WHAT'S NEW: 2020 DFT ELECTION EDITION NEWSLETTER
Please click the link, Detroit Teacher -- 2020 Election Edition, to view our special edition newsletter featuring candidates for the Election of Officers, Executive Board and Trustees.
Please click the link, Detroit Teacher -- 2020 Election Edition, to view our special edition newsletter featuring candidates for the Election of Officers, Executive Board and Trustees.
Current LTU 1019 members hold a vast amount of experience and expertise that would be valuable for other LTU members. We acknowledge that many LTU members currently provide professional development to other members through existing mechanisms at their schools, as well as through other professional development providers. Nevertheless, based in part on a survey administered in the fall of 2020 by the LTU Professional Development Committee, we feel there is substantial demand for additional, high-quality professional development for LTU members to enhance their practice.
It is that time of year again...A&R HOLIDAY PARTY TIME!!!
We will once again be holding our annual Holiday Party at the Aquaturf on December 4, 2020
Many things will be the same:
We will have raffles
We will have Prime Rib dinners
We will have games
We will have music
We will give away a big screen TV (look for the decorated tree)
...but some things will be different (yep, 2020 is definitely the year of "different").
This will be a drive thru event
Everyone will stay in their cars for the event (we will not be going into the facility)
Everyone will be wearing a mask
No guests this year as we are limited on meals
We will also have "waves" of arrival times, remember, there will be 800 cars in attendance for this event and if we can handle 1 car per minute that means it will take 800 minutes to complete our event...800 minutes is over 12hrs!!! Love you guys, but 12hrs on a cold December day could be difficult.
Since we need to stagger everyone's arrival time, we will need everyone to select a "session" for arrival
The cost is $20 (perfect for 2020)...and this year there will be NO WALK-IN PAYMENTS...so, you can either fill out the form and mail it to the A&R Office along with a check for $20...or...this year, you can submit your credit card number and we will ring it through...in either manner, we will send you a confirmation letter via mail.
To Register/Pay By Check: use this form
To Register/Pay By Credit Card: follow this link
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2020

[Editor's note: This was included in the inaugural issue of the MCEA newsletter.]
My name is Linda Day, and I am honored to have been nominated without opposition to serve as the president of your union.
During this unprecedented time, we see new challenges confronting working people all across this country. Despite these challenges, we have maintained our connection with our union and our members.
Fiction: I haven’t had a raise in 5 years
Has the pandemic put a damper on your plans? Looking to roll more than ten days of vacation time over into next year? You can! Our contract allows it. All you need to do is ask permission of your agency. And permission shall not be unreasonably denied. Simple as that!
Here is the contract language: No employee may carry over, without agency permission, more than ten days of vacation leave to the next year. Such permission shall not be unreasonably denied. (Article 18, Section Two).
This only applies to the vacation time you earned this year (not your entire vacation accrual bank); so if you earned 15 days of vacation this year and you only plan to use 2 days of vacation, you may request to carry over 13 days. We are aware that the State typically does NOT require employees to make this request, but for some unknown reason some agencies have decided to create problems where none has existed before. Therefore, we are advising everyone who wants to carry an excess of 10 days to make the request. There is NOT an agreed upon standard form for this purpose (sorry, DRS, you made this form up on your own and we don't accept it) so an email request should be sufficient.
The other option is to use your "excess" vacation (we certainly encourage everyone to take the needed time off), so please request vacation time if you don't want to carry any of it over into next year
[side note: A&R does not agree that the carry-over provision is based on a calendar year rather than a contract year, but the State is applying the calendar year for this carry-over provision].
IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO - VOTE!!!!
REMINDER:
Elections are Tuesday November 3rd...every polling station in CT is open from 6:00AM to 8:00PM.
Further, any absentee/mail-in ballot that is placed in the "drop-box" by 8:00PM on 11/3 will be counted.
If you aren't registered, you can show up to your town's "EDR" location (Election Day Registration location) and register and vote that same day...so you have not missed out just yet! You will need to provide proof of identity and proof of residence in that town, so be prepared.
BUT....keep in mind, this election cycle is extremely important to State employees; the State Senate and State Rep candidates elected this year will be voting on your next contract!!! (it is no longer the same process many of us have experienced before, State statute now requires the State legislature to vote on our contracts)
Do your part A&R, make sure you cast your vote and have your say in this election. This election will impact you and your family directly. Don't let this slip by you. Make the commitment, make the effort, and VOTE.
We encourage all faculty to join the Skagit Valley College Federation of Teachers to get the support and fellowship of your colleagues.
To join the SVCFT, just download this membership form and submit it to President Kip Zwolenski.
We are stronger together!
On October 19th & 20th, our Chapter conducted meetings via Zoom with unit members, some of whom were participating in the meetings for the first time; others had attended past meetings.
Joan Carroll, the Acting Chapter Chair, began the meeting by introducing herself and the other officers, Jim Schmitt, Chair of the Negotiating Committee, Richard Jesmajian, Treasurer, and Karen Strickland, member of the Negotiating Team.
Joan stated the following:
- The bargaining unit was certified by the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) in February of 2018.
- The Negotiating Team surveyed the unit members before preparing the proposals and approached the College in the beginning of the Fall semester to commence the process of negotiations
- The official recognition of the union by the College was February 13, 2018
- Both sides first met in January of 2019 and continued to meet on a regular basis to focus on the issues which the unit members identified as priorities
- November 21, 2019, the parties reached impasse
- Our first mediation session was held on March 5, 2019
- Our second mediation session was canceled due to Covid 19
- PERC, who assigns the mediator, has indefinitely suspended in-person meetings
Next, Joan introduced Joanna McAvoy, AFT-NJ Staff Representative, who is our Negotiator. Joanna stated the following:
- While we have negotiated some of the more basic components of the collective bargaining agreement, we were not able to reach an agreement in its entirety
- Unfortunately, no progress was made at the mediation session, and the mediator recommended we schedule session #2
- Since that session was canceled due to the pandemic, we have been advised by our legal counsel to resume mediation once we can schedule an in-person session
- One of the participants asked what issues we are still seeking to resolve and Joanna answered by saying that while it would not be prudent to list outstanding issues at Brookdale, what’s very important to adjunct faculty in general includes an improved pat schedule and increased compensation.
Jim Schmitt, the Chapter’s Negotiating Chair, talked about both Chapter officers and unit members participating in the Zoom Board of Trustees meetings. He reported that at the past couple of Board meetings, officers and unit members have spoken up about the lack of progress with the initial adjunct faculty contract. He stressed the importance of getting our message out there especially since we cannot resume the bargaining process while pandemic restrictions are in place.
The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27th, and Jim will provide the necessary Zoom information via email for those who wish to attend. Jim also thanked the adjunct faculty who have spoken out at these meetings thus far and those who plan to do so on Tuesday, October 27th
The floor was opened for concerns from membership. Issues discussed were:
- Amount of money adjuncts are currently spending of own money to print documents and update computer/visual/audio components
- Student access to necessary advanced computer technology, i.e. access to adobe software for graphics labs when students don’t have necessary internet bandwidth or current enough computers to handle the software.
- Extra time adjuncts are contributing, unpaid, to learn (50 hours on TLC training) and to change lessons to accommodate new mode of instruction (20 hours at minimum of extra preparation time before semester began)
- The lack of standardization of technology which makes training and interactions among adjuncts difficult
- Short time between semesters to prepare classes. Need minimum of 70 hours of unpaid labor to retrofit a class for effective instruction.
If you have not had an opportunity to attend one of our virtual membership meetings or you wish to attend another one in the future, the Chapter has scheduled two additional meetings during the month of December as follows:
Monday, December 7th at 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, December 8th at 8:00 p.m.
Further information will be provided as soon as it becomes available.