Do you serve on the governance committee?  Is your committee efficient?  Is it effective?  Who really makes decision in your committee?  Is it the committee chair, administrator(s), all the members, or those who make the loudest noise?  If you don’t serve on a committee now, you may want to serve on one in the future. 

In the past, CSEA had few people who would serve on all governance committees, mostly CSEA Executive Board members.  Things have changed over the last few years; many classified employees are involved in shared governance committees.  We advertise all committee openings; classified employees are appointed based on various factors by the CSEA Executive Board. 

As we all know, productive meetings don’t just happen.  They require planning and commitment by the committee chair and committee members.  As the CSEA representative, you represent your constituency, you speak for your constituency, and you commit your constituency to a decision made by the committee.  If you are not sure about an issue which is an action item, ask to table voting, and inform the Executive Board, and, if necessary, present an issue for discussion to the union members at the Chapter Meeting.  Sometimes, it might be discussions involving negotiable items, for example, use of temporary employees, ‘out-sourcing’, contracting out of services, shift changes, changes in work schedules, transfer of bargaining unit work to other positions or bargaining units, increase in duties, or the academic calendar, which affects classified work calendar.  Remember, you are an equal member of the committee. If in doubt, ask questions.