Alameda County Employer Advisory Council Expands Into Tri-Valley

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Employers who want to stay up-to-date on current issues, trends and legislation that affects their businesses have a resource in the Tri-Valley: the Alameda County Employer Advisory Council (ACEAC). Formerly known as the Southern Alameda County EAC, based in Hayward, the recent name change reflects the organization's active expansion into the Tri-Valley. The EAC is businesses' link to the Employment Development Department.

"Though the Tri-Valley was already a part of the county EAC, we thought that because of the expanded growth and development in the region, the EAC needed to have a larger presence in the area," says EDD's California Business Liaison Wayne Weible. Weible spends Thursdays at the Tri-Valley One-Stop Career Center, located at 5020 Franklin Drive in Pleasanton.

The EAC offers numerous workshops and seminars that provide EAC members with current information about EDD programs and services, labor market conditions, labor law, personnel issues, payroll taxes, and unemployment and disability insurance. The EAC also supports local workforce development efforts including sponsorship of job fairs and veteran's outreach programs and scholarships for youth.

Weible explains why becoming a member of EAC benefits businesses, "Most companies of any size, with or without, Human Resource departments, are not fully informed about changes in tax regulations, hiring and firing practices, or changes in labor law. It's difficult to keep up with the regular changes in legislation, but EAC can help."

The benefits to businesses that join the EAC are plentiful including access to the Management Hotline to obtain legal assistance regarding employer-employee issues, reduced fees for monthly or quarterly seminars, and an opportunity to network with other business professionals. EAC membership also gives businesses a voice in EDD procedure and policy through a direct link with EDD management, participation in EDD surveys and focus groups and automatic membership with the California EAC. The CEAC is a nonprofit, statewide umbrella organization for more than 50 EACs throughout the state.

Membership runs January through December with annual dues of $50 paid by the company, not individually.

"Membership provides a discount on our seminar fees. Our seminars are held every other month at various locations, beginning at 7:30 am and including breakfast," explains Weible. "Topics are always interesting and pertinent to current employment issues."

The next seminar, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 is titled "Employment Labor Law Update 2008." For more information, and to get the location of the seminar, contact Pat Donovan, EAC Treasurer at (925) 485-5264 or email pdonovan@clpccd.org. For information about the Alameda County EAC and membership, visit its web site at www.ceac.org/site/alameda_county, or call Angie Alamillo at (510) 563-8965.

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