Tech Liaison Compensation: A Simple Situation Becomes a Nightmare of Delay and Mismanagement by Teri Bernstein Many of you are aware that a Technology Committee has been meeting to provide a forum for technology planning and education. Funds are provided by a TTIP grant, which is administered by Rocky Young, with the assistance of Jennifer Merlich, a 100% reassigned faculty member. Cherry Li is also involved. Because participation in this committee involves work above and behond the normal call of duty, and because the grant provided funding, the District decided to offer a stipend to the Liaisons. Because we are unionized, the law requires that ALL COMPENSATION must be bargained by the "exclusive representative," the Faculty Association (see related story for rationale). We have a provision in our contract to allow the District to grant reassigned time without consultation with us, as long as they report it to us on a timely basis, but they can't dole out money compensation that isn't in the contract. It is absolutely illegal. But faculty doing extra work should be compensated, and there's a right way to go about doing it. Some of our frustration with the District arises because we have the imagination and vision to see how things can be done efficiently, legally and with mutual respect. | THE EASY WAY: 1. Rocky should have contacted Bob Sammis, the District Chief Negotiator, and worked out how to proceed with respect to lines of authority on the District side. | HOW THE DISTRICT DID IT: 1. Without consulting the Association, the Technol ogy Committee authorized an announcement at a Department Chairs meeting last Spring that Chairs were to appoint Liaisons from each depart ment to receive a $2,000 stipend. 2. Several chairs complained to the Faculty Associa tion that this was "more compensation than some chairs get" and that it was too much for some departments and too little for others. 3. Faculty Association contacted District Negotiating Team to request that the matter be brought to negotiations. (Since the District salary offer at that time was less than COLA and we’d been told by Sammis that NO other funds were available, the stipend “offer” was a nice surprise). 4. District retaliates by withdrawing off-contract offer of compensation for Technology Liaisons. 5. Faculty Association repeatedly (throughout Spring and early Fall) requests District Negotiators for a contract proposal for Tech Liaisons, since Tech Liaisons are still being told that they will be compensated. 6. Tech Liaisons continue to meet, work, and go the extra mile (like the great SMC faculty that they are), even though they have not been compensated as originally promised. | | |
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