Adjunct Faculty article "Dismantling the Profesoriate"

"Colleges and universities are relying ever more heavily on part-time faculty while failing to support them adequately. The extent of that failure—and its impact on the majority of the higher education instructional workforce—is documented in a new survey long in the making and released this summer by the Coalition on the Academic Workforce."

Click here for the whole article

http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/oc/feature.cfm

Measures 84 and 85

Please see attached in from the OEA regarding measure 84 and 85.

Measure 84: Tax Break for Millionaires
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bzbec1gMkMbzeUN2a0lRYjFySVE/edit

Measure 85: Corporate Kicker for K-12
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bzbec1gMkMbzUHowU1hIbmF5S0U/edit

PDF and Moodle, In-Service and CLC functions

The PDF committee will cover the following, as long as you have the stipend request signed by the workshop trainer. The stipend request is attached to the "documents" section of this blog.

• During inservice, the PDF committee typically pays $25 for attending the division meeting and $25 for the department meeting. 
• Three Days to Better Teaching: $100 per day, less if members just attended specific workshops.
• CLC and Moodle workshops: we pay $25 for an hour and $50 for a two hour session. However, if your department requires that you attend a Moodle 2.0 session, it will be paid for by your department. All unrequired Moodle 2.0 workshops will be covered by the PDF.

Questions? Please contact PDF Chair Kerry Cotter at KCotter@clackamas.edu.

From today's Chronicle of Higher Education

September 4, 2012

Columbia College Chicago Accused of Retaliating Against Faculty-Union Leader

 By Audrey Williams June

The National Labor Relations Board has charged Columbia College Chicago with retaliating against a faculty member because of her prominent role in a union for part-time instructors.
In a complaint filed last week, the federal board said that the private college had cut back Diana Vallera's teaching assignments, accused her of misconduct, and threatened to either fire or suspend her for being president of the Part-Time Faculty Association. The college had scheduled a meeting in mid-August to discuss disciplinary actions against Ms. Vallera, a photography instructor, but it was postponed.

The complaint is an amendment to one the board filed in late July. That original complaint cited the college for, among other things, refusing to bargain in good faith with the union, which is affilated with the National Education Association. The board has already ruled that the college violated federal labor-relations laws in its dealings with the union, and ordered it to cease doing so.

Ms. Vallera, in a news release, said that the amended complaint "affirms the necessary protections union leaders must have in order to serve members." The college has until September 11 to respond to the complaint, and a hearing is scheduled for late October.

Link to full article:  Columbia College Chicago Accused of Retaliating Against Faculty-Union Leader

OEA President’s Training: Aug 16 & 17, 2012

1.    OEA Reorganization:

The Strategic Action Plan, voted upon at a recent R.A. (representative assembly), was done in part to help the OEA recover from a more than 2 million dollar deficit. One reason the OEA had to re-organize is because so many teachers left the profession (since the recession), causing the OEA to lose dues income.

As of September 1, 2012, there will be 4 “centers”:

·         Center for Business and Finance (treasurer training, membership calculations & processing, IRS matters, forensic accounting, technology)

·         Center for Advocacy and Affiliate Services (bargaining assistance & research, grievances, legal dept, critical issues, education partnerships, workshops)

·         Center for Public Affairs (government relations [lobbying], school board elections, bonds & levies, member training, grassroots & community organizing)

·         Center for Great Public Schools (professional skills & practice and education innovation)

The OEA has moved from a “service” model to an “organizing” model. This does not mean that the OEA will no longer furnish services, such as help with grievances and bargaining, but that the OEA will be taking more time and effort to train and support locals so that they are more independently stronger (think ownership & pride) and less reliant on the OEA.

2.    NEA Member Benefits http://www.neamb.com/

·         Insurance programs, including complementary life insurance and specially negotiated auto and home rates

·         Credit programs, including an NEA credit card

·         Loan and mortgage programs

·         Savings & investment programs

·         Discount programs (Costco, auto purchase, click & save, magazines, moving & storage, H&R block, health & wellness, travel & professional services)

·         Professional liability and attorney referral program

3.    NEA Academy (http://www.neaacademy.org/):

·         Local officer training: treasurer, leadership, etc.

·         Tuition discounts

·         Application fee waivers

·         Continuing education

·         Certificates

·         Online masters programs

·         Spanish for educators

·         Much, much more

4.    Bargaining:

A.   A bargaining team should represent all bargaining unit members. In our case, instructors, librarians, nurses, coaches, etc.

B.   Personalities should include the loudmouth, the calm & collected, the intuitive, newbies and old hands

C.   The OEA (and NEA) can provide wording from other contracts

D.   Procedure

1.    Form a bargaining team

2.    Form a bargaining support team

3.    Survey the members for their ideas/issues (OEA has a survey)

4.    Bargaining team goes through the contract

5.    Meetings to discuss

6.    Prioritize the issues

5.    Newsletter communication:

·         http://www.oregoned.org/templates

·         Microsoft Word documents to make newsletters

·         Many other templates

·         Newsletter tips and content suggestions

·         How to get OEA and NEA sources

 

6.    Duty of Fair Representation: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=gov&group=03001-04000&file=3544-3544.9

“The employee organization recognized or certified as the exclusive representation for the purpose of meeting and negotiating shall fairly represent each and every employee in the appropriate unit.” California Government code 3544.9

 

1.    Duty to represent all unit employees.

2.    Duty to negotiate on behalf of all unit employees…

3.    Duty to be familiar with the contract.

4.    Duty to advise unit employees of their legal rights…

5.    Duty to process grievances in a non-arbitrary, no discriminatory and…

6.    And five MORE duties