August 2nd negotiations session

Attendees:

AFT: Joaquín Rivera, Monica Malamud, Marianne Kaletzky, David Hasson (negotiators); Katharine Harer, Elizabeth Ingber, Evan Kaiser, Beth LaRochelle, John Perez, Vera Quijano, Elinor Westfold (member attendees)

SMCCD: Randy Erickson, Julie Johnson, Aaron McVean, Max Hartman

 

Summary:

Now that faculty contract negotiations have left confidential mediation, we are once again able to share information about negotiations with you. On Wednesday the 2nd, AFT negotiators presented our counters to District proposals on salary and benefits and dual enrollment.

We also presented proposals on remote work, disability accommodations, parental leave, part-time rights in summer, and union rights. AFT did not receive District counters on any of the proposals we presented on Wednesday, but the District’s team indicated they should have responses at our next negotiation session Friday, August 11th. (Sign up here to attend on Zoom as an AFT member.)

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Full report:

AFT began the negotiating session by presenting our proposals on salary, benefits, dual enrollment, and remote work.

Salary (Article 8):

  • The District has proposed a 15% raise for all faculty over the life of the contract (7%, 5%, and 3%). AFT has agreed to the District’s proposal of a 7% raise for all faculty for AY 2022-23 and an additional 5% raise for all faculty for AY 2023-24, but is also proposing a property tax-based formula to give faculty raises over the District’s proposed 3% in AY 2024-25 if property tax revenue is high.
  • AFT is also asking that the District apply an 11.5% raise to the part-time instructional salary schedules in AY 2022-23, an additional 9.5% raise in AY 2023-24, and a further 7% raise plus the property tax formula in AY 2024-25. (The District is proposing part-time instructional raises of 9.5%, 7.5%, and 5.5%.) While parity percentages vary based on step and column, AFT’s proposal will bring many instructional part-timers to the 85% parity goal, and will bring average parity across the salary schedule to a little over 84%.

Benefits (Article 9):

  • On benefits, AFT is proposing that the District use the money allocated by AB 190 to provide part-timers who have a load of 40% or above the same medical coverage that full-timers get, with the same District contributions.
  • AFT and the District have agreed that for the life of the contract, full-timers will receive District medical contributions equal to 100% of the Kaiser single-person rate, 88% of the Kaiser two-party rate, and 88% of the Kaiser family rate.

Dual Enrollment (new Memorandum of Understanding):

  • AFT agreed to the District’s proposals to compensate all faculty teaching at multiple worksites during the same day for travel. Full-timers will be reimbursed for mileage traveled at the IRS rate; part-timers will be compensated for travel time at the non-instructional special rate.
  • AFT also agreed to the District’s proposals for compensating faculty in dual enrollment programs who participate in trainings relevant to teaching high school students or undertake professional development at a high school, as assigned by the appropriate dean.
  • AFT is proposing language stating that faculty teaching in dual enrollment programs will only be required to carry out the duties listed in Appendix D-1 of our contract. If faculty teaching in dual enrollment programs voluntarily take on other duties, they will be compensated at the lecture rate for actual hours spent. The District did not respond to this proposal.
  • AFT and the District continue to negotiate over how to compensate faculty for time worked outside the standard SMCCD calendar.

After a caucus break, AFT also presented proposals on the following issues:

Disability accommodations (new article proposed by AFT):

  • AFT is proposing language stipulating that faculty who request reasonable accommodation for a disability will receive a response, including a status update, from HR within 30 days.
  • AFT is also proposing that when an accommodations is granted, HR will provide the faculty member a written description of the accommodation; that when no accommodation is granted, HR will provide upon request the reason for the denial; and that an appeal process be available.

Union recognition and rights (Articles 1 and 2):

  • AFT is proposing language stipulating that the District will not invite individual faculty to engage in conversation with administrators about contract proposals under negotiation (often known as “direct dealing.”) In the past, the District was found to have carried out an Unfair Labor Practice by the Public Employee Relations Board when they invited individual faculty to discuss proposals with administrators.
  • AFT is proposing that reassigned time for union business be increased from 36 units per semester to 48 units, to allow sufficient time for union leaders to represent faculty and do organizing work.

Coordination time (Article 6):

  • AFT is proposing that before coordination time is assigned, the faculty member and the appropriate dean should agree on the specific duties of the coordination role and the proportion of reassigned time allocated to each duty.

Remote work (Article 7):

  • AFT is proposing that all faculty have the right to work up to 50% of hours remotely.
  • AFT is also proposing that counselors be required to take no more than 50% of counseling appointments in person.

Parental leave (Article 11):

  • AFT is proposing that all faculty who welcome a new child (by birth or adoption) be entitled to 15 days of fully paid parental leave before they have to use sick time or take leave at partial pay.

Professional Development (Article 13):

  • AFT and the District continue to negotiate over changes to the guidelines and processes for the allocation of faculty Professional Development funds. The changes AFT is proposing were suggested by the College PD committees.

Summer Session Employment (Article 18):

  • AFT is proposing that summer assignments for part-timers be made according to the seniority rules that apply to semester assignments.

We look forward to receiving the District’s response to our proposals at our next negotiating session Friday, August 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.