ISSUE NO. 3 | MARCH 2018
UNION UPDATER The Official Newsletter of CSEA CHAPTER 265
WHAT'S INSIDE
WHAT DOES THE FOCHS SAY? Hey Chapter 265!
How much do You know about CalPERS? What doe you get for your Dues?
I hope all is well with you and yours! We are gearing up for our LCAP meeting with the District at our next Chapter meeting on the 22nd of March. This
Magnificent Member of the Month
is YOUR chance to come and tell the District what YOU think how they should be spending money. This is a collaborative meeting, and is a good place for us to start talking about the workplace issues that we see around us. We are starting to seek out Delegates for this year’s Annual Conference. We can send up to 6 people, and we are looking for people who have never attended, if you are interested, please come to the Chapter Meeting and let us know! The Annual Conference usually takes place at the end of July, and that is where we conduct the Business of the Association at the State Level. You can see the Conference Resolutions that we will be voting on by logging into your account at the CSEA website. We have targeted the end of April to begin Negotiations with the School District, and we look forward to another successful negotiation!
Thank you for all you do and keep up the great work!
Eli Fochs Eli aka. “The Fochs” Chapter President
Member Benefits
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HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CalPERS FROM FOCUS MAGAZINE
Regardless of your age, you should
retirement funds go? Answers to these
Accurate Time Reporting—
understand your retirement benefits.
and many other questions are easily
Ask your employer if they identified to
Even if you don’t expect to retire for
available by calling CSEA or CalPERS,
CalPERS each actual month you
many years, it is never too early to
or visiting the CalPERS website at
worked (including summer school).
begin planning for your retirement.
www.calpers.ca.gov.
It’s the law!
Get the facts:
Tips—Getting the most from your
Planning Your Retirement Date—
CSEA—www.csea.com/retirement
CalPERS retirement:
If you are under age 63 at retirement,
(800) 632-2128, ext. 1205 or 1309
Service Credit Prior to Membership—
planning your retirement date the day
CalPERS—www.calpers.ca.gov
Did you ever work as a schoolemployee
after your birthday or three, six or nine
(888) 225-7377
less than four hours per day or as
months after your exact birthday may
If you are paying into CalPERS, how
substitute or short-term employee and
increase your benefit.
would leaving your current job and
then move into a position working four
Get educated!
working in another school district,
or more hours a day, 20 hours in a week,
Attend a Pre-Retirement Seminar—
another public agency, or outside
or 1,000 hours in a year where you
If you are within five years of
industry affect your retirement
began paying into CalPERS? If the
retirement, attend a Saturday Pre-
benefits? If you become a teacher can
answer is yes, then you are eligible to
Retirement Seminar sponsored by
you stay in CalPERS? What if you
purchase service credit representing the
CSEA’s Pre-Retirement Resource
left and went to work in private
time you worked prior to membership in
Committee. Check www.csea.
industry? What happens if you
CalPERS. This can add significantly to
com/retirement for details. For further
became injured or ill before reaching
your retirement income and help you
information specific to your retirement,
retirement age? What happens if you
vest sooner. You can even pay for this
call CSEA Member Benefits at 866-ITS-
die before you retire? Where do your
purchase over time.
CSEA (487-2732).
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GREETINGS FROM A VP MERCEDES GERALDO
Wow! It’s already March. Can you believe it? So far, 2018 has proven to be quite a busy year and we do not see it slowing down anytime soon. In January the chapter sent a team to the Membership Unity Program (MUP) training. They are really fired up and have already started implementing their plan, so keep an eye out there are fun and exciting things to come. Another group of Union Stewards also started their training this January. It is possible that by the end of the school year we could have ten Union Stewards to help protect our rights and our contract.
If January wasn’t busy enough, February steam-rolled in with Job Skills training…this is where your Chapter officers learn what they have gotten themselves into. President Fochs snuck in a Health Benefits Academy the following week, to better advocate for our health benefits. The following week, I along with Indy Bains and Rosalind Tapia attended CSEA’s 21st Annual Paraeducator Conference in Ontario, CA. What a wonderful Conference! We each took between 6-8 workshops covering topics such as: diversity, behaviors, bullying, Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports, violence on campus, True Colors
LETTER OF THANK YOU FROM THE HAVE A HEART RUN
and many, many more. I came back completely reenergized and ready to better help the students I work with. I hope next year the district
On behalf of the Yuba City Education
sends as many Paras as possible to this conference.
Foundation's - Have a Heart for Kids 5K Run/Walk committee, I want to thank CSEA
March came in like a lion… Eli, at the time of this writing, is at a
Chapter 265 for recruiting and volunteering at
weeklong Organizing Institute in Southern California, I can’t wait to
this year's event. You each helped us put on a
hear his report out. The March Chapter meeting on the 22nd at RVHS
first rate 5K event! We had roughly 725
is a big meeting. This is our opportunity to let the district know what
participants this year; which is an awesome
the needs are at our work sites. Debbie Ashmore will be there to
turnout.
present the District’s LCAP and answer your questions and ask your feedback. Prior to the Chapter meeting we will be ratifying the contract
Once again, thank you very much for your
on two new job descriptions.
participation.
I hope to see everyone at the meeting,
Sincerely,
Mercedes Geraldo
CSEA265
Mercedes Geraldo
Darrell Naruto
1st Vice President
Volunteer Coordinator
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WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR CSEA DUES? Your dues money provides the resources to protect your paycheck, job, retirement security and your family’s medical benefits, at the bargaining table, in a grievance meeting, at the school board, in the courts, and in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Fortune 500 companies pay lawyers more than $350 an hour for these services. As a CSEA member, you get all of this for less than a dollar a day. In today's economy, there's not much more
MAGNIFICENT MEMBER OF THE MONTH LAUREN COATS
valuable than a stable job. As a member of CSEA, you have dedicated, full-time,
This month we are celebrating all the amazing things that our Campus
professional and experienced labor relations
Supervisors do. Campus Supervisors are there to protect the safety of our
representatives at your side, watching to make
students and staff. Whether helping students it is implementing positive
sure the school district doesn't mess with your
behavior interventions and supports or ensuring safe campus supervision
job, your pay and benefits, and your future.
methods and procedure, they make sure out day goes smoother. Like
Our union was founded in 1927 on the
many of our staff they have very active home lives. Tammy Bechtel is no
principle that all classified school employees
exception.
deserved retirement security. The dedicated
Tammy is a Campus Supervisor at Gray Avenue Middle School. She is
efforts of the school custodians that founded
known for being able to calm students down when they are mad or
CSEA resulted in the state pass ing a law that
sad. Tammy has lived in the area her whole life. She has lots of company
classified school employees be guaranteed a
at home in the form of cats, dogs, fish, and a bird. This is why it makes
pension in what became the
sense that her dream business would be a pet rescue. If she could live
California Public Employees Retirement
anywhere, Tammy would love to move to Montana.
System (CalPERS).
Fun fact: Tammy's favorite holiday is Christmas.
The commitment and fore sight of our union's
She is an only child and she has only one child.
founders continues today, as members and staff
In her free time she likes to garden. So if you are some one like me
are active at all levels of public education and
who can't keep plants alive, she is the person to go to for tips on
beyond to protect school funding, preserve and
gardening.
expand classified school jobs and ensure that our members always have the retirement security they have earned.
Thank you, Tammy, For all you do!
Do you know some one who you think would be a great member of the month? Send me an email. LCOATS@YCUSD.ORG
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THE BENEFITS OF CSEA: QUALITY REPRESENTATION
The most obvious benefit of being a CSEA member is representation and advocacy.
CSEA employs some of the best known political advocates who ensure legislators in Sacramento take classified employees into consideration when drafting new laws. In the field, CSEA representatives work every day to bargain the best contracts and to protect the rights of classified school employees at work.
EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT ELI FOCHS
CSEA’s labor relations representatives are widely recognized as some of the most experienced and effective when it comes to negotiations. During tough economic times, CSEA’s field staff fought back against districts that tried to balance their budgets on the backs of custodians, food service workers, secretaries,
1ST VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES GERALDO
instructional assistants and other crucial classified staff. When times are good, CSEA’s field staff works to ensure CSEA members get their fair share of the economic pie. In cases where individual
2ND VICE PRESIDENT KEITH MARTINEZ SECRETARY SHERI HOWARD
members or chapters have been wronged by their employers, CSEA has used its expertise to ensure that the issues are resolved and corrected.
Members who feel they are being treated unfairly by their employers or who feel that their district has violated provisions in the contract should speak to a chapter leader or job steward to
TREASURER PAMELA HALL PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER LAUREN COATS CHIEF STEWARD MICHELLE SAKURADA SITE REP COORDINATOR VIRGINIA KOZIOL SERGEANT AT ARMS RODOLFO LEON
solicit help from CSEA’s professional staff.