Volume 5 Number 2

Strength Through Unity

May 10, 1999

WELCOME

We're very happy to welcome the following faculty to the CCFT family.

We await the rest of you who have not yet joined!

Sally Blanton, English (PT)
Darin Haydock, Social Sciences (PT)
Pat McKeague, Mathematics (PT)
Sari Pinto, Language Arts (PT)
Marsha Robinson, Learning Skills / DSPS (PT)
Robert Schwennicke, Mathematics (FT)
Matthew Vasques, Languages and Communication (FT)
Anne-Marie Williams, English (PT)

New Faces on CCFT's Executive Board and Team
Marilyn Rossa

For various reasons, a number of the members of the Executive Board are stepping down:

Tony Rector-Cavagnaro, Vice-President, has a teaching schedule that conflicts with Board meetings.

Nancy Culver, COPE chair, will be leaving Cuesta at the semester's end.

Jim West, Part-Time Faculty chair, has been hired full-time. Congratulations, Jim.

John Fetcho, Council of Reps liaison and bargaining team member, is now a member of another bargaining unit as a result of his getting hired as Math Lab Coordinator. Congratulations, John.

Gary Meissner, Council of Reps liaison, has served several years on the Council and the Exec Board. Two of his PE colleagues will be serving on the Council of Reps next year.

Kent Brudney and Mark Weber, Grievance Officers and Bargaining Team members, well, they've just had it. After serving on the Exec and the negotiating team for 5 years, they feel it's time to move on and let someone else step in.

It is with heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation that I say goodbye. The Federation would not have achieved the successes that it has without the incredibly hard work of the above-named individuals. Each has her and his own path to follow, and I know ours will cross. I wish my friends and colleagues all the best.

As I will miss the members who are leaving the Board, I joyfully welcome the following faculty who are stepping in as officers and chairs:

Matthew Fleming (English), Vice-President

Lenny Erickson(Philosophy), Grievance Officer

Darin Haydock (History), COPE Chair

Sally Blanton (English), Part-Time Faculty Chair

Mark Tomes (DSPS) remains as Secretary-Treasurer, and guess who remains as president. The election of two Council of Reps liaisons to the Executive Board is underway this week. We will report the results to you shortly.

I will continue to chair the Negotiating team and will be joined by long-time member George Rumore (Business) and new member to the Negotiating Team, Mark Tomes. We are in the process of filling in the rest of the team at this time and will let you know who those representatives are very soon.

And, lastly, Petra Clayton (Languages and Communications), will serve as our District Budget Reviewer, and Ralph Sutter (Languages and Communications) will continue on as our Web Master.
(Check out new contract addenda on our web site at www.thegrid.net/ccft).

Many thanks to all.

1, Union Notes

Marilyn Rossa

Our thanks go out to the membership who ratified the 1998-99 agreement by a vote of 97-1. Ok, ok, who are you anyway?

We begin negotiating the 1999-2002 contract on May 10, with additional sessions scheduled for May 18 and May 20. After reviewing the many returned surveys (thank you!) and consulting with the appropriate bodies, the Executive Board has chosen to propose an increase in the lab/lecture ratio and a decrease in the number of faculty members on the Division Tenure Committee (DTC) from 3 to 2. The issues of lab/lecture ratio and easing the workload in regard to evaluation (surprise, surprise) received, by far, the greatest number of responses from faculty. We also hope to handle other procedural evaluation issues that members suggested through side letter agreements with the district. The Executive Board has also decided that at this time it will pursue agency fee--more about this at a later date. Do remember that the Federation and the district will be doing a major review of our health insurance benefits as a condition of our 1998-99 agreement. We believe we have a full plate this year. Do also remember that the Federation is entitled to two reopeners next year. We'll keep you posted when we return in the fall.

The check will be in the mail . . . on July 15. Maybe sooner. If you wish your check mailed to an out-of-town address, contact Mike Hargett's office.

In the Beginning

Matthew Fleming

I have served as a CFT representative for the English division for over a year. One might think such an amount of time adequate for gaining the knowledge and experience necessary to understand at least the main components of union activities. However, I must admit that it took me quite some time to grasp completely the meaning of such words as "collective bargaining," "impasse," and "arbitration," which my colleagues inserted effortlessly into their professional conversations. Upon receiving a memo from Marilyn concerning the latest setbacks or successes at the bargaining table, I would wander the halls asking clarification questions of other faculty members. Eventually, I began to understand at least half of the terminology used in the meetings or included in the reports, and it is then I realized exactly just how little I knew about the various processes involved in union work.

So when I first heard about the CFT convention which took place in San Francisco this past March, I thought that the event might offer me a better understanding of the organization as a whole as well as insight into future goals of the CFT. Having never attended a CFT convention, I had no idea what to expect from the event. In fact, I thought I might be headed down a dreaded path similar to those leading to insurance or time-share condo seminars. However, once Jim West and I actually read the directions to the hotel correctly, registered, and participated in a workshop on the sixteen week semester system, I began to understand that I would derive much more from this convention than a trip to the city and a few good meals.

Though I attended interesting and insightful meetings discussing tenure, part-time issues, and the sixteen week semester, I found the CFT Community College Council Meeting the most enlightening session. In this assembly, a delegate from each community college reports on the current situation at his or her institution. This meeting offered me a new perspective on our recent accomplishments here at Cuesta by showing me the struggles and successes of other community colleges, while also allowing me a vision of future challenges we might face.

I am a long way from comprehending all the subtleties involved in union activities, but this convention brought me closer to such a goal. To continue educating myself, I plan on attending a five day AFT Union Leadership Institute (ULI) course in Santa Cruz in July. The Institute's courses in negotiations and grievance administration should prove useful to my future involvement with the union. I will also attend another conference in September, focused primarily on the reports from each college. I encourage those union members who feel such conferences might help their understanding of union activities seriously consider attending one of the upcoming events (union paid, of course).

2, Mileage Reimbursement for Split Assignments

Kent Brudney

According to the 1998-99 contract, mileage between the San Luis Obispo campus, the North County campus, and the Arroyo Grande site will be reimbursed for both full- and part-time faculty. The contract calls for reimbursement for one way between the campuses, unless the instructor has to return to the first campus for another class.

This represents a compromise between the District and the Federation in order to include part-time faculty for reimbursement and in order to continue reimbursement into the 1998-99 contract (and, we hope, into the new three-year contract).

The newly negotiated provision means less reimbursement for some; the negotiating team, however, thought that the inclusion of part-time faculty (who are currently carrying the major part of split assignments) made the trade-off reasonable and fair. If you have questions, please direct them to Kent Brudney (3164). (Postscript: The district has corrected the one-way mileage computation between the North County and the main campus from 33 to 36 miles, and it also has agreed to clarify the language in the contract. Please note that the one-way mileage configuration benefits those faculty who live nearer the outlying campus while the previous temporary triangular configuration benefited those faculty who live nearer the main campus. Since Kent's writing, we have been in further discussion with the district to make the mileage reimbursement fair for all faculty. The district has shown willingness to revisit the proposal. Overall, it is a small issue, but for the faculty who are affected by it, it takes on significant proportions. Whatever the final outcome, we hope we can put this-issue-that-won't-die to eternal rest. MR)

News from Sacramento

Christine Marchant

If you want some action on part-time issues, you need to write, E-mail , or call your representatives in Sacramento asking them to support the following bills:

AB 420--"The bill would require, commencing 2003, each person employed by a community college district as a temporary academic employee to be compensated at a salary or hourly rate that is directly proportional to the salary of a full-time regular employee with comparable training and experience. The bill would require community college districts to compute the proportional pay based on the teaching load of the temporary employee compared to that of a full-time academic employee with like training and experience. The bill would also require that the schedule of salaries to be paid be made on the basis of a uniform allowance for years of training and years of experience." This bill is now in the Appropriations Committee.

SB 921--"The bill would provide that moneys be expended to create a net increase in full-time faculty, counselor, and librarian positions in the California Community Colleges." The bill would transfer $40,00,000 from the General Fund to the Faculty, Counselor, and Librarian Employment Fund, and appropriate that sum to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for allocation during the 1999-2000 fiscal year. Write to your representatives at State Capitol, 10th and L Streets, Sacramento, CA. 94248-0001.

(Christine will be CCFT's rep to Lobby Day in Sacramento on May 16-17.)

Study: Students are not choosing high-tech educations
San Jose (AP)

College students are opting away from high-tech degrees even though the computer industry is desperate for well-trained graduates, according to a study being released today. The report, issued by the American Electronics Association, found that high-tech degrees -- including engineering, math, physics and computer science -- declined 5 percent between 1990 and 1996.

Preliminary findings from 1997 and 1998 indicate the trend is continuing, the AEA said. The AEA said elementary and high schools must do more to get students ready to tackle a high-tech education. Of the decreasing number of high-tech degrees awarded, the study found a significant portion went to foreign nationals. At the doctorate level, 45 percent of high-tech degrees were granted to non-U.S. citizens.

Among the states, California's colleges conferred the most high-tech degrees, but it also had one of the greatest declines, awarding 1,600 fewer degrees in 1996 than in 1990. Nationwide the unemployment rate for high-tech careers is extremely low -- 1.6 percent for engineers and 1.2 percent for math and computer scientists last year. Lobbyists successfully pressed last year for Congress to raise dramatically the number of foreigners with high-tech skills who can be hired by American companies.

3, CPFA

Christine Marchant

Look out for the first newspaper edition of the California Part-time Faculty Association (CAPFA). In May, each and every part-time instructor in California Community Colleges will receive a copy. The articles therein have been written by and for part-timers.

In the last nine months, the Executive Board members of this organization have been extremely active all over the state, but especially in Sacramento, voicing loudly the concerns of part-time faculty. CAPFA's spokespersons are also being heard and have gained the respect and support of unions and FACCC at state level meetings. In addition, CAPFA members and supporters will be lobbying their representatives in Sacramento on May 17.

By paying $20 a year, you can become a member of CAPFA today and participate in some interesting on-line discussions about part-time issues. Fill out the blue/green form you found in your box recently. And if for some reason you can't find it, contact your local CAPFA representatives here at Cuesta: Debbie Brasket (English): (member of the CAPFA Executive Board) at 937-6298 and Christine Marchant (English): at 541-9129. Either one of us will be happy to meet with you or send you a form.

Thanks for a productive year.

Have a refreshing summer vacation!

Editor: Marilyn Rossa

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This file was last modified by Ralph Sutter