment Analyst (Research and Institutional Effectiveness)
Claudia Ortiz, Administrative Specialist III (Mt. SAC Foundation)
Krupa Patel, Business Analyst (Information Technology)
Ana Ramos, Administrative Specialist III (Continuing Education)
Sabrina Torres, Laboratory, Technician II - Biology (Biological Sciences)
Kyle Turner, Laboratory Technician — Arts (Fine Arts)
Also congratulations to your Chapter Secretary Barbara Carrillo, who was promoted to Administrative Specialist IV, Student Services.
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.
We also have to say “Happy Retirement!” to Thomas Babich, Lead Broadcast and Audio Technician (Technical Services). Thomas will retire March 31. We wish him well on the next leg of his journey through life. Thank you, Thomas, for your years of service to Mt. SAC.
Attend Pre-Retirement Seminars
If you are thinking about retiring anytime within the next five years, you should begin your retirement planning now by attending a CSEA Pre-Retirement Seminar. Learn how CalPERS pays you later. CSEA’s Pre-Retirement Committee has arranged a FREE seminar.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Whittier City School District Office
7211 Whittier Avenue Whittier, CA 90602
Location: Board Room
Registration: 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Seminar: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
CalPERS presenter will provide booklets. Additional materials, including Social Security and Retiree Unit information, will be distributed by CSEA.
Notes: Attendance at this seminar allows you to request an individual appointment with CalPERS 90 days in advance of your retirement date. Pre-registration is encouraged. Call (800) 632-2128, ext. 1007 Please listen carefully to the message; all you need to do is leave your name to register in advance. If you have any questions, contact your CSEA Pre-Retirement Resource Committee Member:
Melissa Romanek at: meligirlcsea299@gmail.com.