AFT Local 1828 seeks your support in all things faculty. Our goal remains to advocate, defend and represent your faculty rights. It is important to let us know your concerns and opinions about important issues.
There are two trustee seats up for election this coming November. It is critical we identify individuals who will advocate for faculty. Usually, it is extremely difficult to find "good" AFT candidates. When we do, it is a godsend.
We almost won the last trustee election held in 2022. There were three candidates running for the seat. It was a close race. Sadly, this last election was sabotaged, not by the opposing candidate, but by one of our very own AFT executive council members. This elected officer secretly campaigned for another candidate who came in last. Our AFT candidate lost by 200 or so votes. Not only did we lose this critical voice on the Board of Trustees, we lost numerous campaign hours and thousands of AFT campaign dollars.
Ventura County may appear big and the process of elections may feel overwhelming, but AFT has developed many labor and community relationships over the years. We are not alone and we have many friends. In an effort to confront the sabotaging AFT officer, we sought statements from individuals who had been asked to support the non-AFT endorsed candidate. The issue was placed on the C.O.P.E. agenda for the following EC meeting. The accused AFT Board member acted offended, played the victim, and resigned a couple of weeks later. This individual remains employed with the district today.
During the election, this executive council member failed to bring questions or concerns to the EC, remaining silent about their actions. Again, we lost countless man hours and thousands of dollars. Our members should not go through this ever again. We need two strong trustee candidates for the coming election who will support faculty and AFT.
So if you have concerns, opinions, questions, please let us know. We are listening. You may reach out to me, the C.O.P.E. Chair, or any executive council member. We are here to serve you.
Respectfully,
Paula Munoz
C.O.P.E. Chair
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