March, 2016
Volume 43, Issue 3
United Professors of Marin – AFT Local 1610
P.O. Box 503, Kentfield, CA 94914 – Phone and FAX (415) 459-1524
Office Location - VS 11(B)
PONDERINGS OF THE PRESIDENT
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
By Laurie Ordin
PONDERINGS OF THE PRESIDENT –
I
Presidential Rant
’M BEGINNING TO THINK THAT I SHOULD change the
name of this column from “Ponderings” to “Rantings”
or maybe “Ravings.” Even though each month I agonize
about what I will write about the next month, as Lily
Tomlin once said, "No matter how cynical you become, it's
never enough to keep up.” As I write this column, we are
days out of the Super Tuesday primaries. Hillary Clinton is
now the Democratic front runner
with Donald Trump on the top on
the Republican side. The thing
that “mainstream” Republicans
have insisted could never happen
is, indeed, happening. A reality TV star is
leading the Republican primary race. His claim to fame
and qualification to become the leader of the free world is
that he is a YUGE business success and could run the
country as well as he has his businesses. Truth be told,
the smartest choice he ever made was to pick the right
father. When his father died, he left Donald Trump a
YUGE fortune. Analysts claim that if Trump had merely
invested in index funds (see last month’s Ponderings) at
that time and left them alone, he would be way ahead of
where he is now. So much for being a brilliant
businessman.
EDITORIAL – St. Patrick’s Day: Another View
MARCH: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH –
Quotes from Women Labor Leaders
FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER –
Will Big Brother be Watching? –
Request for Bargaining Input –
New UPM Staff Appointments –
March Labor History: “Bread and Roses” –
END PAGE – Nomination Form for UPM
Executive Council
Douthat and Arthur Brooks, among others, on the
right. What I find surprising, but maybe not so surprising,
is that the NYT columnists on the right find Trump’s
success so….well, surprising.
For the last 35 to 40 years both parties have promised
economic prosperity to the people of this country. The
Republican Party, especially, has appealed to “values”
voters who seem to also be what was formerly known as
working class, blue collar voters. Once they were in office,
the elected officials gave tax breaks to the wealthy “job
creators,” broke the backs of unions, negotiated “free”
trade deals, not “fair” trade deals, and deregulated big
banks and other financial institutions. Prosperity was
supposed to trickle down to the masses from the people
who got the big tax breaks. This trickling down was to be
A little confession here: My name is Laurie Ordin and I am
a New York Times Opinion Page-aholic. That means that I
am not only addicted to columns written by people like
Paul Krugman, Nicholas Kristof, Frank Bruni, and Gail
Collins on the left, but I also read David Brooks, Ross
UPM Newsletter
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March 2016
the result of the stimulus to the economy that these tax
breaks provided.
about 143,000 of those people. These are the people with
so much money they can’t possibly spend it all.
That was the promise. We all know what really
happened. Technological advancements have exploded,
rendering many blue collar jobs obsolete. Those that
aren’t obsolete have been shipped to places where labor
is orders of magnitude cheaper than in the USA. (So much
for “fair” trade.) The powers that be insist that factors
such as recent technological advancements are by
themselves responsible for this economy of
unprecedented wealth and income inequality. I’m sure
these have been large contributing factors, but if these
were the only factors, all other industrialized nations
would find themselves with the same levels of
inequality. But that is not the
case. There are Northern European
countries and (I’ve heard) a couple of
South American countries where the
prosperity chasm is not as large and
the people are not in nearly as much
pain. That leaves us to conclude that
there must be other factors. Perhaps
they are policy factors.
And then there are the people who are unemployed,
working poor (nonunion) whose children are hungry, lack
good medical care, go to terrible, underfunded schools
(gotta keep those tax rates low for the super-rich.) They
see no future for themselves and their children. They are
scared, angry, and full of resentment. They are looking for
a place to direct these emotions. Mainstream Republican
wonks are surprised at the rise of Trump. But there
weren't enough rich people to get the Rs elected during
the last thirty plus years, so they pandered to what is now
their "base," broke their promises to them, lined their
own pockets and those of their rich benefactors, and now
they are surprised at what they have sewn.
Trump, on the right, is giving them scapegoats and Bernie
Sanders, on the left, is
blaming
the
big financial
institutions. Both are blaming
big money in politics. This kind
of anger, discontent and
scapegoating
has
led
democracies to fall to fascism
in the not so distant
past. Donald Trump’s overt
racism is an outgrowth of
the only slightly veiled racism
that we heard in so many previous
election cycles (Willie Horton, welfare queens,
Southern Strategy, etc.) He is saying what so many who
are voting for him must be thinking. The political
discourse on the right is worse than a playground full of
6th grade bullies. There is so much shouting that you can
hardly hear anything coming out of the left.
I just heard today on the radio a
quote stating that if you took the eight
most wealthy individuals in this country
(who also, like Donald Trump, were
extremely brilliant when it came to
choosing their parents because they did nothing to earn
their wealth beyond inheriting it) they would have the
same amount of wealth as the bottom 44% of the people
in this country. Hmmmm….The latest USA population
figure I could find was about 323 million. A little math and
we get .44 x 323,000,000 = 142,000,000. That, folks, tells
us that the top 8 individuals have as much wealth as the
bottom 142 million people Wow! That’s a lot of anger
and resentment. If you took the population of the tri city
area here (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) it would
take almost 18 of those metropolitan areas to get to 142
million. And eight people are not the one tenth of one
percent that we are always hearing about. There are
We will have to listen very carefully to hear over the din
and to make any sense of this. The next president will
probably be shaping the Supreme Court for
generations. There are union issues that will be decided
that will affect us as a unit. But there is so much more at
stake: the survival of the planet and, I’m afraid, the very
humanity of the American people. So stay in touch, stay
informed, and stay involved. □
“YOU'VE GOT THE TOP 400 AMERICANS OWNING MORE WEALTH THAN THE
BOTTOM 150 MILLION AMERICANS. MOST FOLKS DO NOT THINK THAT IS RIGHT.”
-- Bernie Sanders
UPM Newsletter
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March 2016
EDITORIAL
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY
S
many ‘progressives,’ especially on Saint Patrick’s Day.
AINT PATRICK’S DAY IS TYPICALLY PORTRAYED as a
day when the Irish engage in drinking and revelry
and merriment. But the history of Ireland and of Irish
immigrants in the United States tell a story of far less
gaiety – a story of colonial oppression and famine and
disease caused by an oppressive British government.
And of anti-Irish exclusionism and discrimination
here in the U.S.
But the history and “character” of the Irish people and
of Irish-American immigrants tells a different story
– a story of the Irish patriots like James Connolly and
Kevin Barry who fought and died to end British colonial
rule, and of Irish-American organizations like the
Molly Maguires, and Irish-American labor leaders
like Mary Harris Jones (Mother Jones) and
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Terence Powderly of
the Knights of Labor, who fought so that working
people might enjoy economic security and a life
free of discrimination and oppression.
Between 1845 and 1852, because of the potato
blight and England’s refusal to allow food to be
imported into Ireland, 1.5 million Irish died of starvation
and disease in a famine that killed or displaced 25% of
the population. And those Irish who were able to
emigrate to the U.S. to escape this genocide faced
similar misery here, where they were portrayed as
“barbarians and drunkards” and where “no Irish need
apply” signs were widely displayed, denying them
employment and housing and social services.
So on this Saint Patrick’s Day let’s dump the anti-Irish
character assassinations and drunkenness jokes, and
instead, let’s offer a toast –maybe without a ‘cup of
cheer?’ – to those courageous Irish men and women,
here and abroad, who fought to help insure that we
might live in a world where economic and social justice
prevails. Sláinte! □
Regrettably, the stereotype of drunkenness is still
considered to be part of the Irish national character and
persists and accepted as conventional wisdom, even by
UPM Newsletter
“Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Fenian men”
3
March 2016
MARCH: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
MARCH 8th
E
STABLISHED IN THE EARlY 1900s AT THE URGING OF WOMEN IN THE AMERICAN SOCIALIST PARTY,
WOMENS HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATES THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD. BELOW ARE QUOTES OF WOMEN TRADE UNION ORGANIZERS
WHO HAVE LED THE FIGHT FOR DIGNITY AND RESPECT IN THE WORKPLACE.
‘Let’s be clear…This strike is not about
Karen Lewis or CTU’s salary demands…
this fight is for the very soul of public
education, not only in Chicago, but
everywhere.”
Emma Goldman
UPM Newsletter
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March 2016
“FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER”
WILL BIG BROTHER BE WATCHING?
4. Reports that Verizon subscribers are unable to
receive or phone out emergencies from the IVC campus.
5. Questions regarding the District’s duty to
notify faculty when there is a potentially dangerous or
unstable student in a faculty member’s class.
I
N COMING WEEKS THE DISTRICT WILL be installing a
Closed-Circuit Television Surveillance system (CCTV)
throughout our campus.
According
to
newly
revised
Administrative Policy AP 6520, this
system will only be used for the
protection of District property and assets and not to
monitor areas where there is a “reasonable expectation
of privacy.” However the policy also states that the
information obtained may be used as evidence in cases of
“undesirable” activity.
Our meeting was positive and productive with the District
assuring us that they will respond in detail to our
concerns.
Members of the UPM/MCCD Safety Committee are:
For UPM: Nadia Sanko and Arthur Lutz.
For the District: Sadika Sulaiman Hara and Derek Levy.
If you have safety questions or concerns, contact Nadia or
Arthur. The District is contractually required to provide a
safe and healthy work environment (CBA Article 11). Our
UPM safety committee reps will help insure that the
District fulfills its responsibility. □
Shouldn’t the installation of security cameras be of
concern to our faculty? Is it being left up to our
administrators to define ‘undesirable’ activity and which
‘areas of privacy’ will or will not be surveilled? Will
classrooms and our library and the cafeteria where
students and faculty gather to engage in the free-ranging
discussion of ideas, be ‘areas of privacy’?
UPM BARGAINING TEAM ASKS FOR
MEMBERSHIP INPUT
In an academic institution where the untrammeled
expression of ideas is fundamental to our
mission, might not the presence of security
cameras have a chilling effect on free
speech and Academic Freedom?
John Sutherland
UPM Chief Negotiator
T
HE UPM BARGANNG TEAM REQUESTS your input
into up-coming negotiations. Later this year, the third
of our current collective bargaining agreement, we are
scheduled to negotiate for the 2016-2018 UPM/MCCD
Contract.
The protection of college property and assets is
important, but do we really want our campus to become
the same kind of surveillance state that so many of us
decry? □
Are there any contractual improvements you would like
the Team to negotiate on your behalf? If so,
please make recommendations you’d like us
to bargain. Consult the current CBA and
identify by Article and Section numbers
what you’d like to see addressed. Please
include a brief explanation along with the
Article you identify.
FACULTY SAFETY
O
N FEBRUARY 16th, UPM AND DISTRICT members of
the Union/District Safety Committee met to discuss
and clarify several issues that UPM identified as safety
concerns.
1. The hiring and training of our campus police
officers to insure that they are appropriately vetted and
trained in the areas of ethnic and gender sensitivity.
2. In an emergency, how will the District
communicate with faculty and students if (as instructors
require) cell phones are turned off during class.
3.
Reports that under certain emergency
situations, faculty and students may be electronically
locked in their classrooms without the ability to exit. >>
UPM Newsletter
If you don’t know what article your concerns apply to,
please give a synopsis of your issue and we will contact
you for further explanation.
Please include your name and contact information in case
we need clarification.
Please send your suggestions to UPM at:
[email protected]
Deadline for input is April 15th, 2016. □
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March 2016
“FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER” (2)
UPM STAFF AND COMMITTEE
APPOINTMENTS FOR 2016 - 2017
NORTH BAY LABOR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
Paul da Silva
BAY 10 REPRESENTATIVE
Paul da Silva
T
HE FOLLOWING FACULTY HAVE BEEN elected by
our UPM Executive Council to serve as staff and
committee representatives starting July 1, 2016.
CRA TRUST (current) ***
Ira Lansing (Chair), Judy Coombes, Hank Fearnley,
Bruce Furuya, Laurie Ordin (ex officio)
PRESIDENT (current)*
Laurie Ordin
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Arthur Lutz
UPM EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (current) **
Bonnie Borenstein, John Erdmann, Deborah Graham,
Arthur Lutz, Michele Martinisi, Kofi Opong-Mensah,
Laurie Ordin, Nadia Sanko, John Sutherland
WEBMASTER
Derek Wilson
GRIEVANCE OFFICER
John Erdmann
UPM EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES
Josette Lambert, Joan Rinaldi
TREASURER
Michele Martinisi
* President to be elected by EC in July.
** Three slots to be elected by UPM membership;
ballot deadline, April 8, 2016.
*** Two slots to be elected by UPM membership;
ballot deadline April 1, 2016
BUDGET MONITOR
Deborah Graham
CHIEF NEGOTIATOR
Arthur Lutz
□
SUNSHINING
UPM BARGAINING TEAM
John Erdmann, Deborah Graham, Arthur Lutz,
Nadia Sanko, Scott Serafin, Derek Wilson
I
N 1975, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA PASSED Senate
Bill 160 (the Rodda Act) requiring school boards
and teachers’ unions to meet at least once
every three years in ‘good faith
bargaining’ to negotiate salaries,
benefits, workload, and other aspects
of faculty working conditions.
WORKLOAD COMMITTEE (UDWC)
Deborah Graham, Nadia Sanko
PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (PAC)
Christine Li, Meg Pasquel
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE (PSC)
Jamie Deneris, Kofi Opong-Mensah
Our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will
be expiring on December 31, 2016, so we must soon be
starting negotiations for a successor contract.
SABBATICAL LEAVE COMMITTEE
Shaquam Edwards, Tonya Hersch, Walter Turner
The first step in this process is call “sunshining,” where
both sides publically and formally declare those subjects
that they intend to bring to the bargaining table.
HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE
George Adams, Tonya Hersch, Arthur Lutz
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (UPMPAC)
Christine Li, Arthur Lutz
In order to determine what Articles should be
‘sunshined’ by our side, our UPM bargaining team needs
to know what changes to our Contract our faculty
would like to make. Please refer to the message from
our Chief Negotiator John Sutherland, on page 5
requesting your input. Our bargaining team works for
you. □
PART-TIMER REPRESENTATIVE
Kofi Opong-Mensah
CCC REPRESENTATIVE
Kofi Opong-Mensah
UPM Newsletter
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March 2016
“FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER” (3)
MARCH LABOR HISTORY
1912: BREAD AND ROSES: THE LAWRENCE
TEXTILE STRIKE
M
ARCH 8th IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. But
it’s also the day that the great Lawrence Textile
strike was settled.
T
HE COLLEGE OF MARIN LAUNCHED COM CARE in
2014. What is it? COM Care is an early intervention
system to assist faculty and staff in supporting students
who are experiencing issues at College. Faculty are often
the first point of contact for students and the trust that is
built there is essential. Students who feel comfortable
and cared for by their faculty are more likely to be open
about what, if anything, may be affecting their academic
performance. While faculty are encouraged to be the first
point of contact to provide referrals and resources should
a student exhibit an issue in class, there is a team
approach at COM should additional support be
needed. Submitting a report via COM Care prompts
attempts to meet with a student to get them back on track
for success. The Director of Student Activities & Advocacy,
Sadika Sulaiman Hara, is the primary manager of the COM
Care system and responds to student behavioral concerns
that violate COM Standards of Conduct. Along with
Sadika, there is an intervention team, which includes
COM’s psychologist, Academic Counselors, Dean of
Student Success, Student Accessibility Services, Health
Services, EOPS, and COM’s Police Department. The
“safety network” of support is far and wide!
The walkout lasted two months after 23,000 workers,
mainly immigrant woman, struck the textile miills in
Lawrence Mass. demanding higher wages and a shortened
work week. They won a 20% pay increase.
They struck for higher pay and for improved working
conditions, but they also struck for respect and the wish to
be part of the American dream. Their mantra:
“WE WANT BREAD, BUT WE WANT ROSES, TOO”
The Strike was led by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890-1964),
who Joe Hill memorialized in his song “The Rebel Girl,” and
who Theodore Dreiser called “an east side Joan of Arc.”
Flynn ran for Congress from New York
State in 1942 and received 50,000 votes.
She was a founding member of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), but
was ousted when she joined the American
Communist party.
She died in 1964 during a trip to the Soviet
Union, and was given a state funeral in Red Square,
attended by 25,000. Her remains were flown to the
United States for burial in Chicago's near the graves of her
activist comrades. □
To find COM Care, simply log into your MyCOM portal and
click on COM Care.
Faculty may choose to contact the Office of Student
Activities & Advocacy directly at (415) 485-9376 or (415)
485-9375 with extreme, sensitive, or complex issues. The
appropriate staff person will work directly with the faculty
member to determine initial steps/referral. □
“YES MEANS YES”
O
N WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30th, AT NOON, as part of
the Wednesday Student Success Speaker Series,
Sadika Sulaiman Hara, Director of Student Activities and
Advocacy, will present YES MEANS YES: Understanding
Affirmative Consent.
(Thanks to Sadika Sulaiman Hara for submitting this
article. Ed.)
The presentation will be in our cafeteria.
Refreshments will be served.
Sponsored by the COM Office of Student Activities and
Advocacy, and ASCOM
UPM Newsletter
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March 2016
NOMINATIONS FOR UPM EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
2-YEAR TERM STARTING JULY 1, 2016
UPM IS RECEIVING NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION TO OUR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
OUR MEMBERSHIP NEEDS TO ELECT TWO (2) FACULTY FROM OUR PERMANENT/PROBATIONARY STAFF,
ONE (1) FACULTY FROM OUR TEMPORARY STAFF AND ONE (1) FACULTY (AT-LARGE) MEMBER, FROM
EITHER OUR PERMANENT/PROBATIONARY OR TEMPORARY STAFF.
IF YOU WISH TO NOMINATE A CANDIDATE, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW AND RETURN IT TO THE
UPM MAILBOX LOCATED IN THE KTD CAMPUS MAILROOM.
THE NOMINATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2016.
SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY IF YOU AND YOUR NOMINEE ARE UPM MEMBERS.
IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE UPM OFFICE AT (415) 459-1524.
I, _________________________________, nominate
__________________________________ for
Check one: _____ Permanent/Probationary position (2 openings)
_____ Temporary faculty position (1 opening)
_____ At-large position (1 opening)
Nominator’s signature:
______________________________________Date: _____________
Nominee’s signature indicating acceptance:
_______________________________________Date: _____________
Nominee may submit a candidate’s statement to be included with ballot (up to 250 words).
UPM Newsletter
8
March 2016