Union Eyes
Tues., Sept. 25, 2012 – General Membership
Meeting , Noon—2 pm, MC Auditorium*
FALL 2012 ISSUE
Contract News
As we start a new semester . . .
I still have childhood memories of the excitement
surrounding returning to school after summer vacation: In elementary school, the uniform pointiness
of 64 Crayolas lined up in their yellow-orange and
green-blue box, later, through junior high and high
school, the beautiful blankness of new spiral notebooks.
See page 4 for
important
survey
Information!
As students at CSU begin a new school year, those
of us whose departments use a fiscal year schedule for Performance Evaluations may be working to
finish them up before the August 31st deadline.
Performance Evaluations mark the end of an annual cycle. Do we approach these evaluations with
optimism, and the forward-looking hope
of students starting a new school year?
Fall 2012 ISSUE:

Contract News
page 1

Membership Mtgs.
page 1

Grievance FAQ
page 2

Recent & Upcoming
page 2

Committee Highlight
page 3

Member Highlights
page 3

Union Contacts
page 4

Survey Info.
page 4
Probably not. The system provided to us for Performance Evaluations does not feel perfect, perhaps,
for some, it does not feel even comfortable. Article
13 of the contract deals with Performance Evaluations. Many of the relevant details are actually
found in the University’s Professional Staff Performance Evaluation Procedure. This document is a
Related Link on this page of the Human Resources
website
But Section 3 of Article 13 does contain some
information that is worth noting:
“The employee’s electronic signature does not
indicate agreement with the content of the evaluation. The employee shall have the right to electronically respond to comments made on the employee’s evaluation, and to have those comments attached to the evaluation and included in the employee’s official personnel file. An employee who
disagrees with his/her overall performance evalua-
tion rating may request a review by
Human Resources….
The results of the
performance evaluation process , including the individual and
overall rating scores
and eligibility for any
merit awards based
on the scores, shall
not be subject to the
grievance and arbitration provisions of this
Agreement.”
Merit awards are a relatively new feature of Performance Evaluations. When the concept was introduced during contract negotiations a few years ago,
over 77% of SEIU bargaining unit members had
received “Exceeds Expectations” or “Outstanding”
evaluations. It would be interesting to know if that
percentage has changed since the initiation of
merit awards.
As we start this new Academic Year, can we each
make it a priority to set aside a bit of time to document our individual achievements? One-half of one
lunch hour a month? A part of four lunch hours
during the year? One of the most challenging features of looking back over a year two months after
its end date is trying to remember past compliments and successes. Believe me, I know how busy
and stressed our lives at work can be. But we owe
it to ourselves to be mindful of the need to collect
the type of information that can provide documentation of our accomplishments.
I welcome your thoughts and feedback.
In solidarity -- Rita M. Grabowski
*About Membership Meetings:
You must be a member
of SEIU to attend. To be a
member, you must fill out a
membership card, which are
always available at the door
during Membership Meetings.
(You can also contact any
of the delegates listed on p.
4 to complete a card.) Having dues deducted does not
make you a member. Since
dues are deducted for all
Bargaining Unit members,
doesn’t it make sense to
become a member and
have a voice and a vote on
workplace issues that affect
us all?
FALL 2012 ISSUE
PAGE 2
Grievance Process FAQs
“The key question that decides
grievances involving discipline is
whether or not management
had ‘just cause’ to impose the
discipline.”
What do I do if something
bad is happening to me on
the job?
Consult with a union steward/delegate as soon as
possible. You should also
read the current contract at
http://www.csuohio.edu/
organizations/seiu1199/
contract.html to see if your
supervisor/co-worker/
workplace is in violation of
any contract provisions.
pervisors has violated your
contractual rights. This formal complaint is called
a "grievance," and the
system used to process
this compliant is referred to in the contract
as the "grievance procedure."
make the final ruling. Arbitrators have the power to order
an employer to correct
the situation.
Remember that grievance procedures have
strict time limits and
must be filed promptly. Also: not all workplace complaints are grievances. Winning a grievance
depends on the facts and
evidence the Union collects.
Working closely with your
delegate will greatly improve
your chances of success.
How do I know whether I
should file a grievance?
If you think that management has violated your rights
or the contract, or if you
have questions regarding
your workplace, talk with
your delegate. You have the
right to file a formal complaint when one of your su-
Make a point of reading the
current contract to find out
exactly what your rights and
responsibilities are as a
professional staff employee.
If you and your delegate
determine that a contract
violation has occurred, together you will fill out a
"grievance form." If management refuses to settle the
grievance, the Union may
argue your case before an
impartial arbitrator, who will
Recent and
Committee Highlight:
The key question that decides grievances involving
discipline is whether or not
management had "just
cause" to impose the discipline.
Upcoming Events Labor/Management Committee
* Aug. 14, 2012: Labor/
Management Committee
meeting
* Aug. 16, 2012: Rose
Begalla and Rashelle Baker
met with CSU President
Ronald Berkman
* Sept. 25, 2012 : General
Membership Meeting , Noon2 PM, MC Auditorium
* Oct. 5 & 6, 2012: SEIU
Leadership Assembly
* Oct. 23, 2012: Meeting of
Delegates
* Dec. 6, 2012: Holiday
Social (time and place TBA)
This committee has three
SEIU bargaining members
and an equal number of
representatives from the
University.
The mission of this committee is to discuss matters of
mutual concern. Items for
discussion may be submitted
by the bargaining unit to one
of the SEIU members on the
committee or by the members of the committee.
How the Committee Works:
Our three SEIU reps meet
with HR every month or so to
discuss issues that come up
between contracts. We
would be more successful
with this committee with
your input. We need issues
to take to the meetings. If
you have an issue, please
submit it to one of the current SEIU committee members :
Rose Begalla
Dian Goga
Sandra English Shambley
Also see “Article XII, Labor/
Management Committee*in
the SEIU District 1199 contract for more details.
—Gail Marredeth
FALL 2012 ISSUE
PAGE 3
Member Highlights
Rita Grabowski is the current newsletter Chair. She was born and raised in Cleveland.
As she likes to say, “If I’m cut, I bleed Erie.” She lived in the Tremont area for decades, where she and her
husband Gary, owned Miracles’ Restaurant, best know for its potato pancakes. She now lives in the Jones
Home Historic District, between west 25th Street and Fulton Avenue.
Since Rita is Clevelander, born and bred, it was natural for her to get her education at Cleveland State University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, then continued her education and received a Master of Arts in
English with a concentration in Creative Writing . Currently Rita is working on her second Masters degree, a
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, through the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOMFA) Program.
In addition to getting her education at Cleveland State, Rita has been employed here for many years. She
started at CSU in 1994 as a graduate assistant in the Department of English. She then moved onto be part of
the Cleveland state University Poetry Center until joining the staff in the Career Services Office in July of 2011.
Rita M. Grabowski
“spending time with
people that have the
same views on issues…
it’s comforting.”
As a first generation college student, Rita really enjoys helping students and people in general. So, when she
was asked to get involved with the union, it seemed a likely fit. Since her family had always had jobs where
they were active union members, Rita believes she may have been “genetically predisposed” to be active in
the union. The union has helped her along her way, and she wanted to give back. Her favorite part of being
involved in the union is “spending time with people who have the same views on issues as I do . . . it’s comforting.” She is also a firm believer that “a single united voice is stronger than separate voices”
Rita is an animal lover. She has four cats of her own, and recently placed a foster cat. She is also a “born
again” Beatles fan. Admittedly, wasn’t cognizant of the history the Beatles were making when they were first
popular, but recently she has rediscovered their music., and has a new appreciation for their recordings. “Two
letters, one number,” she says: “MP3.” She can’t designate one Beatle as her favorite, but because of their
skill as songwriters, and contrasting personalities, she says that “John and Paul TOGETHER” are her favorite!
—Jami R. Derry
It’s hard to spend even a few minutes with Jami Derry and not come away smiling.
But Jami had me smiling even before I met her, because she volunteered to help with this newsletter!
Thanks , Jami!
Jami has worked as the Administrative Coordinator for the Honors Program for two years. Before that she
worked with the Center for International Studies Program for seven years. Since her marriage, she is using
her married name. Long-time CSU employees might remember her as Jami Cozza.
Rogers, Ohio is a village of 350 people, located about twenty-five minutes south of Youngstown. That’s
where Jami is from. Specifically, she says “We’re off the last exit of the Ohio Turnpike before it ends in
Pennsylvania.
As “not quite a hiker,” but
a lover of walks in the
woods, Jami is committed
to complete a special
walk this year.
According to Jami, Rogers is best known as the home of “The Largest Flea Market in Ohio,” which takes
place religiously every Friday, rain or shine. Although the “Dirt Ball Mall,” as she affectionately refers to it
is not as large during inclement weather, there are enough buildings on the grounds that have enough
floor space to continue flea- marketing year round.
Jami has completed her Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland Marshall Law, although she did not sit for the
bar. She then went on to become a double alumna of CSU by earning her Master of Public Administration
through the Maxine Levin College of Urban Affairs. As the first member of her family to complete her college education, she is especially gratified when she can help students fulfill their academic aspirations
Jami is Mom to a family of three children (she hates the terms step-children and step-mom), two sons, and
a daughter who attends high school in Alliance. As “not quite a hiker,” but a lover of walks in the woods,
Jami is committed to complete a special walk this year. The Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome Awareness is
an event that means much more to Jami than a casual walk in the woods because one of her sons is a
Down Syndrome (here, Jami explains that “child” isn’t quite right. Mason is nearly a teenager), so we’ll say
‘tween, soon to be teen.
Ask Jami about her favorite music, and she mentions Janis Joplin and the Doors. We briefly recalled the
shared tragedy of their twenty-seventh year, which marked the end of Joplin’s and Jim Morrison’s lives. I
can understand the charisma and the power those performers possessed. Interestingly, if I were asked to
describe Jami in two words, charismatic and powerful would be absolutely appropriate. And, thankfully,
Jami has made it to twenty-eight and beyond.
—Rita M. Grabowski
Jami. R. Derry
FALL 2012 ISSUE
PAGE 2
Union Contacts
To submit stories for the
newsletter or to nominate a
member to be featured,
please email:
j.derry@csuohio.edu
Let’s Prepare for
Membership Surveys!
Executive Board Member
Rose Begalla is planning to
send a series of surveys out
to poll the membership on
various bargaining unit
issues, labor and
management issues and
ways to improve service to
our members.
Because many members
have mentioned that they
would prefer to receive Unionrelated emails at their
personal email addresses
instead of their CSU emails,
we would like your help in
compiling a list of members’
non-CSU email addresses.
Please send an email via your
CSU email account to
Membership Chair Rashelle
Baker at:
r.a.baker@csuohio.edu.
Please note your non-CSU
email address in the subject
line. (Sending from your CSU
email should prevent the
CLEVELAND STATE SEIU 1199 WEBSITE
EXECUTIVE BOARD:
Rose Begalla (Chair)
Sandra English Shambley
r.begalla@csuohio.edu
s.l.english@csuohio.edu
216-687-5024
216-687-6968
UNION ORGANIZER:
Peggy Torzewski
p.torzewski@csuohio.edu
216-687-3636
MEMBERSHIP:
Rashelle Baker
Tom Hurray
r.c.baker@csuohio.edu
t.hurray@csuohio.edu
216-687-6991
216-523-7396
GRIEVANCE:
Sandra English Shambley
Dian Goga (Co-Chair)
s.l.english@csuohio.edu
d.goga@csuohio.edu
216-687-6968
216-523-7435
DELEGATES/STEWARDS:
Rose Begalla (Chair)
Sandra English Shambley
Rashelle Baker
Gail Marredeth
Dian Goga (Co-Chair)
Erin Dahl
Vic Higgins
Gina Huffman
Laura Ray
Frank Feola
Tom Hurray (Co-Chair)
Kathleen Cuthrell
r.begalla@csuohio.edu
s.l.english@csuohio.edu
r.c.baker@csuohio.edu
g.marredeth@csuohio.edu
d.goga@csuohio.edu
e.dahl@csuohio.edu
v.higgins@csuohio.edu
g.c.huffman@csuohio.edu
l.ray@csuohio.edu
f.feola@csuohio.edu
t.hurray@csuohio.edu
k.cuthrell@csuohio.edu
216-687-5024
216-687-6968
216-687-6991
216-687-2291
216-523-7435
216-875-9902
216-687-6914
216-802-3376
216-687-6880
216-687-2279
216-523-7396
216-687-5228
NEWSLETTER:
Rita Grabowski (Chair)
Jami Derry (Co-Chair)
r.grabowski@csuohio.edu
j.derry@csuohio.edu
216-687-2245
216-687-5433
WEB MASTER:
Sharon Bliss
s.bliss@csuohio.edu
216-687-2210
NEGOTIATING TEAM:
Tania Anochin
Dan Ivan
Rashelle Baker
Rose Begalla (Chair)
Sandra English Shambley
Orysia Markovic
Gail Marredeth
George Walker
t.anochin@csuohio.edu
d.ivan66@csuohio.edu
r.c.baker@csuohio.edu
r.begalla@csuohio.edu
s.l.english@csuohio.edu
o.markovic@csuohio.edu
g.marredeth@csuohio.edu
g.walker@csuohio.edu
216-687-5157
216-687-5238
216-687-6991
216-687-5024
216-687-6968
216-523-7305
216-687-2291
216-687-6928