Newsroom
Palomar staff forge alliance with faculty, see major gains, doubling of membership
The Palomar College Council of Classified Employees and campus administrators in San Marcos settled a contract and memorandum of understanding that moved the staff forward by three major steps. 1) The 385 unit members received a $2,000 lump sum salary increase and 0.72 percent, plus a 3 percent raise that faculty also received. 2) This first contract replaced a 25-year-old employee handbook. 3) The local won binding arbitration for grievances.
Berkeley cooking and gardening program seeks funding
Community support saved an innovative cooking and gardening program that faced closure last spring, but only leftovers remain after the Berkeley Unified School District cut two-thirds of the budget.
“Even the chickens in the garden were given away because no one was left to tend them,” said Daria Wrubel of the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees. Wrubel taught gardening to 450 students at Thousand Oaks Elementary before she and more than half the classified staff were cut.
Unions partner with community allies, old and new
Classified are well outin front of the AFL-CIO’s new resolve to ramp up its partnering with community allies. Members are linking arms in efforts that especially resonate during the holidays.
Every child deserves Shoes that Fit
The College Staff Guild in Los Angeles is working with Shoes That
Fit to help kids start their day on the right foot. The
non-profit is dedicated to providing new shoes to needy children
so they can attend school in comfort and with dignity.
Morgan Hill Federation to host Education Summit
Union takes stand against charter schools
Next week, the Santa Clara County Board of Education will hear testimony on whether to increase the number of charter schools in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, just south of San Jose, based on a proposal from two charter corporations. The district board has already turned down the idea, and the corporations appealed to the county board.
Rank & Files – November-December 2013
Mathilde Mukantabana, a member of the Los Rios College Federation of Teachers, Local 2279, recently left her teaching job at Sacramento’s Cosumnes River College to become ambassador of Rwanda to the United States. Mukantabana started teaching at the college during the genocide and lost both of her parents in the bloodshed. She served as spokesperson for the Friends of Rwanda and says in the almost 20 years since the devastating ethnic violence in 1994, her home country has rebuilt itself through reformed education, expanded healthcare and revitalized democracy.
Local Wire – November-December 2013
LOCAL 6161
North County comes of age…The Palomar Faculty Federation wants to
change politics in northern San Diego County and it isn’t waiting
around for someone else to do it.
“Public education is under attack and teachers and unions are
fighting for survival,” said Co-President Shannon Lienhart. “Our
best path forward is to find common ground, form coalitions, and
work together.”
CFT undertakes study of part-timer compensation
Comprehensive statewide analysis will compare pay rates, schedule advancements
In a show of support for part-time faculty, the CFT committed this year to completing the first phase of a substantial study of part-time faculty compensation that may prove invaluable to those seeking stronger contract language for part-time instructors.
Union supports paths to full-time status for adjuncts
Delegates to the annual CFT Convention passed two resolutions submitted by the CFT Part-Time Committee calling for the union to pursue legislation that would help part-time faculty secure full-time employment.
Prop. 30 brings bounty of classes for students, part-timers
The passage of Proposition 30 in November of 2012 has been a boon to part-time faculty at Citrus College in Glendora, beginning with the winter term and continuing uninterrupted into this fall.
Dedicated part-timers take on extra student responsibilities
The fight for fair accreditation
As City College of San Francisco struggles to remain accredited, part-timers have played pivotal roles in maintaining the quality of instruction and services on which so many students depend.
Freeway Flyers: Local action & quick news
Victor Valley part-timers spearhead needed change on campus
AFT Part-Time Faculty Federation has become active like never before. President Lynne Glickstein reports that with the support of the CFT, the union got educated and got smart.
Local scholarship program gives back to students and community
Established in honor of dynamic organizer Linda Cushing
The Linda Cushing Scholarship program launched by Part-Time Faculty United at College of the Canyons recently expanded to award four $500 scholarships per year to qualified students, according to Pete Virgadamo, history instructor and president of the Santa Clarita union.