San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, AFT 1493

Minutes of
General Membership/Executive Committee Meeting

February 12, 2012 at Cañada College 

EC Members Present:

Eric Brenner, Chip Chandler, Victoria Clinton, Nina Floro, Katharine Harer, Teeka James, Dan Kaplan, Emily Munson, Lucia Olson, Joaquin Rivera, Doug Sherman, Anne Stafford, Masao Suzuki, Elizabeth Terzakis, Lezlee Ware, Rebecca Webb

Other Attendees: Michelle Araica, Micheal Madden, Tricia Gardner, Brandon Snyder, Margaret Hanzimanolis, Zev Kvitky (CFT Field Rep)

 

Meeting begun: 2:35

 

Facilitator: Dan Kaplan

 

Welcome and Introductions

 

Statements from AFT (non EC) members on Non-Agenda Items

 

Minutes of January 18, 2012 AFT Meeting

Approved:

            10 “yes”

            1 “abstain”

 

Evaluation Procedures: MOU Update

AFT and District Academic Senate have agreed that the MOU must specify that decisions made by the Performance Evaluation Task Force be determined by “majority vote.”

 

Fact Finding Update

AFT 1493 has chosen its member for the three-person fact finding panel and is currently working with the District to choose the final, neutral panel member. Joaquin will present the union’s case. The two parties will meet in a couple of weeks.

 

Organizing the Contract Campaign

Dan will work with Zev and representatives from each campus to speak individually with as many faculty as possible regarding our ongoing contracts negotiations and the fact finding process. Margaret pointed out the importance of including part-time faculty in the planning stages of this outreach.

We discussed strategies for reaching out to both part-time and full-time faculty. Issues of greatest concern for the greatest number of faculty seem to be rising health care costs, a lag behind most Bay Area districts in full-time/part-time parity, and weak salary comparisons within the Bay 10 for many of the salary steps. We want to remind faculty that our current contract proposals target the steps at which faculty salaries compare least favorably with other districts, and highlight the progress AFT has made toward greater PT/FT equity in the past. In making the case for a 5% pay increase for part-time faculty, it is important to stress that the community college system is built on the back of inexpensive part-time labor, to the detriment of both students and faculty.

Tricia Gardner (student, CSM) offered the help of students.

To start, we will reintroduce the salary comparison sheets created in Fall 2011, and will consider gathering signatures for a petition to present to the Board of Trustees.

 

Electronic Vote on AFT 1493 Constitution Revisions: Voting Results

92% of faculty who voted, voted “yes.’

 8% of faculty who voted, voted “no.”

The language originally posted online was not accurate and had to be corrected. An email was sent to those who had already voted on the incorrect language, asking them to read the corrected version and re-vote. The original votes of those faculty who did not re-vote were thrown out.

 

2012-2014 AFT Elections Discussion

The next issue of The Advocate will announce the upcoming AFT 1493 elections. A number of current officers announced today that they will likely not be running again in the next election cycle. Dan will send out requests for nominations in March, which can be submitted on paper or can be made in person at the April 11 meeting. Ballots will go out in April, and new officers will officially take over at the May meeting.

 

SMCCCD Fightback 2012

As a way of introducing the four students attending today’s meeting, Dan announced that there has been a surge of student activism in the District for the first time in a few years. The students attending today’s AFT meeting announced plans for the “March in March” in Sacramento on Monday, March 5, and local actions and advocacy scheduled for Thursday, March 1. On March 1, students will hold rallies at their respective campuses and then join in a march to the District Office, where they will present a list of demands to the District Administration.

Students across the District have been working together, as well as with Peralta, CCSF, UC, and local high school students and faculty to organize events for March and to further their outreach and advocacy for public education in California. It is to these ends that the Occupy CSM and Students Against the Cuts groups have demanded, among other things, a fair contract for SMCCCD faculty and staff.

Students will be holding a planning meeting at Skyline on Wednesday, February 15 at 1:30.

 

Statements from EC Members on Non-Agenda Items

At least one EC member has heard that a District Administrator has told those working on accreditation that faculty should include SLO’s on their syllabi, again raising the issue of what faculty can be required to include in their syllabi. The contract actually says relatively little about what must be included. AFT recently sent a letter to the District, demanding that it cease and desist telling faculty that they must include SLO’s on their syllabi.

 

Grievance and Complaint Issues: Closed Session

Grievances and complaints were discussed.

 

 Meeting adjourned: 5:10