AFT has agreed on a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the District around emergency actions relating to the Coronavirus pandemic. Below are highlights and clarifications of issues related to the MOU. We will update this page regularly as we work out implementation details with the District and as we answer questions from faculty on any issues that may need broader clarification. 

• Click here to read the full text of the Summer-Fall 2020 MOU

Highlights of Key Provisions of the MOU

• CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS
• LIMIT ON FACULTY WORKLOAD
• COMPENSATION FOR COURSE CONVERSION
• EXTRA PAY FOR LARGE CLASSES
• COUNSELORS’ ISSUES
• PAID LEAVE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDCARE OR ILLNESS

CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS:  All faculty members need to communicate with their deans immediately if they want reduction(s) in the size of their Fall class(es). The Academic Senate originally specified a deadline of July 9th for conversations between faculty members and deans regarding enrollment caps, which AFT has been able to extend to July 24th.

In your discussions with your dean, follow the Senate guidance memo:

• Remember that student success is clearly impacted by moving a course to distance modality, especially when students do not have a choice of learning modalities.
• Reducing class size has been consistently shown to increase student success, so this is a logical starting point for communications with your dean.
• Some other factors included in the Senate memo that could be brought to the dean’s attention are listed below, but you should see the memo for more.
  • Faculty who have never taught online should be prioritized for class size reduction
  • If your classes are likely to have students who need additional support, you need fewer students
  • In the new environment an effective pedagogy requires a smaller class size

If a faculty member is not satisfied with the dean’s decision, the decision can be appealed to the VPI.  For help, contact the union by emailing Executive Secretary Marianne Kaletzky (kaletzky@aft1493.org) As a last resort, we can file a grievance.

LIMIT ON FACULTY WORKLOAD: Full-time faculty members will not be expected to engage in more than two high-volume or high-demand professional duties during the Fall semester. High-volume or high-demand duties include the following:

• Service on a committee (each committee counts as one high-volume duty)
• Program review
• Curriculum development (except for DE addenda)
• SLO’s

Any faculty member whose dean requires them to perform more than two high-volume duties should first remind the dean of the provisions of the MOU. If the dean does not agree to limit the faculty member’s workload, they should contact the union by emailing Executive Secretary Marianne Kaletzky (kaletzky@aft1493.org) or their AFT Chapter Chair or Representative.

COMPENSATION FOR COURSE CONVERSION: All instructional faculty will receive 6 hours of compensation at the special rate for each course they convert for delivery via online modality in Fall 2020.

• For the purposes of this provision, each course listed in the course catalog counts as one course.
• Faculty will receive 3 hours of compensation for each course they convert to deliver in Summer only. Faculty who deliver a course in Summer and again in Fall will receive 3 hours of compensation in Summer and 3 more hours in Fall, for a total of 6.
• AFT is discussing the logistics of compensation with the District and will communicate them to members as soon as more details are available.

EXTRA PAY FOR LARGE CLASSES: The District will provide additional compensation to instructors who teach courses with either more than 45 students enrolled at census day or more than 40 students enrolled on the last day to withdraw.

• All additional compensation is retroactive to the beginning of the semester; that is, faculty will receive extra compensation for every week in the semester.
• Instructors will be compensated according to the following guidelines:
  • For classes with 46-57 students at census or 41-54 on the last day to withdraw, faculty will receive 1 hour of additional compensation per week.
  • For classes with 58-69 students at census or 55-69 on the last day to withdraw, faculty will receive 2 hours of additional compensation per week.
  • Classes with 70 or more students will follow the large lecture compensation rates set forth in the CBA. 

COUNSELORS’ ISSUES: For the Fall semester, full-time counselors will only be scheduled for 21 hours of counseling appointments per week. They will have 9 hours per week for other professional duties, including preparation for appointments and follow-up with students. A counselor may request a different balancing of their on-campus hours, as long as professional duties do not fall below 21 hours/week and on-campus hours do not fall below 30. 

PAID LEAVE AVAILABLE FOR CHILDCARE OR ILLNESS: District faculty are eligible to take up to 12 weeks paid leave to care for a child whose school is closed due to Covid-19.

• The 12 weeks do not need to be taken consecutively.
• Up to 2/3rds of regular pay is covered and the remaining 1/3rd can be made up by teaching, using banked units, and/or using sick time.

Faculty are also eligible to receive full pay for at least two weeks while on medical leave to care for themselves or others due to Covid-19.

AFT is committed to supporting faculty through every step of this process.
See full details, instructions and forms for receiving paid family or medical leave here.

Questions and Answers

NOTE: For any situations where a faculty member runs into an obstacle in claiming new benefits or in understanding any provisions of the MOU, they should contact either:

1) AFT Executive Secretary Marianne Kaletzky (kaletzky@aft1493.org) or
2) their AFT Chapter Chair or Representative.

We have received many questions from faculty wondering about whether they can take leave during Summer or Fall. AFT is committed to supporting faculty through every step of this process. Here’s what you need to know about your eligibility, as well as links to forms.

According to Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Childcare Leave Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), there are 5 reasons for leave eligibility, including:

1. being required to self-quarantine as a result of experiencing illness related to Covid-19,
2. caring for an individual who has Covid-19,
3. being advised to quarantine as a result of possible exposure to someone with Covid-19 illness,
4. experiencing symptoms similar to Covid-19,
5. caring for a child whose school, preschool, or daycare is closed due to Covid-19.

Medical leave

In the cases of #1-4, AFT and the District have signed an MOU allowing faculty to receive full pay for at least 2 weeks while on leave.  This leave does not need to be taken in full or on consecutive days.  The district is able to negotiate a partial leave and one that is flexible in accommodating the faculty member’s schedule (e.g. Wednesdays off for the duration of the semester).

Up to 12 weeks paid leave to care for a child whose school is closed due to Covid

In the case of 5) caring for a child whose school is closed due to Covid-19, faculty are entitled to up to 12 weeks of emergency paid leave, earning up to 2/3rds of their regular rates/salaries (state daily cap is $200 / $12,000 for the entire 12-week period).  The faculty member may earn the remaining 1/3^rd (or difference between the state cap and full salary) of their pay through teaching, using banked units, and/or using sick time.  Faculty are only given this leave period one time during the current year and have up to December 31st, 2020 to use this leave.

Upon the reopening of the child’s school, the faculty member becomes eligible to return to work; therefore, they are obliged to do so.  The faculty member’s dean and the district should work with the faculty to ensure a return to work that poses the least disruption to the teaching of the course, including the students, faculty substitute, and faculty member returning from leave.

Should the child’s school be open when the semester begins, but face a closure after the semester starts, the faculty member is entitled to the leave benefits described above and is encouraged to apply for leave immediately.

One exception excludes faculty who have already taken 12 weeks of FMLA in the last twelve months, making them ineligible to take this emergency family leave.

Forms:

The following forms are required if an employee needs to take a leave of absence due to any of the above reasons:

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave Employee Certification Form to be completed to take the above leave up to 2 (two) weeks, may need a doctor’s note for self-quarantine or documentation of school/child care closure
• Emergency Family Leave Employee Certification Form to be completed for leave of up to twelve (12) weeks to care for your child due to child care/school closure and documentation of school/child care closure needed

 Additional resources:

• District’s Guidelines to Emergency Paid Sick leave and Emergency Family Leave
• Employee Rights Federal Summary for Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family Leave

Faculty are encouraged to communicate with their AFT representatives as well as Ingrid Melgoza (Melgozai@smccd.edu) in Human Resources at SMCCCD for additional details and questions in determining their leave options and completing the required forms. Ingrid Melgoza is committed to supporting faculty in communications with their Dean, for example in securing the Dean’s signature on all forms.