By Howard Stahl
    
Your negotiating team has held 8 negotiating session with District, as of October 18, 2010.  Both sides are presenting various proposals on a wide range of issues.  In this article, I would like to update you on the status of the negotiations so far.

Tentative Table Agreements

The parties have reached tentative agreements in these four areas:

Team Teaching – Article 24
The changes in this article mainly update the language to match the contract to the District’s past practice.

67% Law – Article 6
The changes in this article revises the load that a part-time faculty can perform in line with recent legal changes (AB 591 – Dymally)

Faculty Office Hours – Article 6
The changes in this article clarify the language associated with the office hours performed by full-time faculty.

Employee Rights – Article 30    
    This new article provides all faculty with Weingarten Rights, an important union protection.   These rights stem from a 1975 landmark supreme court case (National Labor Relations Board versus J. Weingarten Inc.) that provides employees the right to union representation at investigatory interviews.  The ruling created three rules that must be followed at all investigatory interviews.  First, employees can request union representation and cannot be punished for making such a request.  Second, employers must grant this request, delaying the interview until representation arrives, or the employee may end the interview lacking the requested representation.  Third, employers who deny employees requests would be committing an unfair labor practice.
 
Topics Still Being Discussed / Initial Proposals

    The parties continue to discuss many different items.  While an agreement in any of the areas mentioned below may or may not be reached, I share them with you to give you a sense of the ongoing discussions.  In addition,  the sharing of initial proposals continues.  Both parties have other issues yet to be  discussed.

    As of October 18, 2010, the Faculty Association has brought Initial Proposals on  the  following  issues to  the  negotiations:

Associate Faculty
    The Association proposes a number of changes that would improve and strengthen the rights of Associate Faculty which has now become a model for part-time faculty at community colleges across the state.
California State Disability Insurance Program
    The Association proposes allowing all part-time faculty to enroll in the California State Disability Insurance program in line with recent legal changes (AB 381 – Block).
Distance Education     
    The Association proposes a number of changes that would improve the working conditions of faculty who teach online classes.
Library Leader
    The Association proposes revising the duties and responsibilities of the Faculty Leader in Library.
Load Factor
    The Association proposes a number of changes that would improve the working conditions of faculty who teach credit classes that have a load factor less than 1.0.
Reassign/Release Time
    The Association proposes increases in reassign time for various faculty leadership positions, including the Academic Senate and Department Chairs/Coordinators among others.
Academic Freedom
    The Association proposes a new article that offers academic freedom protections to all faculty.
Rights of the Association
    The Association proposes increasing and strengthening the rights of the Association.
Part-time Ancillary Fund
    The Association proposes compensating part-time faculty for tasks performed beyond the scope of their primary teaching assignment.


    As of October 18, 2010, the District has brought Initial Proposals on the following issues to the negotiations:

Intellectual Property
    The District proposes that any distance education course become the sole property of the District.
Intersession Assignments    
    The District proposes an additional intersession assignment example.
Load Banking    
    The District proposes a reduction in the amount of LHE that any full-time faculty member can bank.
Assistant Coaching     
    The District proposes changes to the way Assistant Coaches are compensated.
Associate Faculty    
    The District proposes changes to various provisions of the Associate Faculty article.
Duties of Assignment    
    The District proposes to revise the list of duties that faculty perform.

    I will need and appreciate your support as negotiations continue.