Hello to All CCFT Part-timers!

As your Part-time representative on the CCFT Executive Board, may I welcome you to our blog space; it is specifically for Part-time CCFT members. Here, issues that directly concern us may be expressed, opinions vocalized, and questions postulated. The creation of this blog has been approved by the CCFT EB and can be found in the minutes; its creation is not an extension of the current campaign process.

I, myself, am an eight-year part-timer in the Business Education Division; I teach computer applications for web design and publication. I have participated in CCFT leadership in the past as the Part –time Rep on the Executive Board (same position as now), have been on the Union Negotiations team, have attended the Union Leadership Institute, and been to the California Federation of Teachers Convention. I whole-heartedly understand part-time concerns from the participatory perspective; I hope only to assist the CCFT to move forward with improving all conditions for part-timers and to empower each part-time member to further understand how the CCFT interacts with her or his life and livelihood at Cuesta College.

This being said, I’m sure you are all aware of the CCFT campaign/election in process; with undue abandon, I endorse Marilyn Rossa and can testify to her constant, continuous, and candid dedication to part-time concerns (pay equity, benefits, office hour pay, mileage reimbursement, etcetera). In the eight years that I have known and worked side-by-side with Marilyn, attended conventions with her, and participated in Union/District negotiations with her, she has NEVER ONCE “given away” or conceded on any part-timer gain or holding.
While I have had to work five jobs here in this county to “make it” as a single-income entity, and because I still rely on the Cuesta (part-timer) paycheck as my primary source of income, I am eternally grateful to have Marilyn Rossa working unceasingly on my behalf. I cannot portray to you the dignified and professional, deliberate and distinctly acute demeanor with which Marilyn approaches the work as CCFT president – always on behalf of the members, unceasingly mindless to self-concerns, backlash, political naysayers, and derisive administrative and member grappling.

I have seen firsthand the alliances of administration and affiliated faculty at work against our union; I have personally been brought to tears in the office of a Vice-President of the college as some paperwork “disappeared” which denied me a step-increase for several years; amazing how when the paperwork showed up I was given several thousands of dollars in back pay because yes, the administration had been “wrong” – but how would I have known what to do, who to approach, and how to prove the point, without the SOLID support of my union with Marilyn Rossa as president? If my union president had had “ties” with administration at that time, possibly my tears would have fallen on the desert… with Marilyn Rossa empowering me and educating me as to my rights, I was able to validate not only my integrity, but my wallet (always diminished by lack of administrative integrity to abide by State law with the 75/25 FT –to-Pt ratio, to recognize pay equity, etcetera – which is WHY we need union leadership dedicated to the members, not administration).

In sum, you do not have what you have at this moment without the SOLID attentions, concerns, and actions taken by Marilyn Rossa as president of our union. I need that solidity, solidarity, and solidification in this time of tenuous economics, politics, and power-grabs.

Sincerely,
Jill Schubert
Business Education Division

Dear Colleagues,

As a part-time faculty member, I have had the opportunity to work with both Allison Merzon and Marilyn Rossa on a professional basis. This is why I think it is important that I voice my opinion at this time. Marilyn has been our union president since the union began. During that time, we have seen both good and bad times.

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Please note that there are two categories in which to post: Presidential Election or Secretary/Treasurer Election.

Voices Concern over ‘Jena 6′ Situation

The AFT this week expressed its concern over the plight of six young men in Jena, La., who are believed to be victims of judicial inequality and an overzealous prosecutor. Known as the Jena 6, the six black high school students are facing lengthy prison terms for their alleged role in a Dec. 4, 2006, schoolyard fight at Jena High School.

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Our New Peace & Justice Committee

In many parts of the world the people are searching for a solution which would link the two basic values: peace and justice.

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CCFT PT Committee Resolution - 60% Law to 67%

The CFT Part-time Committee has passed a resolution supporting a change in the “60% Law” that would allow California adjunct faculty to teach 67% of a full-time load. The committee is now ready to ask the support of CFT in pursuing this change in the Education Code at the state level. In order to gain CFTs sponsorship, several committees, made up of your local presidents, must approve this initiative.

Please take the time to talk to your union president about your views on this matter. Ask other part-timers on your campus how they feel about it and encourage them to share their perspective with the union leadership as well.

If you have any comments or questions this open listserve is a good place to bring them.

In Solidarity,

Sam Russo