Nov 2011
What Has the Union Done for You Lately?
1. Early Retirement Reduced Workload Program. continue...
2. Bridge Plan Enhancement for Full Time Faculty. continue...
3. Step Placement for New Full Time Faculty. continue...
May 2011
Seniority Rehire Preference
In some instances, adjunct faculty members of AFT 6157 who meet the requirements for Seniority Rehire Preference as set forth in Article 9 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, often times still find themselves in need of help from the union. Article 9, Section 9.18.1. states that “SRP status provides a qualified adjunct faculty member with seniority rehire preference rights over other less senior adjunct faculty within the division.”continue...
Feb 2011
Sick Leave Accrual for Faculty
The Education Code is very clear, all faculty who are employed by a Community College District shall accrue sick leave for their load teaching or load for non instructional work (Librarians, Counselors and Health Services). But in our District, someone decided that those who taught Work Experience and Directed Studies were not entitled to sick leave. This did not just pertain to adjunct, but also to full time faculty whose directed study/work experience was part of their overload assignment. continue...
Dec 2010
Unsung Heros of Our Union Representative
It was a brutal time; it was a traumatic time; it was a long year. It was a College Administration vs. Union. It was right vs. wrong.
Since I have been struggling with various illnesses my physicians ordered me to reduce my working load as a full-time faculty and, for my safety and the safety of others, not to drive or fly. continue...
Oct 2010
Obama Health Plan Benefits Faculty
Medical benefits—while essential—tend to be prohibitively expensive. We know this as adults and faculty members. Over the past 18 months President Obama took on the courageous task of moving our society forward with improving and ensuring coverage of health benefits for many additional uninsured people in our society.continue...
Sep 2010
Coming to My Aid
I want to pass on my regards and heartfelt thanks to the Union, namely Deborah de la Rosa and Barbara Hanfling, who supported me for the last couple of months in a tense situation involving my supervisor.. continue...
April 2010
Upgrading our Seniority Rehire Preference (SRP)
Faculty often believe what they are told by their administrators. But sometimes that information can be incorrect. An adjunct faculty member was told by her dean and by Academic Support Payroll, that once adjunct faculty acquired Seniority Rehire Preference (SRP) at 33%, that she could not increase that amount to 40%. continue...
March 2010
Thanks for all You Do
During the Fall 2009 semester the Payroll Department informed me that I would not be receiving a pay increase this year. To the contrary, due to an error made by Human Resources in 2006, I would be expected to give money to the San Jose / Evergreen Valley Community College District. As a new homeowner, the timing of this proposed “pay cut” was extremely unfortunate. continue...
Feb 2010
1. Sick Leave for Non Instructional Adjunct and Non Instructional Overload
2. Incorrect Salary Placement- Victory for our Faculty
1. Sick Leave for Non Instructional Adjunct and Non Instructional Overload:
About two years ago, the Union was contacted by Bev Stewart, Counselor Coordinator at EVC regarding questions and concerns about her overload sick leave accrual. It turns out that the Academic Support offices were not accruing sick leave to full time non instructional faculty for overload or adjunct non instructional faculty. Here is what the contract states:continue...
Nov 2009
Saving Sabbaticals
Who would think that our Sabbaticals would need saving. They are part of our collective bargaining agreement; the PRC (Professional Recognition Committee made up of: faculty: Chair: Michael Divinia, Joseph King, Sterling Warner, Joy Chase, Martha Hardin and Pat Nguyen, (and administrators Pat Gerster, Jonathon King and Maricela Disch) determine by the contract which sabbaticals are granted based on their merit only. continue...
Oct 2009
Full Time Temporary Faculty Education Code Rights Enforced
Over the past 8 years, the Union has strongly advocated for filling essential vacant positions on a temporary basis with what is called: “Full Time Temporary Faculty”. We also have encouraged the Colleges to create categorically funded positions when there is grant money that is ongoing for a number of years, such as the HSI (Hispanic Serving Institutions) Project and METAS program which will .continue...
Sep 2009
Winning My Seniority Rehire Rights (SRP)
I want to thank the Union for helping me secure SRP for fall 2009. After having completed my third consecutive semester of 5.5 units in the spring of 2009, I assumed that I would be in the rotation for fall 2009. To my surprise, I was not. Since I could not get an answer from my Division as to why I was not being offered a class in the fall, I emailed Barbara Hanfling, Executive Director of San Jose/Evergreen Faculty Association, AFT 6157. She went right to work on this matter continue...
May 2009
Settled Early-Informal Grievance/Complaint Language Arts Department
Once again, your FA, AFT 6157 assisted faculty in the form of an informal grievance to insure that faculty rights were protected. On January 13, 2009, Interim Dean of Language Arts Linda Girard at EVC sent an email to the faculty informing them of a change in the process used to continue...
April 2009
We're In the Money - $8500 Chancellor's Staff Development Money
How we teach, what we
convey to our students, how we learn, how we remain current on new methods,
aware of on new materials are critical components of being a faculty member in
California’s Community Colleges. And how do we develop those skills? Through Staff Development.
March 2009
Don't Be Afraid to Contact the Union; It's On Your Side!
While working at Evergreen Valley College I injured my knee and eventually required knee surgery for my worker’s compensation injury. The surgery took place in August, 2008, and I was off work for a five week period. continue...
February 2009
Appropriate Placement of Dental Adjunct Faculty Member
San Jose City College Dental Assisting has expanded its programs
to include the hire of practicing dentist Dr. Hema Jhamb, licensed since 1992. She has worked for Western
Dental and opened her private practice in the Evergreen area.
December 2008
Health Center Professionals Recieve Retroactive Sick Leave
As many of you may remember, last year the Union was able to place all health center nurses/professionals into the FA, AFT 6157 bargaining unit as adjunct non instructional faculty. These nurses/health professionals had been paid as professional experts at a low salary rate for over 15 years which violated the Education Code. continue...
April 2008
Health Center Professionals Join the Faculty...
Ensuring due process, fair and consistent
representation, the
March 2008
Salary Error Corrected...
Union Takes On Inappropriate Treatment...
Adjunct Faculty Members—Medical Benefits for Self and Dependents...
1. My name is Claudia Schalesky, an adjunct faculty at Evergreen
since the fall of 2006. I teach Spanish at the college and it has been a great
experience for me. The students and my fellow colleagues have made me feel
welcome at EVC.
February 2008
Bargaining Union Integrity...
Victory for Adjunct Faculty...
Payment for 40% Overload...
1. Bargaining Unit Integrity: Article 5.12 states that no supervisors, deans or administrators are to teach in our bargaining unit (unless it is part of the job description). The reason this language is a part of the contract is to ensure that bargaining unit work remains with our faculty continue...
October 2007
Tremendous Victory: 4 New Faculty to be Hired District Wide
Over the past 2 years the Union has been meeting with Chancellor Rosa Perez, EVC President David Coon and SJCC Presidents over the decreasing number of full time faculty in the District. We have taken a firm stand that this is not the direction that this District wants to be taking.
continue...
September 2007
Summer School Pay Grievance Victory
Sabbatical Language-Right to Teach During Sabbaticals
May 2007
The FA Defending Adjunct Faculty: A Job is Saved at EVC
Last year an EVC adjunct faculty member with SRP (Seniority Rehire Preference) was abruptly, and without notice dropped from the fall schedule. This faculty member had a documented history of many excellent evaluations and just assumed that there were no available classes in their subject areas for adjunct faculty. continue...
April 2007
FA, AFT 6157 RECOMMENDS to CHANCELLOR PEREZ ADDITIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT MONEY: $75,000-Chancellor’s Fund for Faculty Professional Development
Last October, the Faculty Association, AFT 6157 recommended to the Chancellor that the $75,000 set aside for the special election for the Board of Trustees be allocated to a faculty staff development fund. Once it was clear that there would be no contested election, the one time money which had been allocated could now be allocated elsewhere or placed back into the general fund. What better place to spend the money than well needed staff development for faculty. The funds from the state had dried up 6 years ago. continue...
March 2007
1. Summer School Informal Grievance: Settlement in the Works
2. Retroactive Pay for Contract Settlement
3. San Jose City College-Violated Collective Bargaining Agreement and Trust- Layoff Averted
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