February 2015 (pdf)
In this issue:
February 2015 (pdf)
In this issue:
Wednesday, January 28, 2015, at Skyline College
EC members present: Najla Abrao, Lin Bowie, Eric Brenner, Vicki Clinton, Stephen Fredricks, Katharine Harer, Teeka James, Dan Kaplan (Exec. Secr.), Michelle Kern, Doniella Maher, Monica Malamud, Joaquin Rivera, Paul Rueckhaus, Anne Stafford, Elizabeth Terzakis, Lezlee Ware, Rob Williams.
AFT (non-EC) members present: Candice Nance (Cañada – FT Business), Leonor Cabrera (Cañada – FT Business), Jessica Kaven (Cañada – FT Communication), Paul Naas (Cañada – Multimedia), Cihan Tinaztepe (Cañada – Engineering).
Meeting began at 2:32 p.m.
Facilitator: Michelle Kern
Welcome and Introductions
Done.
Statements from AFT (non EC) members on Non-Agenda Items
None.
Minutes of December 10, 2014 AFT meeting
Approved unanimously.
PT Survey on Medical Reimbursement Stipend – Katharine Harer, Paul Rueckhaus, Michelle Kern
There have been 113 responses in just 2 days since the survey was launched.
Of the survey respondents who have applied for the medical reimbursement, 90% said that the stipend did not meet their needs.
There were a variety of good comments.
Next steps:
Send a reminder February 2, and a final reminder on February 9 before closing the survey
Paul et al will summarize the results of the survey, including a compilation of the open-ended questions
Continue discussion on negotiation of medical reimbursements at AFT 1493 February meeting, with survey results
Negotiations update – Joaquín Rivera
No updates; negotiators have not met since fall semester.
The increase for salaries next year, which is currently tied to a formula that takes into account revenue from property taxes, is projected to be around 3.3%.
Strategic Campaign Initiative Organizing Project update – Katharine Harer, Michelle Kern
Folded into agenda item 4.
Organizing the second PT Faculty Appreciation Days
Dan noted that we had very successful events at all three campuses last year, and we should schedule similar events again this spring semester. Katharine gave an overview of how these events were organized and ran. Skyline’s and CSM’s events were well attended; Cañada’s had fewer participants, which could be due to the fact that Cañada already has a PT appreciation event as well as an AFT-sponsored all faculty event.
District Participatory Governance Council – Teeka James
No report.
Instead, Teeka used the time to report on the following topics:
The CFT has a statewide PT faculty budget advocacy campaign. Jim Mahler (CFT/CCC President) requested that each local appoint a representative.
CFT Leadership Conference will be held in Los Angeles February 11-12, 2015. Anybody interested in attending, let Dan know.
The District has been working on preparing documentation for the new faculty evaluation process; progress has been slow. Teeka will be meeting with Eugene to discuss issues with the evaluation forms.
Workload Reduction Campaign
This topic stemmed from the results of the workload survey that AFT conducted about two years ago. Some general findings of the survey were that FT faculty were feeling overwhelmed by the ever-increasing non-teaching demands on their time. Some faculty feel an obligation to serve on multiple committees when there is no other faculty who is qualified to serve in certain capacities.
Suggestions:
Conduct a new survey to collect more recent data
Have focus groups
We need to have a focused discussion on what kind of goals we want to achieve. Examples:
Define standards for getting release time or over-time pay for excessive non-teaching duties
Appendix D in the Contract lists Duties and Responsibilities of faculty, but we have no minimum and no maximum of duties to be performed by any one faculty member
We’ll devote a large part of the next AFT meeting (February 18) to this topic, and invite Academic Leaders from the three colleges.
National Adjunct Walkout
There is a national movement that is gearing up for a walkout on Feb 25. Different locals are planning on a variety of actions on that day/week.
Our local is already working on several issues on behalf of adjuncts, so our participation in this national movement can be to raise awareness of these issues.
Complaints/grievance training workshop
Dan asked EC members to read the email that he sent about a training that Zev will be conducting, and let Dan know if available to attend the training, or to propose alternate dates.
Higher Education Campaign Coalition – Dan Kaplan
Dan has been the only representative from the CFT/CCC to this coalition. He expressed his frustration at the lack of direction from the CFT/CCC leadership.
Closed session — CONFIDENTIAL
Contract issues and class cancellations were discussed in closed session.
Meeting adjourned at 5:14 p.m.
As part of a new campaign to advocate for expanded health benefits for part-time faculty, Local 1493 distributed an online survey to all part-time faculty in the District to gauge the usefulness of the current stipend. This survey was timed to gather feedback for contract negotiations. The survey closed Wednesday, February 11, with 202 total respondents representing almost 1/3 of all part-timers in the District! Thanks to all of the faculty who completed the survey. Not only will the responses inform our negotiations of the health benefits stipend, but the aggregate data paint a rich and complex picture of the struggle many of our adjunct faculty members have with regards to paying for their healthcare. For survey result information, click on the links below.