Contract Negotiations Update

Dear Colleagues,

Your union's negotiations team will continue to send updates to all faculty as we work through the negotiations process.  Below is Steve Hall's report from yesterday.


Negotiations Update – Meeting #2
March 6, 2019
 
After brief housekeeping items, we presented our proposal for Article 14 (Transfers). The intent is to provide a way for full-time faculty members to initiate a voluntary transfer to another college in the same discipline and classification on a temporary basis. The proposed language recognizes the information and pedagogy sharing benefit to the district and individual colleges through allowing faculty members to temporarily serve among colleagues at other colleges. The District verbally and later in writing indicated that they were in general agreement with the intent of our proposed language, however, expressed concern over the proposed procedure for implementation which requires faculty consultation and approval.

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Upon completion of the discussion, the District tendered their proposed language for changes to Article 8 (Leaves). Specifically, the District proposed language regarding the Sabbatical process. As explained to our team, the intent of the District’s proposal is to streamline the application and review process for Sabbaticals by disbanding the current District Sabbatical Leave Committee and substituting the College President as the approving authority. Additionally, the District has added language to bar future participation in the Sabbatical process to faculty members who fail to submit required post-sabbatical paperwork.

After several clarifying questions, we expressed concerns over the choice of language and method of implementing the new process as proposed by the District. At the end of discussions, we informed the District that we would review their proposal and respond and/or counter at a future time.

Subsequently, the District re-introduced some proposed changes to Appendix A governing contract negotiations procedures. Revisiting items discussed at length on March 1, 2019, the District offered substantive changes for future negotiating procedures to become effective under the successor agreement (the proposed language would not govern the current bargaining engagement). After brief discussion, we advised that the team would respond/counter at a future time.

Upon return from lunch recess, we presented our proposed language for changes to Article 23 (Distance Education). The intent is to ensure that faculty are fairly compensated for hours spent in the VCCCD mandated distance education training. The proposed language requires the district to pay all faculty, hour-for-hour, for district-mandated training in order to qualify to teach distance education courses. Under the current CBA, faculty cannot teach distance education classes unless they have completed the online distance education course, however, the District is not required to compensate faculty unless the training exceeds 10 hours. 

The District recessed for a brief caucus and stated that they currently have no shortage of Distance Education qualified instructors, and therefore have no reason to compensate employees for training to encourage participation in distance education classes. Their counterproposal was the current language under the contract as written.

The meeting was concluded shortly thereafter with no further proposals, counters or discussions.

In Unity,
AFT Local 1828 Negotiations Team

AFT Local 1828 Team Members Present:  Steve Hall, Angela Wilkins (MC), Marnie Melendez (MC), Richard Williams (OC), Keith Johnson (VC/OC), Mary-Pay Huxley (VC), Leo Orange (OC), Michael Sheetz (Executive Director).

Management Team Members Present:    Draza “Merv” Mrvichin  – District’s Chief Negotiator, Michael Shanahan, Vice-Chancellor of HR, Damien Pena (VC), Howard Davis (MC), Leah Alarcon (OC), Mike Bush (OC)