The
Union Press
Newsletter for the Faculty of the Marin Community College District American Federation of Teachers, Local 1610
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C O N T N T S |
Oct. Headlines |
None of the incumbents (Brockbank, Dolan, and Treanor) earned endorsement from the members of the Executive Council.
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Board of Trustee Endorsement The UPM Executive Council, having met with all the candidates for the three available seats on the Board of Trustees, has endorsed Patty Garcia and recommends a vote for her in the upcoming election. None of the incumbents (Brockbank, Dolan, and Treanor) earned endorsement from the members of the Executive Council. At their meetings with the Exec, the incumbents expressed reservations about supporting certain elements of the collective bargaining agreement and/or communicated incorrect information about aspects of the District. In the election, the top three vote-getters will be elected. Thus, the UPM recommends casting only one vote instead of 3, and that one for Patty Garcia |
After years of debate over an issue evolving from what has become known as the "Monroe Grievance," we now have Contract language that defines lecture courses and different kinds of laboratory courses
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UPM Members Approve Contract Language Just in time to start negotiations for a new 3-year contract, the UPM Bargaining Team, led by Chief Negotiator Paul Christensen, brought a tentative agreement on "re-openers" for the current Contract to union members for their consideration. During a members' meeting on October 21, the agreement was ratified. Despite the fact that the new language represents accord only on the "extra" issues of re-openers, substantial changes in the Contract have been made, and several key matters of contention have been resolved between the UPM and the District. Most significant among the topics and the changes are salary, part-timers' office hours, and unit compensation for various lecture and lab courses. A summary of the agreement is provided on pages 4 and 5 of this edition of the Press. With this, the finishing touches on our current three-year contract have been applied. As extensive as the effort has been and as lengthy as the process was, all of it simply wraps up our current Contract. Now we turn to the truly Herculean task of forging a brand new three-year contract. Everybody on the faculty has benefited from the work of many key UPM officers, including UPM President Ira Lansing, Chief Negotiator Paul Christensen, the members of the Bargaining Team, all the members of the UPM Executive Council, and other faculty who provided expertise and time to this endeavor. They all deserve hearty thanks and - in lieu of a rest - wishes for success in the next round of bargaining. Summary of the Settlement The following sections present summary descriptions of the major issues that have been resolved now that UPM members have ratified the agreement and the Board of Trustees has approved it. If you are interested in seeing the full Contract language for any or all of these sections, you will find that language available to you in the Union office. SALARY As a result of a long series of bargaining sessions between the UPM and the District on the issue of salary, several important adjustments will be instituted. First, the regular credit salary schedule will be expanded to include four new steps for each column. At present, the schedule tops out in each column at step 16, but that limit has been raised four steps to step 20. The salary increase represented by each of these new steps is 2.52%. The highest end of the schedule (Column 5 - for the Ph.D., step 20) now comes in at $71,401. Each new step is achieved each year of full-time credit work. The concept of salary adjustments based on the average of the top three Bay 10 schools has not been abandoned. However, the method of computing the average has been somewhat simplified by making the newly-created Step 20 for Column 5 the basis of future computations. Further, part-time credit instructors are no longer frozen at step 10. Part-timers may now advance to step 14. Part-time faculty may advance to new steps by accumulating 30 part-time units per step. Current instructional units continue to accrue for part-timers. In addition, the non-credit salary schedule, substitute salary schedule, and stipend rate all increase 2.52% as a result of these recent negotiations. Benefits The new Contract language will affect medical benefits in two important ways. First, the Kaiser health care coverage has been modified to include durable medical equipment such as oxygen and wheel chairs. Second, the District's share of medical plan premiums will be capped at the cost of Kaiser family coverage, approximately $415 per month. Part-time Faculty Office Hours After protracted wrangling, the UPM and District have settled on a course of action for providing part-time instructors with compensated office hours. Here's the plan: Temporary credit instructors teaching at least 3 units will be paid for one office hour per week for 15 weeks each semester. The weekly office hour will be paid at the stipend rate, approximately $45 per hour. Intersession is excluded from the plan. Part-time instructors must announce the office hour to students in writing, and instructor's dean must also be notified of the scheduled hour. The District will not guarantee office space nor telephone. State legislation will come into play in regard to part-timers' office hours. Assembly Bill 301 has been signed by the Governor, providing $2 million in funding for compensating districts for office hour plans. The funding will pay for one-half of a district's office hour expense unless the entire bill exceeds the available funding. If the need exceeds the funding, the $2 million will be divided among all participating districts. The money from the State will come at the end of an academic year as a reimbursement to districts for office hours paid. Evaluations In the settlement recently approved by the members of the UPM and the Board, we will see some new language regarding evaluation criteria for credit instructors and non-credit instructors. Evaluation criteria for credit instructors have been added. Such instructors will now be evaluated on four additional criteria: interaction with students, currency in the field, in-class use of instructional support materials, and currency of standards for instruction and assignments. The criterion regarding interaction with students will be based on the standards of the American Association of University Professors, but a review of those standards must first take place. Non-credit temporary instructors will be evaluated once each year, preferably in the fall semester, by student evaluation only. The review conducted by management has been removed from the evaluation procedure for non-credit temporary faculty. Lecture and Lab Unit Loads After years of debate over an issue evolving from what has become known as the "Monroe Grievance," we now have Contract language that defines lecture courses and different kinds of laboratory courses, each with newly-determined unit loads attached. The agreement between the UPM and the District, however, calls for a complete review of all new and existing courses so that they may be categorized according to the new definitions, and that review will take place over the next three years. Clearly, some existing courses, especially different kinds of lab-based courses, will change in unit load with some increasing load and others decreasing. None of the changes will take effect, however, until the year 2000. The Union/District Workload Committee (UDWC) is charged with the responsibility of reviewing the courses during the three-year period. If a majority of that committee cannot agree on particular courses, the President/Superintendent will render a decision which is grievable under the Contract. At any time, an instructor or instructors in a discipline may change course descriptions, submit the changes to the curriculum review process, and possibly qualify for a change in load category. Under the new definitions, teaching unit compensation will range from 100% to 66 2/3%, over four categories: Category A: LECTURE (compensated at 100%) The presentation of course content in a classroom under supervision of the instructor of record. The course content, in accordance with the official course outline, may be complemented by discussion, presentations, role playing, small group activities and field trips. Lecture may stand alone without any attached lab experience. Category B: LABORATORY (compensated at 75%) The presentation of course content in a laboratory setting under direct supervision of the instructor of record. Students are expected to prepare for upcoming lab sessions. Students are performing experiments and practical projects and recording results in lab reports. Laboratory exists as an integral part of the course for proof of learning. May be taken concurrently or after the lecture component of the class. Category C: PRACTICUM (compensated at 70%) The presentation of course content in a practicum or clinical setting under direct supervision of the instructor of record. Students may be directed to the use of media, computer technology or patient experience. The student proceeds at the direction of the instructor or preceptor for advancement to a higher level within the course content. Practicum is where the student needs a high amount of practice with instructor supervision to reach the level of skill required for the discipline. Learning is enhanced by practice and the level of skill acquired is the proof of learning. Category D: ACTIVITY (compensated at 66 2/3%) The presentation of course content in an activity setting under direct supervision of the instructor of record. The student participates, under continuous direction, monitoring and correction by the instructor, in course activities to enhance psychomotor skills. Activity is where the student participates with the instructor acting as leader and/or facilitator of the activity. Class Maximums and Independent Study Under the new agreement, an instructor may use the enrollment of an independent study class (249) to qualify for a class-maximum stipend bonus in another class. For example, an instructor teaching a class containing 43 students, needing two more students to earn the class-maximum bonus, and teaching a directed study class containing 4 students may add the two figures together (47) and thereby qualify for the bonus of $33 per student per unit for the number of students over the class maximum. High School Skills Classes and Recruitment The Contract now includes provision for basic-skills classes to be taught in local high schools. The instructors for such classes will be drawn from existing high school teachers and counselors, and the students enrolled in such classes will be those already at the high school. For their time conducting the classes and other recruitment efforts, the high school teachers will be members of our unit, identified as emergency hires. As emergency hires, they will not gain priority rights as part-timers. The teaching and recruitment positions will not be available to our existing staff except in bumping situations. Program Coordination Release Time Under the current contract, certain disciplines have guaranteed release time for program coordination. Three more disciplines at one unit each have been added to the list in Article 1.3: Multimedia, Film, and Science Center Computer Coordinator. |
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Let me be very up front and clear about one thing-I have never given birth to a baby. I have participated in a variety of roles in a couple of births, but never have had the task of actually birthing a child. With that qualifier, let me say that delivering a final collective bargaining contract is a lot like giving birth to a baby. There is an initial excitement over the new issues that will arise. This nascent novelty quickly wears off and a sense of tedium sets in. The process seems to drag on forever and sometimes you just want to scream and be done with the whole thing. At some point however, an end is perceived. It may not be clear exactly when the final moment will arrive, but there is a sense of almost being there. These concluding weeks or days involve a flurry of last minute preparations and arrangements, trying to make sure that everything is as near to perfect as possible. Then when the moment does arrive it seems to be over in almost seconds, and you have to live with the results for the rest of your life (or at least the life of the contract). Such was the case with this last session of bargaining in the third year of reopeners. The process started last spring (although some components began almost three years ago) and dragged on through the semester and into the summer. Finally an agreement appeared to have been reached and all that remained was final approval by the parties. At this point things start happening very rapidly. Documents go to the Board of Trustees, the UPM Executive Council and the union membership. Approval by the trustees took all of 13 seconds (although I am sure there was extensive closed session discussion). UPM membership spent about a week and a half in review at a series of special membership meetings. At the October general membership meeting, after some discussion, ratification was accomplished. So there you have it-the conception and birth of third year contract reopeners. The details of what were accomplished may be found elsewhere in this newsletter. There is a breathing period now, one of adjusting to the new language. But as may be the case with children, there is a sibling looming on the horizon. This contract expires June 30, 1998. The process begins again this coming semester-and it could be twins! |
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UPM Treasurer Theo Fung announced that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has increased dues by a small amount and that the UPM Executive Council voted to pass this increase to members of the faculty unit. Full-time members of the faculty unit will be paying 40¢ more per month, and this increase will be pro-rated for part-time unit members. The additional union charge will appear in the October paycheck. Dues increases like this one occur rather rarely, but his one - albeit small - comes hard on the heels of CFT's increase that we announced in August. Some of these increases must be passed directly to faculty members while other increases, like this one from the AFT, may be absorbed by the local or passed to faculty. These instances, along with last month's one-time assessment for support of the UPS strikers, make increases only seem frequent. If you have questions or concerns, please call Theo Fung (x7389) or Ira Lansing (7531) instead of the Union Office.
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Membership in the United Professors of Marin, while requiring no additional cost to members of the faculty, yields three significant benefits: power at the local level, group coverages at the state and national level, and access to fun at any level. Although the focus of "Members' Benefits" this month is on the fun-at-any-level topic, we must mention, if only briefly, the other two categories. As a member of the UPM, you may exercise your power to help determine your salary and working conditions; you can work on a key committee; you can represent a group of colleagues; you can suggest and pursue changes in the Contract; you can make you voice heard; you can vote on everything. As a member of the UPM, you are automatically covered through state and national organizations by professional legal insurance; you are eligible for group discounts for medical and dental policies, car rentals, life insurance, disability insurance, and magazine subscriptions (to name a few); your local is helped by stipend support, legal defense funds, and sheer weight. Now for the fun. As a member of the UPM, you have access to a vast array of discounts for travel, passes and tickets. For example (and this really is only an example!), the CFT has recently contracted with "Recreation Connection," an organization that provides discounts to unions, thereby expanding the range of opportunities to union members for fun activities at a discount. When your relatives from the Midwest come for a visit, you can take advantage of a number of activities that otherwise would cost a bunch. The "Recreation Connection" and your membership in the UPM will make you eligible for the following: Movie Tickets GATE MEMBERS Pacific Theatres $7.50 4.75 United Artists $7.50 4.75 Harvest Festival San Francisco, Nov. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 GATE MEMBERS $6.50-7.50 $5.00 Great America GATE MEMBERS 29.99 19.00 Marine World, Africa USA GATE MEMBERS 26.95 17.75 SF Pier 39 Value Pass good for Underwater World, Blue and Gold Fleet, and Pier 39 Garage See's Candies Gift Certificates GATE MEMBERS 10.70 8.30 Become a member of the UPM and then check out the "Recreation Connection" Web site : www.recreationconnection.com. |
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One of the several Contract-mandated, shared-governance committees in our District is the Union/District Health and Safety Committee. Although working somewhat behind the scenes, it is one of the more active and important committees in our system. This semester the UPM members on the Health and Safety Committee are Don Foss, representing the full-time membership and Warren Lager, representing the part-time membership. The Health and Safety Committee meets monthly on the third Wednesday of each month, but in emergencies the HS Committee is able to meet within 24 hours of notification. The Union/District Health and Safety Committee is charged by the Contract to meet regularly, to consider any issue that is important to the safety of students and employees in the District, and to respond to those problems that pose danger. The Committee is funded by the coalition of self-insured Community Colleges in California. A percentage of the College's contribution to the self-insurance fund is returned to the College's Health and Safety Committee. The amount of annual return is based on the safety performance of the District. The funds are expended by the Committee on projects and equipment required to correct recognized health or safety problems on campuses. As of October 22, 1997, the Committee has approved the following projects for 1997: 1. The Committee has authorized expenditures for the cost of training two Health and Safety Committee members in a program offered by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). This program covers triage first aid and disaster response. The trained Health and Safety Committee members will then act as trainers of faculty and staff who volunteer for training. The committee hopes to train at least five faculty members in each building and to equip them with emergency medical supplies. In a disaster, these individuals will be our first-response personnel. 2. The Health and Safety Committee has approved in concept the acquisition of some form of emergency electrical generators. These generators will provide electricity to keep our phone system up and running during power outages that last longer than 3 hours and to provide electrical power during a disaster. 3. The head of the Health and Safety Committee, Ted Wight, has proposed a policy determining the conditions that would merit a campus closure. At present, the District has no clear policy regarding what constitutes conditions that would lead to a closure of the campus, nor does the District have a procedure for executing that closure. During earthquakes, power outages, and floods of the past, faculty have been left to decide for themselves whether to cancel their class or classes. It is hoped that a policy will emerge that will clarify for everyone the process for canceling a class due to environmental conditions. 4. The Committee has been working on guidelines for prioritizing work orders. Certainly, work orders that define actions required for the elimination of a health or safety problem must have the highest priority. The challenge to the Committee stems from the difficulty in defining a true health or safety issue. 5. Members of the District Health and Safety Committee have defined key areas on the IVC campus that will have emergency phones located. These phones will be connected directly to 911 operators. 6. A survey of lighting conditions on both campuses continues. The Committee's survey will be used to identify areas where increased lighting is necessary. 7. With the ratification of our new CB agreement behind us, the new smoking policy proposed by the Health and Safety Committee will begin to move through the governance system again. This policy is more restrictive than the current smoking policy of the District. 8. A policy on skate boards, in-line skates, and roller skates was proposed by the Committee. This proposal banned the use of skate boards, etc. on campus grounds except for the pathways that offer egress through the campus. The Police Officers' Union challenged the policy because it represents a work load issue. The District is currently discussing the matter with the Police Officers' union. 9. MCCD now belongs to a coalition of local colleges that collectively purchase equipment that is vital and necessary in a response to the next big disaster. Other schools within this organization are SRJC, Sonoma State, Mendocino College, etc. The members of the Union/District Health and Safety Committee will be happy to hear from you if you have issues to discuss, problems to report, or questions to ask. To contact the Committee, call Don Foss at extension 7523. |
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As a Union member, you can finally take advantage of some of the personal benefits membership in the UPM affords. Maybe you can now turn to that purchase of a personal computer you've been planning, or perhaps you'd like to explore the Web for class materials. The American Federation of Teachers' AFT PLUS program can help in those endeavors. If you are a member of the United Professors of Marin, you are ipso facto a member of the AFT and thereby eligible to take advantage of the PLUS program. Still not at member? Just fill out the form below and send it to the UPM office. Union Members are eligible for a 20% discount and a two-week free trial with Infonautics Corporation offering access to nearly 800 magazines and journals, more than 150 newspapers, two international newswires, two thousand classic books, thousands of photographs, hundreds of maps, poetry, and art. The service features a database containing material from Archive Photos, Reuters, Simon and Schuster, World Almanac, Times Mirror, and Compton's New Media. Download it all with bibliographic information automatically transferred. For info, go to |
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All members of the faculty full-time, part-time, credit and non-credit are eligible to become members of the United Professors of Marin. Membership in the union requires no additional fees or costs beyond the representation fees that faculty already pay each month. But membership brings benefits not available to folks who do not activate their membership by submitting the application. By submitting the application for membership in the UPM, you may immediately participate fully in the operation of the faculty union at CoM. In addition, you become a member of the CFT and AFT and are thereby eligible for all the discounts, group insurance programs, and coverages provided through programs like the AFT Plus Program. Among the many benefits available to members of the UPM are various car rental discounts through Budget, Alamo, and National. Here are some of the details: As an AFT member, National Car Rental offers you a free weekend day and weekend upgrades. Just identify yourself as a member and you'll receive special rates or discounts on daily, weekend and weekly rentals throughout the year at participating locations. For reservations, call your travel consultant or 1-800-CAR-RENT. Refer to AFT ID# 5130182. Valid until 12/97. Alamo's membership program offers discounted rates in the USA and Europe, no charge for additional drivers, and unlimited free mileage. For reservations, call your professional travel agent or call Alamo at 1-800-354-2322. Be sure to request AFT I.D. #93643 and Rate Code BY, A1 for weekend specials. Valid until 12/97 Every time you rent with Budget, you enjoy savings. AFT members are eligible for a 15% discount on standard daily rates and 10% discount on standard weekly and weekend rates. Budget is available at more than 3,200 locations worldwide. You also get free express services and membership discounts. For information or reservations, call Budget at 1-800-455-2848. UPM members refer to AFT Account ID Number T544500. Valid until 12/97. Title Regular Price AFT Price Business Week 46.95 37.95 Esquire 15.94 9.95 Forbes 57.00 38.00 Fortune 57.00 28.50 George 15.94 9.97 Gourmet 20.00 15.00 Life 35.00 17.50 MacUser 27.00 14.97 Money 35.95 19.00 New Yorker 39.95 19.98 Rolling Stone 25.95 17.95 Sports Illustrated 78.97 39.75 Time 59.94 29.97 Village Voice 53.00 39.95 Wine Enthusiast 23.95 11.99 |
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Academic Calendar and Flex 1997-98(Revised) Before you pin up the calendar that was published in last month's edition of the Press, take note that it has been revised (and corrected, too!). The major change to note is that the first day of fall classes will be one day earlier than originally planned, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be an intersession day with no classes scheduled. Academic Calendar and Flex 1997-98 The District and the Union agree to the following Academic/Flex Calendar for 1997/98: Summer Session, 1997 Session I June 16 - July 25 (Only classes which are scheduled for Fridays will meet on July 25) Session II July 7 - August 1 (Only classes which are scheduled for Fridays will meet on August 1) Fall Semester, 1997 August 12, 13, 14 (Tu, W, Th) Non-Mandatory Flex-time August 15 and 18 (F, M) Mandatory Flex-time August 19 (Tuesday) Classes Begin August 29 (Friday) Census Date September 12 (Friday) First Drop Date September 19 (Friday) Last Day to Request CR/NC October 10 (Friday) Midterms Due November 14 (Friday) Last Drop Date November 26 (Wednesday) Intersession Day - No Classes December 13 (Saturday) Last Day of Classes Before Finals December 15 (Monday) First Day of Finals December 20 (Saturday) Finals End January 5 (Monday) Final Grades Due in Admin & Records Spring Semester, 1998 January 13, 14, 15 (T, W, Th) Non-Mandatory Flex-time January 16 (Friday) Mandatory Flex-time January 20 (Tuesday) Classes Begin January 30 (Friday) Census Date February 17 (Tuesday) First Drop Date February 20 (Friday) Last Day to Request CR/NC March 13 (Friday) Midterms Due April 24 (Friday) Last Drop Date May 15 (Friday) Last Day of Classes Before Finals May 16 (Saturday) First Day of Finals May 22 (Friday) Finals End May 22 (Friday) Commencement May 27 (Tuesday) Final Grades Due in Admin & Records School Holidays Summer 1997 Fall 1997 Spring 1998 *August 30 (Sat) January 19 (Mon) July 4 (Fri) September 1 (Mon) February 13 (Fri) *November 8 (Sat) *February 14 (Sat) November 10 (Mon) February 16 (Mon) November 27 (Thurs) *April 11-17 (S - F) November 28 (Fri) May 25 (Mon) *November 29 (Sat) * This is for the Academic Calendar only; holidays for classes taught on Saturdays only. |
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