UC - AFT NEWS

• UC-AFT Officer Candidate statements
• UCB Extension English Language Program to close
• Lecturers Bargaining archives
• UC Administrators' Compensation Packages
• Spring, 2004 UC-AFT Perspective (1 MB pdf)
• Roddy and Klar meet with Dynes

On December 9, 2004, UC-AFT President Kevin Roddy and UC Berkeley Local 1474 President Kathryn Klar met with new UC President Robert Dynes. Here are brief reports from each with their impressions of the new UC President.

Kathryn Klar's impressions

Dear Berkeley Non-Senate faculty colleagues,

On Tuesday evening, Dec. 9, UC-AFT systemwide President Kevin Roddy and I had the opportunity to meet and converse briefly with UC's new President, Robert Dynes, at a reception at the home of California State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. Since taking up his new position in October, President Dynes has said publicly on several occasions that the number one priority for maintaining UC's educational quality is undergraduate instruction. Tuesday evening I reminded him of this, and made a point of stressing to him that non-Senate faculty members are responsible for a significant portion of that instruction, a statement with which he agreed. I told him that we are a highly skilled and dedicated group of educational professionals who deliver a quality product; and I further expressed the opinion that it was insulting for the administration to continue to treat us as expendable, temporary employees. I felt that he listened carefully and respectfully, and he said to me that he understood and had taken note of what I was saying.

I plan to continue to work for the professional recognition that non-Senate faculty members deserve, and for the tangible markers of that recognition. The administration can never again say that they don't understand our situation or haven't heard our request for fair and equitable treatment. On Tuesday, on behalf of each of you, I told President Dynes himself.

As always, I look forward to meeting and talking with as many of you as possible. Please feel free to drop me an e-mail note.

In solidarity, Kathryn A. Klar
Lecturer in Celtic Studies
President, UC-AFT Local 1474

Kevin Roddy's impressions

My report, sadly, cannot be so optimistic. I asked President Dynes about the Governor's plan to abolish the Institute of Labor and Employment at Berkeley. He said that various "chancellors and provosts" had reported that the Institute had become an "advocacy" organization for labor, and that this deviated from the original purpose of the Institute. Later on, Peter Olney told me that neither chancellor at Berkeley or Los Angeles had expressed any dissatisfaction with the Institute, so it may be more a matter of placating the Governor's office than acceding to the desires of unnamed various "chancellors and provosts." But I replied that Davis' School of Public Policy, an excellent concept with Sacramento so close at hand, had been morphed into a Graduate School of Management. He agreed.

The other issue that I raised was the cutback in UC Outreach, which he felt was wrong; but when I asked if he would be testifying at the Senate Hearing on those proposed cutbacks, he said he would be busy interviewing an administrator. I said that the Union would be there, and indeed it was; but, though it's difficult to imagine to what purpose since the meeting was merely "informational," I think that it would have been the right place for the new President to be.

Nonetheless, I did mention, as Kathryn had, that we would like our relationship to be cooperative, not combative; he seems to have been fully prepared for the latter, so perhaps we did make a good impression--and, more importantly, some progress--after all.

Cheers,
Kevin