Post on 18-Feb-2018
Please join us and meet your
entire Board of Directors.
Board of Directors Meeting
Saturday, October 17th
9:00 a.m.
Lakeside
(More information to follow)
You are cordially invited to
attend the CSEA Board of
Directors meeting to be held
on Saturday, October 17,
2015, starting at 9:00 a.m. in
Lakeside.
All meetings of the Board of
Directors are open for atten-
dance by the general CSEA
membership. Members are
encouraged to attend to com-
ment and provide input on
agenda items being considered
by the Board in which they
have an interest or concern.
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015
Inside this issue:
Board of Directors
Meeting in Lakeside 1
No ALEC Zone!
March & Rally 2
2015 ACE Program:
Brawley Chapter 335 3
Spotlight: Pat Murray,
Grossmont Cuyamaca 4
Area K Awards &
Recognition Recipients 5
CSEA Participates in the
APALA Convention 6
Calendars and
Important Dates 7
Member Benefits:
Member Student Loan 8
Our mission: To improve the lives of our members, students and community.
CSEA San Diego Field Office | 6341 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
Special points of interest:
CSEA Board of Directors
Meeting on October 17th
in Lakeside. Join Us!
Congratulations to Sandy
Dabney, Troy Johnson,
and Lance Wren
Save the Date: Holiday Cheer
on December 15, 2015
Celebrate Labor Day!
www.csea.com
CSEA Board of Directors Meeting in Lakeside
The CSEA Board of Directors
consists of five Constitutional
Officers, which are President,
First Vice President, Second
vice President, Secretary, and
Past President, and 10 Area
Directors, each of whom is
democratically elected by
CSEA members. All Board
members are volunteers who
work regular classified jobs.
Only the Association Presi-
dent is granted full release
time from his/her classified
job.
Michael Bilbrey
Association President
Ben Valdepeña
1st Vice President
Delores Rodriguez-Burke
2nd Vice President
Kerry Woods
Secretary
Allan D. Clark
Past President
Dale Sorenson
Area F Director
John Nieto
Area G Director
Bill Hagar
Area H Director
Don Snyder
Area I Director
Jim King
Area K Director
Rameldia Mark
Area D Director
Marcos Gonzalez
Area C Director
Martha Penry
Area A Director
Sylvia Diaz
Area E Director
Frank Rodriguez
Area B Director
PAGE 2 SAN DIEGO FIELD OFFICE NEWSFLASH
CSEA Participates in No ALEC Zone! March & Rally
CSEA members, supporters, and staff
joined thousands of other workers,
community groups, and faith leaders
to send a loud message to the mem-
bers of ALEC, ―California is a No
ALEC Zone! Not here, not ever.
The American
Legislative
Exchange
Council
(ALEC) is the
most powerful,
well-funded
corporate special interest front group
in America. ALEC works to pass laws
that slash wages, cut retirement,
weaken health and safety, harm the
environment, and destroy the middle
class.
On Wednesday, July 22, CSEA partici-
pated in a mass protest and rally at the
Embarcadero Marina Park North in
San Diego, followed by a march in
front of the Manchester Grand Hyatt
Hotel, where ALEC members gath-
ered for their conference.
A special thank you to the following
members, supporters, and staff for
taking time away from their day to
support this action:
Cajon Valley 179—Maggie Buck,
Lynn Johnston, and Kathy Winger
Coronado 386—John Bonnet, and
Frank Preciado
Ramona 733—AD Jim King
San Diego OSS 724—John Allen,
Temika Cook, Lenny Frausto,
Ethel Larkins, and Lance Wren
San Diego OTBS 788—Jo-Ellen
Archer, and Tatiana Popescu
San Diego Paraeducators 759—
Miguel Arellano, Jane Bausa, Erika
Culley, Mary Lou Finley, and
Sabrina Hahnlein
Southwestern College 524—
Elizabeth Valdez
Retiree 900—Larry Isom
San Diego Field Office staff
Members and staff from our
neighboring offices, Costa y Valles
Field Office, Orange Field Office,
and Santa Fe Field Office.
Thank
you to
everyone
who at-
tended!
Appreciating Classified Employees—Brawley Chapter 335 *
tions. The event reinforces our shared
goals in public schools and exemplifies
that the education of California‘s stu-
dents is a team effort.
―Every year, the ACE Program gives
district administrators and school trus-
tees a first-hand look at the frantic
pace of an average day for a classified
school employee,‖ Association Presi-
dent Michael Bilbrey said. ―Our con-
tributions to public education are sig-
nificant, wide-reaching and cannot be
adequately captured in a job descrip-
tion or title. I applaud our chapters
and the school districts that partici-
pated in the ACE Program this year
and took the time to share experiences
and learn more about how our com-
bined efforts educate and nurture the
leaders of tomorrow.‖
Brawley 335 was the chapter from
Area K that participated in this year‘s
ACE Program. Chapters are selected
to participate after a lengthy nomina-
tion and evaluation process. One
chapter in every CSEA Area is se-
lected to participate. Interested chap-
ters should contact their labor rela-
tions representatives (LRR) about the
nomination process.
The ACE program started during
Classified School Employee Week in
May 2007 as a way to recognize the
work of classified employees and pro-
mote understanding between district
staff and administration.
Thank you to all the CSEA members
from Brawley 335 and to district rep-
resentatives from the Brawley Ele-
mentary School District for making
this program such a success.
* Information and excerpts from CSEA’s
Focus Magazine, July/August 2015, also
on the CSEA website at www.csea.com.
Superintendents, school board mem-
bers, managers, supervisors and com-
munity members got a taste of what
it‘s like to be a classified school em-
ployee during the ninth annual Appre-
ciating Classified Employees (ACE)
Program, held in May during Classi-
fied School Employee Week (CSEW).
The ACE Program is a job shadowing
program that pairs district administra-
tors and managers, and elected offi-
cials with classified employees to show
the importance of classified services to
students and public education as a
whole. Even after only a couple of
hours shadowing, managers and trus-
tees quickly learn that classified contri-
butions reach far beyond job descrip-
Photo by Kevin Walsh
Ron Garcia, Superintendent (left) and Norman Camacho, Gardener (right)
Photo by Kevin Walsh
Elba Gallegos, School Secretary (left)
and Cynthia Dickinson, Director of Fiscal
Services (right)
ACE Program showcases
classified contributions Ten chapters statewide participate in
annual job shadowing program
Photo by Kevin Walsh
Mark Kahler, Information Technology
Manager (left) and Juan Otero, Mechanic
PAGE 3 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3
Spotlight: Pat Murray, Grossmont Cuyamaca CCD Chapter 707*
being made. Everyone would cheer
and a photo would be taken to com-
memorate the occasion. Often we
would try to coordinate with the
nominator so that they could be there
as well. The photos would surface
during the annual awards program in
May and everyone loved to see the
surprise faces.
As the leadership changed, the awards
program moved under the College
Recognition and Awards program. It
is not affiliated with one employee
type or employee union or senate. The
nomination process was updated to
limit duplicates and were accepted
during the month of March and deliv-
ered during the month of April. Deliv-
ering the candy and certificate was not
only limited to the president anymore,
but all of the leaders in the president‘s
office.
The vice presidents and even some of
the deans have been designated to
deliver Kudos nominations, which are
collected by a simple online submis-
sion form. The employees that the
presidential staff were visiting were
people they didn‘t necessarily know, in
fact often were not a part of their divi-
sion. They tell me it is so refreshing
to go and deliver good news instead of
bad news, and to learn all about the
fantastic employees in our college
community – the awards program
raises awareness, and teamwork and
morale. It is inexpensive – the cost of
a box of candy bars and some printed
certificates and a little time from the
campus leaders. I help coordinate all
of the deliveries; we visit faculty teach-
ing in the classroom and have inter-
rupted budget meetings to thank each
other and show appreciation – we
always try to do it quick so that we
don‘t interrupt instruction or business
for more than a minute or two. Here
is a link of some of our KUDOS visits
this year at Grossmont College.
When I am not in the lab…
Grossmont College started a 'Wellness
Program' that included cycling in Janu-
ary of 2012. Beleaguered by her dis-
cussions, I decided to borrow my
brother's bike and give cycling and the
newly inaugurated wellness program a
try. My college riding buddies were
very helpful as they watched me strug-
gle to turn and look over my shoulder
and learn how to handle a bicycle. I
kind of liked it. I lost a few pounds,
too. The Dean of English and Social/
Behavioral Sciences, Agustin Albarrán,
was our leader and we would go out
for lunch break rides – about 3 of us.
I decided I wanted to ride my bike for
the May "Bike to Work" event. It was
20 miles from my house to work and
it was hilly. I tried to do lunch rides
and I even did a practice ride - and I
did the 40 mile round trip May 19th of
2012. I didn‘t think much more about
cycling until June of 2013 when I
learned about Gordy Shields who was
a retired GC counselor and cycling
advocate that made a huge impact on
me (click here for SD-UT article).
What an inspiration – he started
LATE in life, like me. I met his daugh-
ter and she told me that her father‘s
only regret would be that he didn‘t get
to race in the age 95 category this year.
I was moved, and I told her since he
couldn‘t race, I would race for him
and boy did I!! When I am not at
work, I am usually on a bicycle!
* Article and information provided by Pat
Murray, member of Grossmont Cuyamaca
CCD Chapter 707
Pat Murray
Grossmont Cuyamaca CCD 707
The original ―kudos candy bar‖ pro-
gram at our college was the brain child
of our professional development fac-
ulty. The KUDOS Award is designed
to help employees thank and recog-
nize a member of the college commu-
nity who represents teamwork and
service. Nominations were filled out
on white stock cards and then the card
and candy was delivered to the mail-
boxes of the staff – not unkind to a
candy gram. The program was about
to be cut when a classified staff mem-
ber spoke out at a governing board
meeting. The
trustees asked
the college
president to see
if he could save
the program.
Ted Martinez, Jr. did resurrect the
program and more. He introduced the
idea that the candy would be hand
delivered to the office of the nominee
and he would be the one to shake the
employees hands. He also wanted to
award a certificate. The more staff saw
the president delivering the kudos
bars, the more nominations we would
get. Finally a couple years later, not
being able to keep up with all the
nominations, the Kudos award was
restricted to 2.5 months of the year in
order to handle the office visits. The
element of having an office visit with
the president was a huge part of the
new program. Not only would he per-
sonally deliver the candy, but he
would often summarize for all the
staff in the vicinity why the award was
PAGE 4 SAN DIEGO FIELD OFFICE NEWSFLASH
We would also like to congratulate
Lance Wren, Chapter President of
San Diego Chapter 724, the Opera-
tions Support Services (OSS), blue
collar unit of San Diego Unified
School District.
Lance was recognized as the 2015
CSEA/AFA Advocate of the Year.
This is a joint recognition from CSEA
and American Fidelity Assurance
Company for outstanding work on
behalf of the members.
Congratulations to Lance Wren, San Diego OSS 724
CSEA‘s Honor Roll is the 2nd highest
honor bestowed by our great organiza-
tion. Hortensia Benner, Sandy Dabney
and Nancy McCall all became the
newest members of the Honor Roll.
Dabney‘s contributions to our associa-
tion have spanned many years, and she
currently serves as the Retiree Unit
District K Director. Dabney was the
chair of the Pre-Retirement Resource
Committee for many years, helping to
develop critical training materials.
Dabney thanked delegates for the
award, adding that it was her pleasure
to serve CSEA.
―I cannot begin to express how deeply
honored and humbled I am,‖ Dabney said.
Sandy is a retired member from the
Classified of Encinitas Chapter 493.
She received the award at CSEA‘s
89th Annual Conference in Las Vegas.
* Information and excerpts from the
CSEA website at www.csea.com.
Congratulations to Sandy Dabney, New Honor Roll Member *
Sandy Dabney receiving the award from
Association President Michael Bilbrey
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 PAGE 5
We would like to congratulate Troy
Johnson, from Sweetwater Union High
Chapter 471, for receiving the CSEA
Award of Distinction—Best Column/
Editorial for his print work on ―The 251
-Day Issue‖.
Communications Committee Chair
Beth Saldana presented Troy Johnson
with the award at their chapter meet-
ing held at the Sweetwater Union
High School District Board Room on
Tuesday, August 11, 2015.
―It is always a pleasure to give an
award for the Communications Com-
mittee. It means that the membership
is getting the information, and keeping
the communication flowing,‖ ex-
pressed Beth and continued to share
how proud and happy she was for
Troy and the chapter.
―This issue (261 days) is an example that
the Power of US is stronger than just
one person acting alone. This issue was
raised by one of our members who tried
to do the right thing on his own by
talking to ‗the powers that be.‘ It was
when he came to the Union that we
were able to research it and start cor-
recting the wrong. This article was the
impetus to communicate to our mem-
bers that a disservice was imposed on
them and we were committed to correct
this wrong and never allow it to happen
again. Our advocacy on this issue has
remained strong and we have been able
to serve as a resource to many chapters
up and down the State. To receive this
award at the same time that we are set-
tling this issue, just shows what can
happen when a group gets energized
and committed behind an issue. I am
excited that we have been able to make
things right and at the same time bring
an alternative to the district that allows
the district to be fiscally healthy while
doing the right thing by our members.‖
said Troy after receiving this award.
* Information from CSEA Communications
Bulletin No. 5-15 (July 17, 2015)
Congratulations to Troy Johnson, Sweetwater High 471 *
Troy Johnson receiving the award from
Communications Committee Chair Beth Saldana
PAGE 6 SAN DIEGO FIELD OFFICE NEWSFLASH
CSEA participated
in the Asian Pacific
American Labor
Alliance (APALA)
13th Biennial Con-
vention, Organizing
in Solidarity, Building One Vision Forward,
at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside
Hotel on August 14th & 15th.
APALA is the first and only national
organization of Asian Pacific Ameri-
can (APA) union members. Since its
founding, APALA has played a unique
role in addressing the workplace issues
of 660,000 APA union members. It
serves as the bridge between the
broader labor movement and the APA
community.
Backed with
strong support of
the AFL-CIO,
APALA has 18
chapters and pre-
chapters and a
national office in
Washington, D.C.
Members and staff volunteers helped
at the CSEA exhibit table throughout
the convention by talking to attendees
about CSEA and the work we do in
our schools. We had a opportunity to
share who classified employees are
and the impact we have in our public
schools, colleges and county offices of
education all over California. People
who approached the CSEA table and
talked to our volunteers walked away
with booklets and flyers which con-
tained important information about
the value of classified employees in
education.
A very special thank you to…
Jane Bausa, SD Paraeducators 759
Temika Cook, San Diego (OSS) 724
Beverly Durcan, SD Paraeducators 759
Lisa Hoffman, Vista 389
Marie Hoveln, Vista 389
Troy Johnson, Sweetwater High 471
Mona Ribada, National 206
Lance Wren, San Diego (OSS) 724
Wendy Lamb, LRR, CSEA Staff
Gustavo Padilla, LRR, CSEA Staff
Paul Valen, LRR, CSEA Staff
Daniel Zummo, LRR, CSEA Staff
SAVE THE DATE: Holiday Cheer at SDFO
Please mark your calen-
dars and plan on joining
members, staff, and
special guests at the
CSEA San Diego Field
Office for a little...
Holiday Cheer!
EVENT: Holiday Cheer!
DATE: Tuesday, December 15, 2014
TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: San Diego Field Office,
6341 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121
Hot Chocolate
Apple Cider
Cookies & Pastries
CSEA Participates in the 2015 APALA Biennial Convention
PAGE 7 VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3
Calendars & Important Dates
SEPTEMBER
September 5—Union Steward Training- Level 3, Chula Vista
September 7—Labor Day (Holiday),
CSEA Offices Closed
September 7—Labor Day @ Petco Park
September 9—Union Steward Training- Level 4/Discipline, San Diego Field Office
September 11—Patriot Day
September 15—Victory Club Training, CUHSD Warehouse, El Centro
September 17—Victory Club Training, CSEA San Diego Field Office
September 19—CSEA Board of Directors Meeting, San Jose (Headquarters)
September 23—Autumn begins
September 30—Know Your Rights Training, North San Diego County
September 2015September 2015September 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
OCTOBER
October 10—Union Steward Training- Level 2, San Diego, TBD
October 12—Columbus Day
October 12-16—National School Lunch Week
October 16—National Boss‘ Day
October 17—CSEA Board of Directors Meeting, Lakeside (Area K)
October 19-23—National School Bus Safety Week
October 24—Introduction to Bargaining, Escondido High School District Office
October 24—Introduction to Bargaining, Southwest High School, El Centro
October 24—Pre-Retirement Seminar, Cuyamaca College, El Cajon
October 24—United Nations Day
October 28—Know Your Rights Training, South San Diego County, TBD
October 31—Halloween
October 2015October 2015October 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Columbus Day
PAGE 8 SAN DIEGO FIELD OFFICE NEWSFLASH
San Diego Field Office
NEWSFLASH
NEWSFLASH is a newsletter
published bimonthly by the
CSEA San Diego Field Office to
share information and communi-
cate with all of our members in
Area F and Area K.
If your chapter is having an
event or celebration, has a special
story to share, and/or would like
to contribute to the newsletter,
please get in contact with:
Gustavo Padilla, LRR/Organizer
Phone: 858-202-2618
Email: gpadilla@csea.com
The CSEA San Diego Field
Office represents nearly 25,000
members in San Diego, Imperial,
and Riverside Counties.
Title
Member Benefits: Member Student Loan Reducer *
are fighting to preserve the rights of all
workers. Labor Day is a day to be proud
to be a union member and to celebrate
our victories as part of the labor move-
ment.
* Information and excerpts from the
CSEA website at www.csea.com.
Labor Day, the first Monday in Septem-
ber, is a creation of the labor movement
and is dedicated to the social and economic
achievements of American workers.
The holiday constitutes a yearly national
tribute to the contributions workers
have made to the strength, prosperity,
and well-being of our country. During
Labor Day, CSEA members should re-
member how they contribute to the well
being of the nation by helping educate
students. We should also remember that
as union members, we are the ones who
CSEA recognizes that student loan
debt is a major burden for many
Americans, including many CSEA
members. To assist members with
their debt, CSEA and the AFL-CIO‘s
Union Plus program offer Student
Loan Reducer Grants to CSEA
members.
CSEA Member Student Loan
Reducer Grant (www.csea.com)
Applications are now being accepted
for CSEA‘s Member Student Loan
Reducer Program. This program has
twenty grants in the amount of $500
each available due to the generous
sponsorship of our valued benefit
provider, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit
Union. Log on to www.csea.com/
edservices to view eligibility require-
ments, and to download an applica-
tion.
Union Plus Student Loan
Reducer Grant (www.unionplus.org)
Through CSEA‘s affiliation with the
AFL-CIO, CSEA Members may also
qualify for a Union Plus Student Loan
Reducer Grant. For complete eligibil-
ity requirements and to apply, go to
www.unionplus.org and go to the
Education and Financing link under
the Education and Legal tab.
Please call CSEA Member Benefits at
(866) 487-2732 if you have questions
or need more information.
* Information from the Monthly CSEA
Member Benefits Topic for Site Reps email
blast, Monday, August 24, 2015.
In addition, you will find more infor-
mation on the CSEA General Infor-
mation Bulletin No. 40-15, Member
Student Loan Reducer Programs
(August 21, 2015).
Labor Day—September 7, 2015