ASSOCIATION OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES

MINUTES – October 9, 2003

NOTE: ACE meetings take place on the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, November 13, 2003 in the Senate Forum Room in the SUB’s

connector. ACE now has a mailbox (Mail Stop 1010) for classified staff use. If you have concerns/agenda items

you would like the ACE Senate to discuss, please send them to this mailbox (signed or unsigned -- your choice).

Or email agenda items/concerns to Connie Charlton at ccharl@boisestate.edu. Then attend the meetings!

Ace Members Present: Connie Charlton, Julie Clarkson, Nancy Rountree, Karen Killmaster, Valencia Garrett, Carol Carroll, Marci Jaques, Linda Rooper, Robert Gale, Kenny Wiscombe, Tacey McKenzie, Bryan Chesbro, Reida Bow, Bonnie Killian, Guen Johnson, Linda Hamson Guest: Jeff Olson, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

1. STATE EMPLOYEE ISSUES UPDATE - Jeff Olson

Jeff Olson of the Service Employees International Union talked about the state's health insurance bid process, and circulated a petition for state employees to sign to create a panel of State Workers to oversee the bid and benefits of health insurance. SEIU will take over 1000 signatures to the Department of Administration on Friday, 10-10-03. October 10th is also the last day to make comments to the Division of Administration about health insurance. A link to the survey can be found at www.dhr.state.id.us/what/snew.asp . Olson noted that the options given are not the best, but there is a comments field at the bottom of the survey to type in your concerns. Olson talked about legislators and their view on state employees, stating that the Speaker of the House Bruce Newcomb and Senator Laird Noh are increasingly pro-state worker, whereas Dean Cameron, Chair of JFAC, is not. Information on Treasure Valley legislators-- what their positions are on state employees issues and how to contact them--will be available through SEIU and future ACE communications and at the ACE Health Fair booth if space can be obtained (see OPEN HOUSE, Item 5). SEIU will provide training to their members on how to talk with legislators. Another meeting with DHR about the rules will be held at the Hall of Mirrors on Wednesday, October 15 at 10:00 a.m. in the Idaho Room. All are strongly encouraged to attend. A lobby day is scheduled for Martin Luther King Day, January 19, 2004.

2. GOODWILL COMMITTEE (moved to third bullet under ‘Other’)

3. DHR RULES FEEDBACK – SENATE

Discussion about the on-campus meeting with DHR representatives occurred. Consensus is that classified staff should have been involved from the beginning of the process. Wiscombe asked that a list of all legislators and their districts be published for classified staff to use. Johnson will publish webs. (Note…here they are: http://www2.state.id.us/legislat/idmap.html map that you can click to find out what district you are in. Then go here to see who your senators/representatives are and what committees they are on http://www2.state.id.us/legislat/district.html#d20. To contact a legislator, e-mail them here: http://www2.state.id.us/legislat/comment.html. If you don’t have e-mail and would like a copy of the legislative list, please contact Guen Johnson, ACE Senate, MS 1010 or call extension 1350 and request one. Be sure and leave your name and department/office.)

4. DISCUSSION WITH JANE BUSER – Executive Committee

Members of the ACE Executive Committee met with Jane Buser on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 to discuss classified employee issues. The committee and Buser will continue to meet on the first Wednesday of each month. If classified staff have items they would like discussed, they are encouraged to contact an ACE board member (list at the end of these minutes) with concerns/issues. Concrete examples of concerns/issues on campus will help the process. Anonymity can be maintained by directing your comments to ACE at MailStop 1010. Mail will be picked up at least once per week.

5. OPEN HOUSE

The board will investigate the possibility of having a table at the upcoming Health Fair (November 19^th) with information for ACE employees under the heading of ‘Employee Stress Relief and Help!” Charlton will check to see if we can get a table. Information will be available for low-income persons on where to get community assistance in such areas as food, clothing, and medical care, as well as information on how to contact Treasure Valley legislators (see item 3 under “Other”) along with other information beneficial to classified staff at BSU. The idea for a booth was the result of discussion held under “Goodwill Committee (see item #3 under “Other”).

6. LETTER TO DR. KUSTRA

At the September meeting, Charlton was directed by the ACE Senate to write a letter to Dr. Kustra outlining classified concerns. Since that meeting, Charlton met with the president on a couple of occasions and discussed much of what the letter would have addressed. Dr. Kustra requested that the information discussed be presented to him in written format as well.

7. OTHER

Parking Issues: The issue of parking during games was discussed again concerning workers on the east side of campus not being able to park in their lots during games. Killian clarified that reserve permits only cover Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but that the worker then could park in any other lot if theirs was inaccessible or full with football patrons. Clarkson, who is on the university parking committee, stated the policy governing parking on game days was set by someone else thus the parking committee does not have the authority to change it. She stated that a Student Service Center building was approved to be built, possibly in the Administration parking lot, which could result in the loss of 88 parking spaces. No final determination has been made but it is possible that staff currently holding reserved slots in the Administration lot would be relocated to other reserved lots. If not enough reserved spaces are available the possibility of displacing reserved student spaces was mentioned. It was also brought up, that clarification needs to be made as to the purpose and authority of the committee as the vote by members sometimes has no bearing on what actually happens. Charlton was asked to add this information in her letter to Dr. Kustra.
Committee Reports: Human Resources Advisory Committee has not had enough issues to discuss to meet often this year, stated Bow. Charlton said that Buser invited two ACE representatives to serve on the HRAC: Nancy Rountree volunteered and is the new ACE representative on the HRAC.
Goodwill Committee: In a past meeting, Rooper mentioned forming a ‘Goodwill Committee’ to help BSU classified staff who are having a hard time financially. Discussion ensued as to the feasibility of such an endeavor. Charlton to ask Stacy Pearson if a fund could be set up in HR that would be accessible to workers in need. Discussion about gathering food, clothing and other items ensued. A ‘clearing house’ was discussed to aid workers in need in the process. Charlton to check if there is information from Health and Welfare and other agencies that BSU workers could use. It was felt that storage and access of food items, and audit and fiscal responsibility for a monetary fund, might be obstacles too large to overcome. Further discussion tabled until the next meeting. (In the meantime, ACE will try to get a booth at the Health Fair to hand out information about agencies that can provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical assistance to low income workers, along with other information we can use.)
The next ACE meeting will be on November 13^th at 10:00 a.m. in the Forum Room in the connector of the SUB.

Meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m. Gueneth Johnson

Recording Secretary

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