SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FACULTY ASSOCIATION
REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING

April 23, 2009

Members present: Rebecca Anderson, Chuck Brinkman, Sandra Burnett, Fran Chandler, Becky Curtis, George Davison, Tracey Ellis, Dennis Frisch, Martin Goldstein, Keith Graziedei, Lesley Kawaguchi, John Kennedy, Richard Lavallee, Ming Lu, Mitra Moassessi, Jim Pacchioli, Nick Pernisco, Pauli Peter, Franklyn Phillips, Jenny Resnick, Saul Rubin, Jackie Scott, Elisha Shapiro, Lantz Simpson, Howard Stahl, Michael Strathearn, Nina Theiss, Joy Tucker, Odemaris Valdivia, Alicia Villapando, Kayli Weatherford, Carol Womack, Janet Watts.

Excused: Tom Chen, Eric Oifer, Kathy Sucher.

Absent: Diana Aghabegian, Maria Alvarado, Vini Angel, Jill Assadi, Garen Baghdasarian, Dianne Berman, Espy Bolivar-Owen, Ken Buckner, Troy Cardenas, Katarina Cerovic, Anna Collier, Steve Contarsy, Gail Davis Culp, Giulio Dellarocca, Michael Dixon, Jim Downs, Gail Edinger, Ron Fitzgerald, Donald Gantner, Claudia Garcia, Ben Jimenez, Matilda Krivan, Ken Mason, Kym McBride, Suzanne McDonald, Marilyn McGrath, Colleen McGraw,  Fereshteh Mobasheri, Sue Moisin,  Jeffrey O’Connell, Tom Peters, Paris Poirier, Juan Quevedo, Elaine Roque, Audrey Sandoval, Michelle Scholefield, Michael Schwartz,  Mario Semere, Tara Shima, Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswin, Esau Tovar, Frank Turner, Sal Veas, David Zehr.

Guests: Otis Burrell, Deborah Kraut, Mario Martinez.

I. Special Guest Zack Knorr, Presentation of the Employee Free Choice Act:   Zack Knorr, part-time faculty member who teaches philosophy at East Los Angeles College and Pierce College, is a representative for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 1521.

Zack reported on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which he suggests is the most important piece of labor legislation in 50 years.  The EFCA allows unionizing through majority sign-up, it stiffens penalties for intimidating or firing union supporters, and imposes arbitration when a company refuses to bargain a first contract.
Faculty can provide hand written letters to support the ECFA.  Mitra Moassessi will collect these letters from the departments, and deliver them to Zack.  Check with your FA representatives in your departments. Letters can also be sent through campus mail to the FA office.

Sample letter: Dear Senator Feinstein: I urge you to support the Employee Free Choice Act.  It give American workers a fair and simple path to form a union so they have the opportunity to earn better pay, health benefits, and improve working conditions.  Then you should sign your name, print your name, and print your address.

You can also contact AFT Representative Zach Knorr by calling (951)-368-8004, or by email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

II. Approval of Minutes – Jacki Scott moved to approve the minutes of February 26, 2009; Martin Goldstein seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

III. Open Nominations for Spring 2009 Elections: Elections Committee Co-Chairs Becky Curtis and Jacki Scott.  The Faculty Association Bylaws state that nominations for the annual FA elections will take place by the last Assembly meeting in April.  Jacki Scott opened the nominations for President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.

President Lantz Simpson then turned the gavel over to Vice-President Sandra Burnett to chair the meeting.  Lantz Simpson nominated Mitra Moassessi for President.  Mitra Moassessi nominated Sandra Burnett for Vice-President, and Mario Martinez for Treasurer.  Sandra then returned the gavel to Lantz.

Nominating ballots will be placed in all FA members’ campus mailboxes and are due back on Thursday, May 7, at noon, at which time nominations will be closed.  Election ballots will go out on Thursday, May 14, and are due back on Thursday, May 28, at noon.  The Elections Committee will count the ballots that afternoon.  Any FA member may observe the counting of the ballots.

IV. Presentation and Discussion of May 19 Special Election:
Dennis Frisch reported on the state propositions for the May 19 special election.  He also handed out educational materials.  There are also copies of the propositions available in the FA office.  FA reps should read the analyses, while a fuller discussion may be held in the future.

Faculty can also find objective analysis regarding all the propositions on the California Budget Project website:  www.cbp.org, or on the California Legislative Analyst’s Office website, http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/ballot_source/Propositions.aspx.

Educational groups are divided on the propositions:
•    CTA supports all the propositions.

•    CFT opposes all the propositions except for 1B.

•    Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has come out in opposition to some of the initiatives, but will support 1C.

•    The Los Angeles CC Guild (AFT 1521) has made no endorsement.

•    FACCC has taken a neutral position on all the propositions, except for 1B, which it supports.

Consensus analysis suggests that the propositions call for short-term gains in exchange for potential long-term shortfalls. 

V. President’s Report:
The SMC faculty voted to agree to a FACCC dues increase.  This increase should be reflected in your next check.  Santa Barbara City College faculty recently voted to become a FACCC contract school.  FACCC will therefore have a membership of 10,000 plus.  Thanks to Mitra Moassessi, a member of the FACCC Board of Governors, who supports the idea that every independent school should become a contract school with FACCC.

VI. For the Good of the Order:
Sandy Burnett reported that DVDs are available for the “Seminar on Personal Finances” in the FA office and the library.

The “Here Now” Conference, which will discuss the next round of single payer health care legislation, will be held May 9 at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

Respectfully submitted,


Becky Curtis,
Recording Secretary