MEMORANDUM

DATE:             September 11, 2006

TO:                  All FCEA Directors

FROM:            Alex Coreea, Employee Representative

                        Fresno City Employee Association

RE:                   Election Participation

As you are all aware, Arnold is up for election in November to a full-term as Governor of California. We must make every effort to prevent this from occurring!

No matter your political affiliation, as public employees, we are in danger of losing valuable benefits under this governor. His short-term track record relating to issues affecting workers is miserable at best. Time and again he has sided with employers to undermine employee rights and benefits (workers comp, minimum wage, pensions, gender-equity pay etc., etc.).

We need your help in helping send Arnold back to Hollywood. We will participate in phone banks (calling potential voters) from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday thru Thursday until the election November 7th. We need two (2) FCEA volunteers for each night. You can pick any night between September 12th (tonight!) and the November election to serve your volunteer time. We will share the calling time with volunteers from many other unions (FPOA, Fire, IBEW, Teachers, Laborers, etc.). The Laborer’s have donated the use of their hall at 5431 E. Hedges (Olive near Clovis Avenue).

Additionally, for those who choose not to participate in phone banks, we will be joining other unions in going from door to door talking to registered voters in an effort to promote candidate Phil Angelides campaign to unseat Arnold as governor. This will be every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to the November 7th election. We will meet at the SEIU Headquarters at 1279 N. Wishon (Tower District) each Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Please call 268-7767 (your union office) to add your name to the list of volunteers.

“All that is necessary for evil persons to succeed is for good people to do nothing at all”

A LABOR DAY CELEBRATION!

  Of our working women and men who provide the needed goods and services nationwide and who are the foundation of what makes this country great.

WHEN:             Sunday, September 3, 2006 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

MEMORANDUM

DATE:             July 18, 2006

TO:                  All FCEA Members

FROM:            Derek Berg, Elections Committee Chairperson

RE:                   FCEA Elections

The ballots of the recently concluded election were tallied last night and the results are as follows:

FCEA President: Dee Barnes

FCEA Vice President: Pat Blauvelt

These newly elected officers will serve to the end of this year. At that time the voting process (nominations and voting) will be repeated. I congratulate Dee and Pat on their selection by our membership and ask that you join me in offering not only our best wishes but also our support in their effort to continue to unify and strengthen our Association in order to successfully meet the challenges facing our employees in the coming months.

I would like to thank all of the candidates who stepped up and who were willing to serve the Association in varying capacities. I applaud your efforts and ask that you too lend your support to the newly elected officers.

In addition, I would like to thank those members of the Elections Committee who toiled for three and a half (3 ½) exhausting hours to ensure that the entire elections process was fair, impartial and above-all accurate. Your commitment and attention to detail was immeasurable in protecting the sanctity of our electoral process.

Thank you.

MEMORANDUM

DATE:             July 7, 2006

TO:                  All FCEA Members

FROM:            Alex Correa, Employee Representative

                        Fresno City Employee Association

RE:                   Acting Pay

We are in receipt of a letter from the City’s Labor Relations Department wherein they have determined that Acting Pay should only be paid in full days or shifts and that partial shifts shall not be paid when so worked. The letter cites Fresno Municipal Code Section 2-1650 et al and our MOU as supportive of their position. We disagree.

Our position is that FMC Section 2-1650 at Article VIII Section (I) (2) has two (2) separate components. The first part of the section references the number of hours needed to “qualify” to receive compensation for serving in an acting capacity. In our 2003 Negotiations, the City agreed to modify the language in the Municipal Code which stated that only full days or shifts would be counted in calculating the requisite hours. Our MOU allowed our employees to accumulate the needed hours by crediting four (4) hour increments as well as full days or shifts.

The second part of this FMC Section states:

“Thereafter (after the qualifying 80 hours) the employee shall be paid at the rate of pay of the higher class while so assigned.” We have interpreted this to mean that when you are qualified and are assigned to serve in an acting capacity you will be paid for that time at the higher rate of pay be it one hour or eight hours.

Since the City is taking the low road (again) in defining the rules and regulations to its advantage and attempting to get the benefit of our expertise without fair compensation, I would recommend that we consider the above before agreeing to serve in an acting capacity.

Food for thought and discussion.

Thank you.

MEMORANDUM

DATE:             February 14, 2006

TO:                  FCEA Employee Members

FROM:            Alex Correa, Employee Representative

                        Fresno City Employees Association

RE:                   “Second Annual Survey”

The City Manager has distributed another employee survey which has generated numerous calls to this office inquiring as to its origin, legitimacy and whether participation is mandatory.

First of all, FCEA was not consulted regarding the survey, we did not participate in its development nor were we advised that it was to be distributed.  My understanding is that participation is optional, meaning you do not have to respond to any of the questions if you so choose.  You may also elect to respond to all or some of the questions.  If you are uncomfortable in responding to some of the questions you may choose not to comment.

That being said your business agent, your executive board and others have attempted to convey your concerns to the City Manager and his managers on numerous occasions, often with only minimal success or received with some skepticism. Therefore this is an opportunity to honestly and without repercussions, express your concerns, perceptions and frustrations with the way we do business as well as to the nature of our work environment.

I have heard the collective groan of “Oh no, not another useless, empty survey!” but if we understand that it is one of the few vehicles we have to voice our concerns to management, then perhaps you will choose to participate in the hopes that if we continuously send out our message it will eventually be heard.

Thank you.

A copy of the agreed upon Success Plan is in the Download Section