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	Feburary 1999
C O N T N T S	Ponderings of the President ADA, Children's Center Discussed by Bargaining Units CFT Convention Nears North Bay Labor Council Names UPM Man Health Corner Benefits of Membership Real-Time Weather from CoM CoM in the News Campus Events e-mail CoM Faculty College Forms on-line Back to Home Page

Ponderings of the President by Ira Lansing

I will let you be the judge as to whether or not the following is an example of contagious lunacy, brilliant idea or just plain someone with too much time on his or her hands   Articles Ponderings ADA, Children's Center CFT Convention North Bay Labor Council Health Corner

As a kid growing up in West Los Angeles (oh all right, it was actually Beverly Hills, and no, not all my neighbors were movie stars) you don’t often appreciate the pleasantries you may have until you are removed from that environment. Reading the Los Angeles Times was a daily given. Great comics, excellent sports coverage, and the front page had news that did not relate to traffic or weather. Each article was free of typographical errors and actually could be found on the "continued on…" page that was indicated. Moving to northern California had its definite advantages, but daily print media were not one of them (interesting parenthetical observation—for many years it was cheaper to have the L.A. Times delivered to my door on a daily basis than it was to get the San Francisco Chronicle. Figure that one out.). With the advent of the Internet, most newspapers from around the world are available in some form or another. The following article by Kenneth R. Weiss, L.A. Times Education Writer, appeared on February 13 of this year. I will let you be the judge as to whether or not the following is an example of contagious lunacy, brilliant idea or just plain someone with too much time on his or her hands. The title of the article is "Year-Round Classes for Colleges Urged." The story reports on a recommendation by the State’s legislative analyst. To accommodate the booming college population UC, Cal State and community college campuses must consider offering full programs during the summer. The argument centers on saving several billions of dollars by not having to build new buildings to meet the growing demands of students. The analyst recommends "that the Legislature start choking off…funds to force the …state’s 106 community colleges to make the switch on their own." It is recognized that the plan could meet some resistance, most notably from students who do not usually flock to summer school. However, the opportunity to complete degrees early (or even on time) might be an incentive. Naturally, everyone is approaching the idea with caution, not wanting, as UC’s vice president for budget, Larry Hershman, said, "to get suckered into summer programs that would cost far more per student if added classes do not attract enough students." At this point what will actually result is anybody’s guess. It is just that when the State sneezes, the community colleges catch a cold—and College of Marin gets pneumonia. The ramifications are numerous, both budgetary, logistically and contractually. If any further sniffles are heard UPM will keep you apprised and solicit your input. Stay healthy and stay alert.

ADA, Children's Center Discussed by Bargaining Units

If you require an accommodation for disability or illness, UPM needs to be notified so we can be assured that your accommodation is as good as what others get.   Articles Ponderings ADA, Children's Center CFT Convention North Bay Labor Council Health Corner

As the collective bargaining process goes on and on, two issues have been on the front burner this month: the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Children's Center. How does ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) impact our members? There are confidentiality and privacy issues protected by ADA. What are the implications for collective bargaining? The point UPM is making in its discussions with the District is that ADA does not undermine the requirement that the District negotiate with UPM over any impact on areas subject to collective bargaining. In a bulletin from AFT outlining recent legal developments, a 1997 California court case was cited that relates to the ADA issues being discussed by UPM and the District. In Nelson v. Cypress Bagdad Copper Co. (9th Cir. 1997), the court held that an employee "acknowledgment" of receipt of a policy concerning the arbitration of statutory claims, including an ADA claim, was not sufficient to constitute a waiver of a right to litigate those claims in court. In other words, an employee does not waive his/her rights to litigation simply by receiving a policy from the employer. If there's a problem, even if an employee has lived with it for some period of time, the employee has given away none of his/her rights to seek a remedy later. What does this mean for you? If you require an accommodation for disability or illness, UPM needs to be notified so we can be assured that your accommodation is as good as what others get. The District needs to notify the UPM of requests for accommodations and of the fact that they’re opening discussions with union members. Children’s Center UPM has proposed changes to the Contract that would include some Children's Center employees in UPM. Those identified in the PERB unit modification, namely site supervisors, assistant site supervisors, teachers and assistant teachers, would become UPM members. Not included would be aides and culinary workers. UPM is proposing a separate salary schedule, fringe benefits, and modifications in evaluations of the new union members, as well as the creation of a Faculty Service Area to define conditions for layoff. UPM membership would bring decent wages and working conditions to people with no job security or benefits.

CFT Convention Nears

Articles Ponderings ADA, Children's Center CFT Convention North Bay Labor Council Health Corner

Time is growing short if you want to be a UPM delegate to the CFT Convention. Friday, March 12th, 11:30 A.M. is when registration begins; the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco is the place. If you want to join the fun, let UPM know. Right off the bat, from 12:30 to 2:45 on Friday afternoon, are CFT Community College Council Workshops. Among numerous agenda items are the following: Working Together: Our Future Future of Part-time Labor Building Your Future Through Politics Tenure in the Past, Tenure in the Future Legal Update The convention runs through Sunday afternoon, March 14th.

Health Corner

Articles Ponderings ADA, Children's Center CFT Convention North Bay Labor Council Health Corner

Eating lots of tomatoes––fresh, canned, stewed, or otherwise––can substantially reduce the risk of many kinds of cancer, according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Technically speaking, lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes, protects cells from oxidants that are linked to cancer. Though tomatoes probably don't protect against all kinds of cancer, dramatic results have been observed for cancers of the prostate, lung and stomach, in particular, as well as pancreatic, colorectal, esophageal, oral, breast and cervical cancers. Spaghetti anyone? Nuts! They're good for you. Sure they have some fat, but it's good fat. Yes, there is good fat and bad fat. Recent tests suggest that eating five ounces of nuts a week reduces the incidence of heart attacks by as much as a third. Five ounces a week is about the same as one of those little airline packages of nuts per day.

Committees

President Ira Lansing (x7531) Treasurer Theo Fung (x7389) Newspaper Editor Steve Jabloner x7548 Budget Monitor Jeff Kamler (x7654) Executive Secretary Edie Yachechak (x7754) Grievance Officer Bernadine Allen (x8229) Committees: Bay Faculty Association (Bay 10) Tom Menendez Collective Bargaining Team (CB) Paul Christensen (Chief Negotiator) Theo Fung x7389 Jeff Kamler x7654 Hank Fearnley x7602 Don Foss x7523

Health and Safety Warren Lager x7580 Carol Costa x7642 Marin Labor Council Arthur Lutz PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Carl Cox x7423 Alice Rocky x7586 Professional Standards (PSC) Paul Christensen x7635 Paul DeSilva x7542 Sabbatical Leave Ted Bright (chair) x7512 Barbara Cancilla x7327 Janet Macintosh x7359 Joan Risch x7332 Staff Development Hank Fearnley x7602 Norm Pacula x7497 Workload (UDWC) Jamie Deneris Don Foss (x7523) Web Master Mike Godsey x7499 Updated Feb. 7, 1999

Benefits of Membership

As a member of the UPM, you are a member of the American Federation of Teachers and are eligible for a host of members' benefits. Each month, we publish information about one of those benefits, so keep your eyes peeled during the semester. To take advantage of the discounts and group-rate benefits of the AFT, all you need to do is to become a member of the United Professors of Marin. As a member of the faculty, you are not necessarily a member of the union. It takes an application, the one below, for e'sample. Part-time faculty are equally invited to apply. AFT Plus Mortgage and Real Estate Buying or selling, you'll be sold on the AFT PLUS mortgage and real estate benefits. When you close your loan with Union Member Mortgage and Real Estate and use a program real estate agent to buy your home, you'll save $350 on your closing costs. If you also sell your current home through the program, you'll save one-half of one percent on the real estate commission that's an average savings of $500 on a $100,000 home. Because you re a union member, your parents and children can take advantage of the same outstanding advantages this program offers you, including helpful advice from e'sperienced mortgage counselors, competitive rates, low 5% down payments, and an easy phone-in application process. So to keep the costs of buying and selling a house down, for you and for members of your family, call this number: 1-800-981-3798 Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 9pm; Saturday 9am - 1pm (ET) Remember, to be eligible for this benefit and for the other benefits offered through the AFT, you must be a member of the United Professors of Marin. Take a moment and fill out the application below. Send it in to Edie, UPM E'secutive Secretary, via intercampus mail. Flower Discounts for Members of the United Professors of Marin As a member of the United Professors of Marin, you are a member of the American Federation of Teachers, a group that provides its members with interesting and most often quite valuable benefits. Some of those benefits cover significant professional matters, such as group insurance and access to attorneys for legal advice. Sometimes the benefits are a bit more personal. This month, we announce such a benefit: long-distance flower delivery at a discount. The AFT's Union Member Flower Service offers you a 15% discount with every order over $29.99. The service is available 24 hours each day, so when the urge strikes, you can order up a fresh flower arrangement any time of day or night. All you need to do is to call this number: 1-888-667-7779 It's a toll-free number, of course. Have your credit card number and the recipient's address handy, because you can place the order immediately.If you order flowers before noon (of the recipient's time zone), they will be delivered the same day! Just remarkable! Remember that if your order is valued at $29.99 or more, you get the 15% discount through the AFT's long-distance flower delivery benefit. So, as they say, operators are standing by, why wait? If you are a member of the union and now have a subscription to America Online, you can find all the AFT information in the e'sclusive "members only" area through AOL's keyword "AFT." And if you don't have that subscription to AOL, your membership in the United Professors of Marin can help you get it, with a free 50-hour trial period on AOL and discounts in computer hardware. AFT has set up special purchase programs with IBM and Apple so that members have access to special pricing on computers. So, with your membership in UPM, you can get good rates on everything you need to connect easily to the World Wide Web If you are not yet a member of the UPM, simply fill out the form that appears below and send it in to the UPM office via intercampus mail. See you online! Get the latest union news, Internet access and e-mail service from America Online. For a 50-hour free trial period and access to AFT's members-only area, call 1-800-936-7100 Here is the complete procedure for ordering discounted tickets and the like: To order by mail or by faxs, you must first secure an order form. You can get an order form from the UPM Office on the Kentfield campus, you can request a form by calling (818) 386-1046, or you can print out the form from the organizations Web page, found at this address: www.recreationconnection.com Once you have the form, you can mail it to: Recreation Connection P.O. Bo's 260854 Encino, CA 91426 Or you can fa's the form to: (818) 386-9702 The Recreation Connection offices are in southern California where they have established walk-up order counters, but so far, no such facility exsists in our area. For information, call (818) 386-1046. Gift Certificates Sees Candies $8.30/lb Movie Tickets Pacific $4.75 United Artists $4.75 Entertainment 98 Marin/Norh Bay $25.00 Monterey Bay The Aquarium $12.25 Pier 39 Value Pass for discounts at Underwater World, Blue & Gold Fleet, Pier 39 Garage San Diego Zoo Deluxe pkg. $16.75

Forms

Forms AFFIDAVIT FOR ENROLLMENT OF DOMESTIC PARTNERS FORM APPLICATION FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE FORM GUIDELINES FOR SABBATICAL APPLICATIONS "SLIDING SCALE" OF VALUES FOR EVALUATING SABBATICAL LEAVE PROPOSALS REQUEST FOR UNPAID LEAVE VOLUNTARY TRANSFER AGREEMENT INVOLUNTARY TRANSFER AGREEMENT Form ASSIGNED HOURS AND SUBSTITUTE ARRANGEMENTS FORM ASSIGNMENTS DISTRICT DIRECTED ASSIGNMENTS INSTRUCTIONAL PERFORMANCE OBSERVATION FORM HEALTH CENTER NURSE PERFORMANCE OBSERVATION FORM