At AFT 1493’s virtual Town Hall on Thursday, March 26, we had a great turnout of members who heard a report from our negotiators and shared many of the issues faculty are facing in our new working environments. Thank you to everyone who was able to participate.

On Monday, March 30th, our bargaining team will meet with the District’s new Chief Negotiator and the District team to present a draft MOU reflecting faculty needs and demands related to the effects of COVID-19. AFT is bringing as many of your concerns as we can directly to the bargaining table. Your input gathered through our survey and during the Town Hall contributed to the proposed language for the MOU, making it even stronger. For those who haven’t completed the survey, please let us hear from you.

Below is a brief report from the Town Hall meeting:

AFT 1493 President and Chief Negotiator Joaquin Rivera gave a quick negotiations report:

• The next bargaining session is Monday, 3/30. Regular negotiations are on hold. We have a new chief negotiator.
• Briefly, here are six main topics we plan to discuss:

1. Teaching flexibility to suit needs/skills
2. Recognition/compensation for extra work
3. Ability to take 14 days without using sick/vacation leave
4. Full pay for any canceled classes
5. Non-instructional work should not be required
6. Evaluations not in progress should be postponed until next year

Members shared questions/concerns and provided answers when known:

Workload & Work Environment 

• Getting labs online is tons of work – faculty must create an entirely new curriculum to replace lab curriculum prepared in advance
• Working from home: faculty members are working at home for very long hours under extremely stressed conditions (often limited or no home office arrangements

Compensation and Benefits

• Staff required to be on campus have not received hazard pay.
• Compensation for migration of classes to online environment, AFT negotiators to survey members:
  • Should this be stipend/flat rate?
  • What are costs aside from hours worked? Setting up home office, migrating, interacting with students and purchasing/ acquiring/setting up equipment
  • Concern for part time faculty who aren’t paid a salary and have so much extra unpaid work now transitioning their classes to online, often for multiple districts with different platforms

Evaluations (by/for faculty)

• Some members don’t want to continue evaluations in progress – don’t want to ask students to submit evaluations
• Non-digital portfolios are in process but cannot be accessed by reviewer needing to complete evaluation (unless adapted digitally)

Distance Ed/Online Instruction & Equipment

• • Transitioning music classes online requires technology most faculty members don’t have at home.
  • Grades & Credit: 
    • Credit/no credit issue is complex with unknown ramifications for transfer students; being discussed in Senates, remains undecided
    • New exec order from State Chancellor says students can get “excused withdrawal” that won’t affect their standing; counselors will be conveying this to students.
• Some classes simply don’t translate to an online environment, e.g.:
• • PE skills acquisition – faculty can’t observe each student demonstrating the skills over time or for final.
  • ECE student teaching – schools where students would be teaching are closed.

Additional Questions & Information Updates by Members

• EQUITY
• Online Ed: some students are simply not prepared for distance education and have quit. How many students will be left behind because of the obstacle of technology?
  • Some faculty members have have cramped conditions at home and/or kids to homeschool.
  • “It’s extremely challenging to do my work while homeschooling a 5 year old.”“I feel like I’m being punished for being a parent.”
• There have been no District Communications about Childcare

Dear AFT 1493 members,

We want to acknowledge the uncertainty and fears we’re all experiencing as we navigate the enormous changes brought about by the Coronavirus. As we wash our hands and wipe down our phones, take care of our families and try to figure out how to live our lives under these unprecedented conditions, we’re receiving a flood of messages from the Chancellor, our college presidents, deans, supervisors and directors — many with the theme of the importance of maintaining “instructional continuity.”

Your union has questions and concerns about what should be considered reasonable expectations of faculty at this time. Many of you have communicated your concerns to your union reps, and you’ve let us know which issues are most important to you. Your union leadership has contacted Chancellor Claire who has agreed to negotiate around the effects of the coronavirus measures on a number of areas of faculty working conditions.

This is an ongoing process, but we want to tell you what we know so far. Here are some of the issues and recommendations our union leadership will discuss with Chancellor Claire:

Non-essential functions

Workload beyond preparing and teaching classes and supporting our students should not be considered “required” work during this emergency.

Non-instructional faculty

Counselors, librarians, tutors, Middle College faculty and child care professionals should not be required to conduct face-to-face work with colleagues and students. All faculty must be protected equally.

Evaluations

The District Academic Senate and AFT 1493 are recommending postponement of some faculty evaluations:

1. If the classroom observation component of the evaluation has NOT been completed for an individual instructor, the evaluation process, for this instructor will be moved to the fall 2020 evaluation cycle.
2. If the classroom observation HAS happened for an individual instructor, the evaluation process for this instructor (including student surveys, portfolios, self-assessments, and Deans’ assessments) will be concluded virtually with adjusted deadlines. *Note: If an evaluee has already begun work on a hard copy portfolio, they should make individual arrangements with their evaluator for the delivery of that portfolio.

Flexibility Around Online Instruction

Faculty must be given the flexibility and freedom to determine the methods of online instruction or distance education best suited to their abilities and their students’ needs without interference or reprimand.

Part-Time faculty

Part-time faculty must be fully compensated for cancelled classes and receive additional compensation for any training and prep time required to move into online instruction. Full-time faculty assigned to teach cancelled classes must also be compensated.

Dual enrollment faculty

Instructors teaching off-site should not be required to teach throughout the closures of schools. These faculty should maintain current pay and benefits.

Paid Leave

All faculty should be allowed up to 14 days of paid leave away from work to respond to emergencies or personal needs without questions asked or loss of sick-time or other pay.

Incurred Expenses for Cancelled Conferences

All expenses incurred by faculty for cancelled conferences, trainings and workshops should be reimbursed by the District when not otherwise refunded.

We will share additional information as soon as it becomes available. It’s important that we continue to hear from you — please email your questions or concerns to your union reps.

Your union is working closely with the California Federation of Teachers (CFT.) Members are welcome to join CFT’s Tele-Town Hall on COVID-19 this Wednesday, March 18 at 4:30 and 6:30pm. Sign up to join the discussion on the latest developments related to public education in California. If you are concerned about migrating to online instruction, we recommend that you read “What Does the Transition to ‘Remote Learning’ Mean?” by AFT Guild, Local 1931 President Jim Mahler.

We are committed to ensuring that faculty rights are protected so we can continue serving our students and taking care of ourselves as best we can in this very difficult time.

In solidarity,

AFT Executive Committee