March-April 2022 Advocate: New contract campaign launched

Contract Campaign

Our Contract Action Team (CAT) is growing!  Faculty point people help activate members to win the contract we deserve!

By Katharine Harer & Rika Fabian, CAT Co-Chairs

Bargaining for a new multi-year contract is about to begin. (Click here to read the article describing our contract proposals.) Our Contract Action Team (CAT) has launched a new effort to build faculty power, asking leaders in every department across the three colleges to take on the role of CAT “point people.” Their task: to inform and engage 10 or so of their colleagues throughout the campaign. A great group of faculty has signed on to help, representing a wide array of departments. But we can still use more CATs!  Please let us know if you’d like to help.

Please complete a “Count On Me” card

At a planning meeting in early March, we developed a plan for the campaign kick-off. Starting on March 14, CATs are asking 10 or so of their colleagues to fill out “Count On Me” cards. The cards are digital as well as on paper – bright green for springing into action! The cards list our contract proposals on one side and a checklist of actions members can commit to taking part in on the other side. If you’re asked by a colleague to fill out a Count On Me card, please do it. You can also complete one right now by going to this link: https://bit.ly/3J1VjjG Completing a card takes less than 5 minutes, and every Count On Me card gives us valuable information about faculty priorities and our strength to take collective actions.

 

“Week of Action”– 4/18 – 4/23

In April, we’re planning a “Week of Action”– 4/18 – 4/23. We’ll have an informational rally on our contract demands, tabling to hear from faculty and a workshop at the April 21st Flex Day to help you “Know Your Contract.” In early May we’re planning a Teach In, focusing on funding issues for education and connections to social justice and equity – for students, staff and faculty. Members are signing up to serve on Action Planning Teams for the Week of Action and the Teach In.  We can always use more help, so please let us know if you’d like to serve on one of these teams by emailing Marianne Kaletzky at kaletzky@aft1493.org.

Join us at a CAT meeting

CAT will begin meeting again regularly on the second and fourth Fridays of every month from 2:00-3:30pm. Our first meeting of the new campaign is on Friday March 25th from 2:00-3:30 at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7052173089. CAT meetings are where, as a group, we hammer out contract campaign strategies and get updates from our negotiators. Faculty from all three colleges, full and part-time, and from every department and job designation across the district have attended CAT meetings in the past. It’s a powerful way to collaborate with colleagues. Please join us when you can. Everyone is welcome!

CATs with cards are coming your way! Look out for CATs in your department with bright green cards in their hands or sent to you over the æther, and please fill them out. That’s when you’ll hear CATs purr!