November, 1997

WELCOME

CCFT has not had such a surge in membership since the union's initiation in 1994. We extend a warm welcome to the following new members. You make us strong:
Judy Barclay FT, Mathematics Stacy Bushey PT, Language Arts Jarien de Ham PT, Learning Skills Matthew Fleming PT, Language Arts Allison Grant FT, Physical Education Alice Jenkins PT, Language Arts Larry Johnston FT, Mathematics	James Keese PT, Business Education Eileen Kerr FT, Social Sciences Pete Lagomarsino FT, Engr/Technology Curtis Leslie PT, Engr/Technology Amy Mooney FT, Language Arts Louise Noel PT, Language Arts Blake Reed FT, Counseling	Sherrie Rheingans PT, Language Arts Benjamin Rothstein PT, Language Arts Ron Ruppert FT, Biology Robert Senior PT, Language Arts Patrick Walsh PT, Language Arts Peggy Wright PT, Mathematics
and a mystery full-timer who wishes to remain anonymous! Welcome, also, to Gary Meissner, Physical Education, elected to the Executive Board by the Council of Representatives as one of its two reps. Welcome back to John Fetcho, Mathematics, who's serving his third term.

Registered nurses at Sierra Vista Medical Center have been struggling for nearly 2 years to force the hospital's owner, Tenet Health System, to recognize their legal right to form a union and collectively bargain a contract. After a steady decline in both the level of patient care they are able to provide and in their own working conditions, RNs selected the California Nurses Association to represent them. The hospital's owner, one of the largest and most profitable health care conglomerates in the U.S., has rejected, stonewalled, and appealed the nurses' action in every conceivable way. After being ordered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to negotiate with its nurses, Tenet's latest move is to shop around in the federal court of appeals system for a circuit it thinks is less friendly to employees. They have now filed an appeal in the 6th Circuit in Ohio; both California Nurses Association and the NLRB are appealing Tenet's legal right to continue this footdragging.

In the meantime, patient care seems to be at the bottom of Tenet's list of concerns, as understaffing and RN pay cuts continue to be the order of the day. This case is a local symptom of disturbing national trends to (1) concentrate health care in the hands of a shrinking number of for-profit corporations and remove health care decisions from the trained providers, including your doctors; and (2) undermine and erode the rights of employees to participate in determining their own working conditions. Our friends at Sierra Vista are asking us to support them in periodic demonstrations.

The next one is
Tuesday, November 18, 11:30-12:30,
on Santa Rosa Blvd., SLO,
in front of Sierra Vista Hospital

Bring a sign or borrow one at the site. Show that the community cares about the quality of our local health care and about the people who provide it!

And in the year of the academy, 1995-96, in the month of April, the cruelest month, the Administrator of the future came to the table and said, "Behold! I have been to the conference and there have I acquired the gift of clairvoyance, and now I say unto you I have seen the future and it is education at a distance."

And the-other-side-of -the-table, never so presumptuous as to question the gift of clairvoyance (even among mortals), responded to the prophecy and said, "Great is the gift of the Administrator, but the human law dictates that even the great and powerful must break bread with the-other-side-of-the-table on issues that involve the toil and the manna of the hired hands. Come, let us talk together, so that the human progress is not long delayed or impeded."

But the Administrator heard them not. And the Administrator, spurred by the awesome vision beheld at the conference, raced into the future and made great and wonderful plans to facilitate the learning at a distance. But the Exclusive Representative of the hired hands cried with a heavy heart, "Verily, we say unto you that you have not broken bread with us at the table. You have not provided for the toil and the manna of the hired hands." One of the nabobs on the Board of Trustees of the College of Cuesta responded, "Speak not, Exclusive Representative! This is a truly wondrous cost-cutting measure. Attention, hired hands, now we shall be able to down your size." And the Administrator added, "Exactly."

And then the Administrator who was the guardian of the course outlines proclaimed, "It matters not that the new modus of instruction is not spoken of in the course outline. It matters not that the covenant commits the hired hands to facilitate according to the course outline. It matters not that the covenant allows only for toil in the lecture or laboratory mode. Let it not be written, but let it be done!" And the Exclusive Representative said with a heavy heart, "You shall not break the covenant with impunity." So, the Administrator came out of the trance brought on by the awesome vision of the future and sheepishly said, "Ah, but perhaps the Chancellor who dwells in Sacramento does bid us to make an official record that we now educate at a distance."

In the year of the academy, 1997-98, in human affairs at the College of Cuesta there was no peace: Alas, the Administrator had run amok. The Administrator who could see into the future could not see two feet in front of her.

Postscript: After CCFT spoke out loud and clear at the October Board of Trustees meeting and then initiated a grievance against the district about the course outlines' failure to reflect the distance education methodology of two courses, the district immediately and miraculously fixed the transgressing outlines. We claim victory, but what a shame we were forced to invest many long hours into righting a wrong it ultimately took no time at all for the district to correct. From the beginning the union has supported faculty's right to pursue the teaching of distance education courses. We have pressed for faculty protections as well as adherence to process and the union contract. We will continue to do so.

Thanks to all 50 of you who participated in the informational picket. What a sight it was to see so many faculty from so many areas on campus stand united! Thanks also to the Board of Trustees for requiring management to respond at the board meeting. (By the way, management has not budged one inch from its original 5 hour a day claim.)

Some recent disturbing examples--

Heard at the October 16 North County Center Steering Committee Meeting: Said the VP of Student Services--I may have to reduce the level of services offered to students currently attending this campus in order to increase services at the North County and South County, and I will do so.

Saidthe VP of Business Services--We will pay for the [increased operation of the North County Center in Fall 1998] with next year's COLA and growth. . . .We will do whatever is necessary to fund the increase.

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At the November 5 Board of Trustees meeting, a job description for a new manager, "Director of Employment Training," was approved. Hugh Platt asked the dean of business, engr/tech, etc. a very astute question: Could this position be filled by a faculty member instead of a manager? The dean responded that it would be difficult to offer the potential applicant a beginning faculty salary amount of $40,000 and attract a qualified person!

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Some substantive changes regarding our fringe packages and their tax consequences have been proposed by management for implementation in July 1998. It's been said that Cuesta is not in compliance with certain tax codes. CCFT has been requesting from the VP of Business for the past eight months solid information we can share with faculty about this important issue. We have received none of the information we have requested.

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And the struggle continues. . . .

Congratulations to Petra Clayton! She won the "find-the-greatest-number-of-inconsistencies-in- management's-computation-of-hourly-salaries" challenge. We hope she enjoys her $25.00 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Impasse Status: CCFT and the district will be meeting with a state-appointed mediator on November 19 and hopefully again in December. We'll keep you posted.

Across Campus

A Cuesta part-time faculty member was told she was ineligible for benefits between semesters because she was a school employee with reasonable assurance of returning to work in the next school year or term. In the future, the words "reasonable assurance" will not appear on any documents from the Administration relating to part-time employment. Therefore, part-time faculty should be able to claim benefits without having to go through court hearings--on this issue at least. However, management has still not clarified whether part-time faculty are being paid during flex week. We've had mixed and contradictory responses. We are waiting for a clear answer.

After applying for unemployment benefits between semesters, several members of the part-time faculty have been subjected to court hearings because the above issue had not been clearly resolved. This should not be happening.

One of the deans on campus has taken the "initiative" (without coming to the union first) to award a 3% stipend to part-time faculty who do "extra work" in his cluster.

Where is it written that part-time faculty are expected to do departmental work? Why not simply pay all part-time faculty for the free office hours they've donated over the years.

Surely that's more equitable than pitting one group of part-timers against another. Before we know it, extra work for the department will be a criteria for getting a full-time position.

Think how unfair that would be!

It took a national strike by UPS workers to draw attention to the plight of thousands of PT workers across the country. But what many people don't realize is that in the community college system also, the great bulk of the teaching is shouldered by part-time faculty.

The president of CFT's Community College Council, Tom Tyner, makes a good point in stating, "Creating full-time jobs for qualified part-time employees is one area where education should lead the way; after all, unlike UPS, we have no profit margin, company stocks, or shareholders to worry about. All we need is the commitment and adequate funding, which we are now getting."

Well, we may be getting more funding, but management has its priorities, and faculty isn't one of them it seems. Meanwhile, fifty seven more part-time faculty have been hired this semester. That's fifty seven more individuals without paid office hours, let alone pro-rata salaries. We have to wonder where the extra funding is going.

In an extract from Faacts, "According to the June 6 Financial Times, 'European trade unions and employers are expected to sign an agreement today which will give part-time employees across the European Union the legal right to equal treatment with those in full-time jobs. It will give equal access to pay, bonus, shift, and other additional payments for comparable employees and will ensure equal contractual terms are provided for them in occupational sick leave schemes and paid holiday leave...to share options, staff discounts and occupational pensions."

My European teacher friends assure me that it's only a matter of time till the USA, not to be outdone, will follow suit. We're waiting.

Editor: Marilyn Rossa

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