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by Saodat Aziskhanova, CSEA President |
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I would like to welcome all classified staff to a new academic year! It is a year of transition as we welcomed a new President/Superintendent, Dr. Audre Levy, to our college community in July, and over 50 people including faculty and staff retired this past June. All of those positions have not been filled yet, but we do have new additions to the classified staff, and I would like to welcome them. I also want to congratulate Nidal Kobaissi on his promotion to police captain, a management position with the campus police, and thank him for his leadership as CSEA Chapter President for the past 2 1/2 years. In August, Merrilee Ahaus, Joni Switzer and I were among 2,000 people who attended the 80th Annual CSEA Conference in Sacramento. Participating in the democratic process, attending educational workshops and forums, listening to candidates who run for the state office and are endorsed by CSEA, is an experience I will never forget. By the time this message goes to print, I anticipate that our negotiations with the District will be in full swing. A new negotiating team has met for the orientation meeting, and I am proud to say that for the first time in our chapter history we have a representative from the Garfield Campus, Joni Switzer. Indeed, it is a year of many changes; we also have a new labor representative, Matthew Gentile, who will be our legal advisor in negotiations. I also would like to remind CSEA members to apply for CSEA Chapter 76 scholarship if you are working toward your educational goals and check the CSEA website for the scholarships available for union members and their dependents. It is important, as members of CSEA, to know your rights and benefits. One of the CSEA Executive Board’s goals for this year is to assign classified employees to the governance committees, so we will have full representation in the decision making process. & In Unity, |
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