By Becka Curtis

Co-Chair FA Part-time Committee

      Before spring break, the Part-time Committee members met with two members of the Board of Trustees of SMC: Chair Susan Aminoff, and Trustee Louise Jaffe. With part-timers identifying pay equity, office hours, and health benefits as crucial issues in the recent Faculty Association survey, part-time leadership wanted to meet with the trustees to relay and reinforce these concerns.

      Present at the meeting were Melissa Michelson, recent past member of the FA negotiating council; Launa Nelson, Co-chair of the FA Part-Time Committee; Michael Strathearn, Co-chair of the Academic Senate Part-Time Committee, and committee chair for the FA College Environment Committee; Bill Price, member of the Strategic Planning Task Force and a past member of the negotiating team; Martin Goldstein, Editor of the Hourly Advocate and Political Director for the SMCFA, and myself.

      We discussed the need to begin a conversation regarding pay equity for all part-time faculty. Since the budget crisis of 2003, little discussion and no movement regarding equity has taken place on this campus. We believe the time is right to start the process of moving towards full pay equity.

      It was noted that legislation introduced this year by the CFT has already proposed a plan to reach full equity via incremental movements over five years, and that other community colleges, such as San Francisco City College, have already reached 90% parity. Why not here? We also discussed the possibility for paid office hours for all part-time faculty as a step towards both equal pay and equal professional responsibilities – and respect - for all faculty.

      The trustees were very attentive, and asked a lot of questions. I believe they are very sympathetic to our concerns, but made no promises. These are issues for the negotiating team, but what is of paramount importance is to begin the conversation  across   the campus.   We  will   be 

 

Part-Time Committee Meets with Trustees

By Martin Goldstein

      The CFT Convention, March 16-18, was held in downtown Los Angeles, and we attended the part-time breakfast on Sunday morning, before driving up the PCH to Malibu for the Fran Pavley brunch at Duke’s on the Beach. The things we do for the cause.

      The CFT represents primarily K-12 teachers, along with some Community College teachers, notably LACCD, led by the redoubtable Carl Friedlander, who attended the part-time breakfast at 7:30 AM that Sunday morning. He had just been elected head of the Community College Council (CCC) of the CFT, a post formally held by Marty Hittelman, who won the leadership of the entire California CFT, the first time a community college person has done that.

      Further, among the Vice Presidents elected, Mona Field is a trustee of the LACCD as well as a community college teacher at Glendale, and she will be Carl’s direct connection to the part-time movement.  In sum, a lot of attention is being paid to part-time issues with the CFT, and those who are paying attention to them are becoming more powerful and influential there.

      This is a good thing.

 

 

Carl Friedlander was elected head of the Community College Council of CFT

Carl Friedlander was elected head of the Community College Council of CFT

Carl Friedlander was elected head of the Community College Council of CFT

Report from the CFT Convention

meeting with other Trustees soon to keep spreading the word.

      About a week after this meeting, a few of us met with Trustee David Finkel, and found him to be very attentive to and supportive of our concerns.