Fe era ist
eFT Local 1533
Se tember 2004
The Manifest Destiny of SCCCD
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LARGE FACULTY vote turn-out on the new
ontract was encouraging. The contract was
verwhelmingly accepted by the faculty, which is
not to say there were not some objections and a
frequently expressed desire to recover ground lost in the
no-raise first year (2003-2004).
Members should be reassured that the AFT Local
1533 Council and Negotiations Team members are
fully aware of the need to remain vigilant in protection
of faculty rights and the need to establish a smoother
negotiations process with management in order to more
rapidly conclude negotiations next time. Coming off
years of heavy state funding and exemplary three-year
contracts prior to 2002, we were faced with negotiating
during a year of political
and fiscal instability in
Sacramento and new top
...the District continues
management in the District.
to maintain a very large
Meanwhile, the District
surplus of funds. These
continues to maintain a
big bucks are not all
very large surplus of funds.
dedicated or "locked-in"
These big bucks are not all
dedicated or "locked-in"
despite the District's
despite the District's
expansive and
expansive and optimistic
optimistic ... building
(and we hope justified)
plans. As faculty we
building plans. As faculty
we want to help District
want to help District
managers fill those
managers fill those
buildings with
buildings with
students-and
more
students-and
more
full-time teachers.
full-time teachers.
The maintenance of a
large surplus of funds,
along with the drive for
manifest destiny in the District can work in our favor
Federalist
when we crank up negotiations for the next three years.
That process sometimes begins again with startling
rapidity. Of course an important factor will be
Sacramento's willingness and ability to fund the
community college system, but there is some reason for
optimism there also.
The money changers and disbursers up in the City
of the Sacramento awoke last year to the fact that
(Continued on page three)
President's Corner
Instead of my President's Column here is a
guest column from our California Federation of
Teachers Field Representative, Tom Tyner. Tom
was an essential component of our Negotiating
Team. We were very well served by his expert
guidance and many years of negotiating
experience. On behalf of the Federation I am
expressing our sincere appreciation for the very
substantial efforts he made on our behalf
ZWIREZNlK
Local 1533 President
(Continued on page four)
Page 1
A Superior Court judge in Tulare County ruled in
favor of the College of the Sequoias faculty in a dispute
over whether college administrators could compel
instructors to be on campus a certain number of days
each week. That was the original grievance, but the
case grew to include broader questions about who
controls class scheduling in general.
Faculty representatives objected to administrators
increasing their control over class scheduling without
faculty consultation.
A cas instructor, Wayne Preston, complained that
"the college" tried to take away the faculty's
decision-making powers as related to scheduling.
Aside from the oddity of identifying the
administration as "the college" (which may have been
the Bee reporter's paraphrase), the case suggests an
increasing drive for coded, contractual procedures for
class scheduling based on seniority and other factors.
Administrators retort that in order to serve the
maximum number of students, balancing variables such
as budgetary constraints and facility availability, such
restrictions are keeping them from properly serving the
students.
Preston argued: "Weare the closest link to the
students. I think we have a better idea of when students
want their classes offered, not the administration." The
administration of cas (through the Board) may appeal
the decision.
The controversy may simmer while past practices
more or less continue to be honored.
These are issues that have frequently been discussed
over the years in the SCCCD's Academic Senates and
havesometimes risen to the level of grievances which
in turn led to poignant negotiations in bargaining
sessions. Several compromises, or more kindly
"adjustments," have been made and no major court
cases, such as that at cas, have resulted. Generally
such drastic measures can be avoided with the
application of common sense, higher intelligence, and
cooperativeness on the part of all parties. But
arguments over who schedules and how much will no
doubt arise again from time to time in our District too.
SCCCD Board of Trustees
Candidates Forum
Tuesday, September 14th
3:30 PM
Fresno City College Theater
All are invited to meet the candidates
for the four trustee seats that will be
voted on this November.
Make plans now to attend this important open forum!
Pane 2
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community colleges are the best bargain in California
when it comes to producing successful California
citizens (i.e. taxpayers). The result was a far brighter
funding "picture" for those of us who run the most
populous higher education system in the world.
SCCCD Budget Chief Douglas Brinkley's June forecast
to the Board was comforting to say the least. Perhaps
in the light of this, it is not surprising that a kinder,
gentler contract offer was forthcoming from the
District.
There were other factors less measurable. No
employer, employee, or Board member of SCCCD
wanted to start another year without a chance for a
contract. Going months without a contact had already
begun to damage morale in the District and not just
among the faculty. The continued impasse would be
bad for everyone and everyone knew it. Nevertheless,
summer negotiations were intense and came right down
to the line.
Other influential factors include information
picketing, speaking up in Board meetings, and writing
letters to board members. During low-progress
negotiating periods, it may seem the impact of these
efforts is negligible, but they do help our negotiators
achieve success. Because the impact of these tactics is
not immediately obvious, it is sometimes assumed by
depressed faculty members to be futile. As noted, these
efforts are hard if not impossible to measure, which is
not the same as being irrelevant.
We offer our thanks to all who supported our
negotiators' efforts in any way. Relax. Enjoy your new
contract. We will be calling on you again.
PAUL KASER
Federalist Editor
Article XII Section 5 states that when office hours
are combined with class hours, an instructor shall have
at least twenty hours weekly (e.g. 15 class hours and 5
office hours). In no event will an instructor have less
than 3 office hours or be required to hold more than 5
office hours. A situation in which an instructor may
have the minimum of 3 office hours is when he/she has
17 or more class hours per week in a semester (17 + 3 =
20 required total hours).
While faculty are required to hold an office hour on
non-teaching days, Section 5 contains a provision that
allows faculty to change one office hour on a
non-teaching day to a teaching day in order for the
instructor to perform assignment-related work off
campus, participate in professional development,
develop curriculum, or engage in a college related
activity with students enrolled in one ofhislher classes.
In other words, faculty under anyone of these
circumstances may choose to move an office hour from
a non-teaching day to a teaching day and not be on
campus during the non-teaching day. Faculty may
reschedule an office hour once a week, with exceptions
(i.e. more than once a week) for special circumstances
authorized by the instructor's irnrnediate supervisor or
the college president.
The instructor shall inform his supervisor of the
need to reschedule the office hour not later than the day
prior, and publish the rescheduled office hour
conspicuously for students. The contract does not give
the supervisor the right to disapprove the rescheduling
of the office hour.
The instructor is still responsible for attending
required meetings on non-teaching days and may not
Federalist
reschedule an office hour on a day when students have
specified a need for hislher office hour assistance on a
particular non-teaching day.
If you have any questions regarding the office hour
section of the contract, contact an Executive Council
member.
Please be wary of accepting work assignments
beyond contractual agreement. For instance, if
administrators call business meetings on non-duty days,
raise objections. Don't attend. Perhaps you feel guilty
because you had such a wonderful, relaxing summer or
you are hoping to get an extra doughnut or pat on the
head from your "supervisor" or simply want to
congratulate yourself on being more dedicated than
your colleagues who read the contract, but by
participating in practices that violate the contract you
are setting dangerous precedents and damaging our
negotiators' ability to procure sound agreements and
the Council's power to protect the integrity of the
law-i.e. the contract.
This request is sent not just to those Department
Chairs panting for recognition but to any faculty
members who feel pressured to break contract
agreements "for the good of the institution." Contract
agreements are for the good of the institution. They
are legally binding agreements between faculty and the
Board. If you want to change the contract, let us know,
but don't try to change it on your own.
Page 3
My congratulations to the Federation
negotiating team, Jerry SaIl, Sheila Martin, Jim
Studebaker, Teresa Navaro and Zwi Reznik for a
job well done in the latest round of full-time faculty
negotiations that lasted over 15 months.
As I also served on the negotiating team, I
observed first-hand the dedication and tenacity of
the team in negotiating the best possible contract
under difficult circumstances that included a
miserable financial year for community colleges
(2003-2004), escalating health insurance premium
costs, and a new group of District administrators to
work with. It was one of the most challenging
negotiations that I have been involved in at State
Center in the last twenty years.
The new contract contains many positive
features including large percentage increases in the
District's contribution to health insurance premiums
for the next two school years, a COLA + 1% salary
formula, excellent intellectual property rights
language, salary placement credit for part-time
college teaching experience for newly hired .
Part-time faculty ratified a negotiated salary
increase for 2004-2005, the last year of a three-year
contract.
The salary increase included a 3.41 % increase for
2004-2005 (COLA + 1%), a fourth step added to the
salary schedule (an additional 1% increase for all
faculty moving to step four), and the dispersal of
$1,000,000 part-time faculty equity funding from the
State in two stipends, one at the end of each semester
(equal to approximately 10% additional money).
An additional benefit for any part-time faculty
member hired in the future to a full-time position in
the District was negotiated in full-time faculty
negotiations. New full-time instructors will for the
first time be able to count part-time college
teaching/work experience for step credit on the salary
schedule, at the rate of 1 year for each 30 LHE's
taught up to a maximum of 4 years (four salary steps)
credit. Based on this just-negotiated provision,
part-time faculty hired to full-time positions may earn
over $6,000 more per year than they would have
previously.
With the part-time faculty contract expiring at the
end of 2004-2005, contract negotiations for 2005-2006
and beyond will begin this spring, with salary, office
hours, and health insurance prominent issues that will
be brought to the table. The Federation encourages
Page-l
full-time instructors, a $14,000 retirement incentive
for 2004-2005, increased flexibility for flex days, a
doubling of reassigned time for academic senates,
and language for optimizing the fairness and
effectiveness of the evaluation process for
probationary faculty.
Special credit goes to Federation President and
chief negotiator Zwi Reznik for learning quickly on
the job, working diligently on every aspect of the
contract, holding firmly on all critical negotiating
issues; and never allowing himself a moment's rest
until the contract was ratified. For his Herculean
efforts, he deserves every unit member's
appreciation and support.
TOM TYNER
Field Representative
California Federation of Teachers
part-time faculty members to get involved in
negotiations and to develop a strong political voice that
the administration and Board of Trustees will hear
clearly on all issues critical to adjunct faculty.
You will want to attend the forum on September
14th,3:30 P.M., (Fresno City College Theater) to hear
SCCCD Board of Trustees Candidates make their
appeals and statements and perhaps to cast some
questions their way. It's your future.
Please see the boxed advertisement on page two.
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