February/March 2015
AFT Local 1533 Newsletter
THE
FEDERALIST
A Union of Professionals
www.scftunion.org
National Day Highlights Adjuncts’ Inequalities
State Center Federation of Teachers
The Importance
of Organizing
Or, if you would be well
served, serve yourself
A is for Adjunct: Adjunct instructor Dr. Janine Nkosi and her class show support
for National Adjunct Walkout Day on Feb. 25 at Clovis Community College Center.
SCFT helped SCCCD faculty, staff, and students participate
in National Adjunct Walkout Day (NAWD), held on February
25. The movement was created to bring awareness to unfair
wages and working conditions for adjunct instructors
across the country. SCFT displayed information booths at
five campus/site locations in the district. Each SCFT table
was staffed with members of Executive Council and displayed educational material. “A for Adjunct” buttons were
handed out, and all faculty were encouraged to have mini
teach-ins focusing on adjunct teaching with their classes
and to post their participation on the SCFT Facebook
page.
The event was a success. “This is the part where I
Kellen Prandini, SCFT PT
Representative At-Large
should fess up that I’m the one who asked the union
what we were planning to do to tie into this nationwide (FCC) and anthropology
instructor proudly
(eventually international) event, and therefore inaddisplays his “A is for
vertently volunteered to help organize it, so I’m a bit
Adjunct” button.
biased,” said Jim Keller, SCFT PT Representative At-Large
(CCCC) (See pictured on page 3). “I think we did wonders to raise awareness. Most
of my students had no idea what an adjunct faculty member is, much less the plight
facing adjuncts across the country. The simple act of getting faculty to wear their
scarlet letters and talk about it with their students was a huge victory in my book.
But the nicest part of the whole day for me? Getting two senior administrators on my
NAWD continued on page 3
As a California Federation of
Teachers (CFT) Field Representative, I have ingested the Kool-Aid
in regard to the importance of
organizing, the importance of
Unionism, and the crucial nature
of collective bargaining. I can
think of nothing more important
than employees standing together
to accomplish better working
conditions for themselves and
better wages for their families.
Organizing is multi-faceted and
permeates most of what we do in
the Union movement and even in
our personal lives.
Organizing at its most basic
level is the act of developing
a vision and system of beliefs,
Organizing continued on page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Events Calendar
page 2
January Soup Winner
page 2
Part-Time Meet ‘N Greet
page 5
Election Results
page 6
2
SCFT News
January was National Soup Month
Mark Your
Calendars
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETING:
Wednesday, March 25
5 - 7 p.m.
FCC Staff Dining Room
UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE BENEFITS:
Save the Date: Friday, May 8
(A workshop for part-time
faculty on how best to
apply for these benefits)
The Federalist is
the official publication of the
State Center Federation of
Teachers, AFT Local 1533
567 W. Shaw Ave. Suite A3
Fresno, CA 93704
(559) 289-2699
scftunion.org
We have a winner!!! As you
may or may not remember, January was National Soup Month.
Kathleen Crawford, history instructor extraordinaire, as I like
to call her, won our delicious
soup goodies for submitting
her non-district email address
to me as a part of our going
green efforts…which we’re
still working on! As you can
see, the basket of soup quickly
became the treasure box of soup
which contained four (4) Bear
Creek Soups, four (4) different
kinds of crackers, two (2) red
soup mugs with lids, matching
napkins, and of course, chocolate covered gold coins (it is a
treasure box after all!).
Soup and SCFT: Kathleen Crawford, FCC history
When I met with Kathleen to
instructor, and her treasure of soups prize.
deliver her box, she was genuinely grateful. If you don’t know Kathleen, I highly recommend that you drop by to meet
her as she has been teaching for 30 years and continues to LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
Her first 10 years were as a part-time instructor in the district and therefore fully understands the struggle that many of our adjunct faculty face. The last 16 years have been fulltime at FCC, and she says, that “This is a great place to work.” Please join me in congratulating Kathleen on her soup win! And, we WILL eventually go paperless, so PLEASE continue
to submit your non-district email addresses to me at [email protected].
- Michelle Pannett, SCFT ED/O
Printing of The Federalist WILL be phased out.
SCFT is GOING GREEN (REALLY!), and you don’t want
to miss out on updates, news, and contests.
Please send us your NON-District email address today!
([email protected]).
Like us on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SCFTLocal-1533/271061679646258,
and visit the website at scftunion.org frequently to
stay informed and to read the latest issues of
The Federalist.
SCFT News
3
SCFT PT Representative At-Large Jim Keller educates a class on the disparities between part-time and full-time working conditions at Clovis Community College Center.
‘NAWD’ continued from page 1
campus to also wear the A is for Adjunct button.”
Adjunct instructor Sharon Kerr said, “At the Reedley
Campus we saw over 50 people, students, and faculty.
Informing everyone about the issues affecting adjunct
faculty was well received. The majority of students
voiced their concern over adjunct faculty not having
office hours and therefore very difficult to reach face
to face when not in class. Department chairs also
voiced this concern because the students will often
then approach them to help solve a problem, which of course, they cannot in most
instances. Adjunct faculty who stopped by
the table expressed their concerns over having no benefits. One faculty member stated
that this was the only district in which she
worked where adjuncts received absolutely
no benefits and very low pay as well,” she
said.
“I was very happy to see both part-time and fulltime instructors take part in the day’s activities,” said
Kellen Prandini, Fresno City College adjunct instructor. “Many students also seemed genuinely interested
in the issues that affect their part-time instructors.
It’s going to take all of us moving forward together to
make changes in our district.”
The Reedley Exponent reported on the event at
Reedley College, and the FCC student newspaper, The
Rampage, reported on the Fresno City College event.
Getting the Word Out at
SCCCD: SCFT Executive Council members were educating
the district about the plight of
adjunct instructors at various sites on National Adjunct
Walkout Day (Clockwise starting
at top right): Mark Trezza at
Fresno City College, Sharon Kerr
at Reedley College, Kristina Miko
at Herndon Campus, and Bill
Turnini at the Madera Center.
4
SCFT News
‘ORGANIZING’ continued from page 1
which is then offered to others
to see and adopt. This occurs
in everyday life, in raising
children, in training pets, and
in negotiating a better deal to
purchase a car. I could go on
but I won’t (…because I like
you all). I will however, go on
about the Union, and specifically what organizing looks like
for the American Federation of
Teachers (AFT), the CFT, and
the State Center Federation of
Teachers (SCFT).
People Improving Communities
through Organizing) to better
“If you are a part timer who
serve our members collectively.
hasn’t already joined SCFT as a
Currently, the Executive Counmember, please do so! The crazy
cil of the CFT has identified as
one of its most important issues
thing about agency fee paying
expending efforts to increase
(within an agency shop) is that
membership numbers by
because there is a deduction from
organizing agency fee payers
your payroll monthly, many
to become dues paying members. This effort is beneficial to
faculty assume they are
our locals for many reasons: In
already members; this is not
general, it helps negotiate better
true! You must fill out a
contracts when a District knows
membership form.”
that the local membership is in
Organizing model vs.
support of what is happening at
Service model
the table, it allows for increased
The AFT has long had as
democratic participation of those
a main goal: Shifting its cultural norm of “servicing” its
fee payers as members, and finally, it strengthens the AFT
membership to one of “organizing” its membership. In the
and CFT affiliates to have higher memberships to carry-out
former model, the main function of the Union is to provide
the priorities and servicing of the locals.
services both collectively and individually to members who
In support of both national and statewide affiliate efforts,
are dependent on the hierarchy of the Union to fulfill their
SCFT has launched its own campaign to organize our curneeds. A strictly organizing model empowers the memberrent part-time agency fee payers into membership status.
ship to become more involved and less dependent upon
the service provider and to take more responsibility for
Special Note to Part Time Faculty
what happens within their local. I personally believe that
If you are a part timer who hasn’t already joined SCFT as
there needs to be a balance between the two models and
a member, please do so! The crazy thing about agency fee
that they are not mutually exclusive. We cannot ignore the
paying (within an agency shop) is that because there is a
servicing needs of our members while we organize, and we
deduction from your payroll monthly, many faculty assume
cannot strictly service our members because there simply
they are already members; this is not true! You must
aren’t enough service providers to do so; the union IS the
fill out a membership form. SCFT will be conductmembership, it has very few employees of the union. Quite
ing friendly and informative phone calls to learn more
the dilemma.
about our part-time workforce in an effort to increase the
The biggest shift in Union organizing has been to form
benefits and compensation for all part time faculty in the
“community partners” in attempts to build Union density
district. These calls and other contact opportunities are
through community support (which historically is where
designed to let you know whether you are a member or fee
Union density have laid). This external organizing campayer, and to provide us a learning opportunity and gain
paign is going on at all levels—nationally, state-wide and
from you what is of most importance to you as part time
locally, and has been wildly successful! A significant examfaculty.
ple of state level partnering involves CFT’s participation in
It is important to let both full and part time faculty know
the Reclaim California’s Future Coalition which was crucial
of the benefits of being Union members and how we can
to our success in passing Proposition 30. Locally, SCFT is
accomplish more together than separately. I will close with
partnering with such groups as the Blue/Green Alliance,
the Union mantra, “Organize, Agitate, Educate!”
Fresno Metro Ministries, FIC-PICO (Faith in Community/
- Shannon Willson, CFT Field Rep.
SCFT News
5
Part-Time Meet ‘N Greet was a Full Success
Colleagues and Casino: (L-R) Part-time instructor Eliana Saucedo Caza (RC) and full-time instructor Janice Ledgerwood
(RC) are all smiles on February 6 at the Meet ‘N Greet. So are part-time instructors Amanda Rowen (CCCC) and Kathryn
McCoy (CCCC). SCCCD Board President Ron Nishinaka (center) and Board Member Robert “Bobby” Kahn also attended the
event at High Sierra Grill in Fresno.
On February 6, SCFT hosted an adjunct faculty
Meet ‘N Greet at the High Sierra Grill in Fresno.
Over 60 people attended and played casino games,
learned about future activities, and shared their experiences. SCCCD Board President Ron Nishinaka
and Board members John Leal, Miguel Arias, and
Bobby Kahn got to know SCCCD part-time faculty
during the event. Here are some comments from
SCFT Executive Council members who attended:
“The Adjunct Meet-and-Greet on February 6 was
a lot of fun. It’s really challenging as an adjunct
faculty member to get to know the other instructors
on my campus, much less throughout the district. I
was thrilled to see people I knew and happy to meet
new people. To me, however, the most impressive part was that several members
of our Board of Trustees took the time to come, mingle, and listen to us and our
concerns. It was nice to meet them and to feel like adjuncts were being taken seriously. I’m really thankful that the union put this together, and I’m looking forward
to the next one.”
- Jim Keller, SCFT PT Representative At-Large (CCCC)
Part-time instructors (L-R)
Clare Anzoleaga (FCC), Peggy Quinlan (FCC), and Robert Cochran (MC)
enjoyed the casino games at the Meet
‘N Greet. Anzoleaga was the
“winner” of the “best poker
hand of the night.”
“Between our meet and greet and the tabling for NAWD, I felt a sense of community emerging for our adjunct colleagues.”
- Mark Trezza, SCFT VP COPE (FCC)
“The event on Feb. 6 was fun and exciting to meet new adjuncts in the district. I was pleased we had such a good turnout.”
- Sharon Kerr, SCFT Executive Vice President (CCCC)
“I had an excellent time at the part-time meet and greet! It was nice to connect with other part-timers who experience similar issues in the workplace. Plus, there was good food! Looking forward to another one soon.”
- Kellen Prandini, SCFT PT Representative At-Large (FCC)
6
SCFT News
Non-Election Election Results
Because no faculty (non, nein, nil, nothing, nadaone,
NOBODY….ZERO FACULTY) accepted nomination to run
for three (3) open positions of FT Representative At-Large
for FCC before the nomination period closed, no election
was necessary. Consequently, there will be no full-time
faculty representation in an At-Large capacity from FCC on
the SCFT Executive Council.
Because only TWO (2) faculty accepted nomination to
run for one of three (3) open positions for the FT Representative At-Large for RC/CCCC before the nomination
period closed, no election was necessary. The Executive
Council voted to seat Michael Stannard and Robin Huigen to these respective positions by acclamation. Their
terms will begin Fall 2015 and run through Spring 2017.
Because TWO (2) part-time faculty accepted nomination
to run for the two (2) open positions for the PT Representative At-Large for RC/CCCC, no election was necessary. The
Executive Council voted to seat Susan Lusk and Galin
Dent to these respective positions by acclamation. Their
terms will begin Fall 2015 and run through Spring 2017.
Congratulations Mike, Robin, Susan and Galin!
These positions are of extreme importance to your
union as they serve as informational pathways to what
is happening on our campuses and as extended protectors of our hard fought rights and benefits (i.e. our
contract). Your engagement IS the heart of the union
and for it to thrive it must be exercised. If this is of no
concern to you, you need do nothing; if it is, please
forward your name to [email protected] and be
considered for an appointment to the Executive Council.
Because only FOUR faculty accepted nomination to serve
as one of five (5) Delegates to the annual CFT Convention,
no election was necessary. The Executive Council voted to
seat Lynn Campbell (FCC), Sheila Martin (FCC), Gregory Ramirez (MOR), and Allen Siroky (FCC) as delegates
to the annual convention by acclamation. Also attending for
the local will be President Lacy Barnes and ED/O Michelle
Pannett.
Congratulations Lynn, Sheila, Gregory, and Allen!
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