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Representative Assembly Meeting - June 4, 1998 |
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- Members Present:
- E. Bermudez, T. Bernstein, E. Bolivar-Owens, L. Boylan, A. Buckley, F. Chandler, H. Cohen, C. Donaldson, G. Dossett, D. Doten, L. Emile, E. Gallagher, B. Goldthwait, C. Hagen- Lautrup, G. Heller, L. Kawaguchi, K. Mason, J. McKay, D. Nannini, J. Pacchioli, B. Price, T. Randall, E. Singleton, H. Sobel, E. Spain, L. Staple, N. Theiss, B. Tholen, P. Wall, J. Watts
- Members Absent:
- C. Beckstead, J. Bresloff, C. Brinkman, J. Burris, A. Ceely, K. Cerovic, C. Clarridge, H. Crane, J. Croxton, J. Douglas, D. Gerds, A. Gerl, L. Guild, C. Holmgren, C. Hughes, S. Jaffe, B. Johnson, H. Johnson, L. Kluckhohn, R. Lyons, A. Maddox, K. McBride, J. McMullen, J. Murphy, C. Nelson, M. Nightingale, E. Rabach, V. Rothman, M. Semere, K. Shamey, L. Shishido, L. Singleton, J. Smith, S. Sterr, B. Thompson, D. Thompson, B. Tomkinson, S. Veas
- Members Excused:
- K. Costello, G. Lopez, F. Manion, M. Mazorow, S. McDonald, M. Moassessi, K. Sucher
- Guests:
- D. Clement, K. Lisovsky, B. Obach, C. O'Connell, L. Simpson, M. Soldatenko
President Fran Chandler called the meeting to order at 11:10.
I. President's Report - Fran Chandler Fran Chandler and Teri Bernstein both spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting. They pointed out the difficulty of getting accurate information from the District. They also spoke of the problem surrounding sabbaticals. According to Board Policy, the District is obligated to fund eight sabbaticals, but since one was not used least year, the Faculty Association has asked that a ninth be granted this year to the first alternate. In response, President Robertson at first did not want to do so because she feared her action might be precedent setting, but after speaking with Fran Chandler about it, she agreed to fund the ninth with the agreement that it not be precedent setting. Fran also spoke about part-time issues, such as the ratio of part-time to full-time. All that we are achieving now is the minimum set by law. If we had 75% of classes taught by full-time instructors, we would have to hire 105 new full-time instructors. She also spoke about the desirability of paying part-time instructors for office hours. Dr. Robertson announced that she has signed an agreement with the University of Phoenix for distance learning. This decision could present problems because the University of Phoenix has no full-time faculty and pays low salaries. We need to protect our faculty so that the district does not go round the contract. The STRS bill (#2804) is out of the Assembly. In it, $644 million would go to STRS to make retirement better provided Governor Wilson signs it. It is now in committee. Fran Chandler has phone numbers if anyone wishes to lobby for the bill. Proposition 226 failed in the primary election, and Gray Davis, a friend of the community colleges, won the Democratic nomination for governor. The COLA is down (2.18%). II. Office Manager Hours Fran Chandler introduced the following motion from the Executive Committee. She explained that Janet KretschmerÕs duties have increased and that she is giving many unpaid hours to the Faculty Association. Such a situation is especially unacceptable to a union. Also, Janet does not have reassurance that she has a job next year even though we could not get along without her. Therefore a three-year contract that rolls over seems desirable, especially since the cost is within the budget. Motion from the Executive Committee Whereas the Executive Committee passed unanimously a positive evaluation of the AssociationÕs Office Manager Janet Kretschmer; and Whereas the Executive Committee has determined the need for the Office Manager to function as a salaried employee at the average of 40 hours a week; and Whereas the work of the Office Manager has become so critical to the smooth functioning of the organization that losing this highly skilled individual would negatively impact the AssociationÕs ability to serve its members; Therefore, let it be resolved that the Representative Assembly (a) authorize an augmentation to the previously approved budget for the amount necessary to enable the Office Manager to be paid for a 40-hour-week average and (b) authorize the President, Chief Negotiator and Treasurer to put into place a three year contract with a rollover provision and with annual reopeners for salary and benefit adjustments in accordance with the duties and responsibilities of the job specified in the organizationÕs Constitution and Bylaws. The motion was passed unanimously. III. Negotiation Council Report - Teri Bernstein Teri Bernstein reported that the Administration had given the Board of Trustees numbers from a different year, and when that became known, Vice-President Tom Donner gave the team information requested months ago. One concern of the team is that the District is expanding programs and part-time instructors. Teri explained to the Board of Trustees that students who need to get in touch with their instructors for reasons such as letters of recommendation find it difficult to find part-time teachers who are no longer working at the college. Another concern is that the Administration plans to grant SMC degrees at Mid-Rand University in South Africa. Such an affiliation poses questions. For example, are the instructors our faculty members? There will be no formal meetings next week, but the team will meet with Tom Donner. IV. Political Action Committee Report The committee is planning a forum for the Board of Trustees candidates on October 21. It plans to ask hard-hitting questions that have not been given to the candidates in advance. The committee needs volunteers to work on ways to raise political action money. For example, we might make ongoing voluntary payroll deductions. Anyone who wishes to serve on the committee should let Loring Emile or Alan Buckley know. V. Recognition of Ed Gallagher on His Retirement President Chandler praised Ed Gallagher for his contribution to the Faculty Association. He was given an enthusiastic standing ovation. VI. Approval of Minutes for May 14 and 21 The minutes were approved as distributed. The meting was adjourned at noon. Respectfully submitted, Nina Theiss
Recording Secretary
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