Shift Differential and Article 13- Grievance. Two members of our unit have moved from classified to management since July. The former members are Eileen Cichocki, who is now a confidential employee in Business Services, and Caroline Tice, who is now a manager in Student Services. Both retain their same duties and will add responsibilities, some for supervision. When the District proposes such a change, it must consult with SEIU in the form of the Unit President and the Field Representative.
Agreement is based upon improvement for the employee and loss to the unit.
While we might lament the loss of specific personalities from our ranks, in the case of these two employees the need was obvious. Changes to the unit are rare and generally handled quietly. Members moving out of the unit give up the protection of SEIU and gain some advantages in vacation accrual and sometimes salary when they become a part of management, which is exempt from compensation for overtime. Since late Spring, I have been attending Board meetings to keep the Board informed about the fact that there is no effort to expand the level of classified staffing that parallels the District's efforts to expand its facilities and course offerings. As a member of both the Classified Staffing Advisory Committee and the Classified Staffing Task Force, as well as an advocate for employee working conditions, I feel these presentations and this column are appropriate places to express my concern about employee workload, hours, and compensation.