NAFT Executive Board Nominations

Dear Northside AFT Member,

We are pleased to announce that nominations are open for new officers for our local union. Our local union has proven itself effective in advocating the best interest of our members. We need to continue this work toward rights and workplace conditions for our Northside AFT members. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are modifying our election process.

Click the link below to find descriptions of the expectations of each office.

President’s Message

 

The Essex County College Adjunct Faculty Federation held a membership meeting on July 16, 2020 via zoom.  

Many thanks to Mark Brodsky, the Chapter’s Secretary/Treasurer, for facilitating the zoom invitation.

The meeting began with a welcome and the encouragement for everyone do all they can to stay safe and healthy.

Our annual Scholarship Luncheon was postponed because of the pandemic.  It will resume when it is safe to do so.  

The leadership acknowledged how well everyone rose to the huge challenge of pivoting from teaching in-person to teaching online.  Those challenges included, but were not limited to; learning to use zoom, learning to use Moodle, tracking down students, complying with the 504 accommodations of differently-abled students, complying with the numerous emails sent from ECC Administration, adapting to the changes to the academic calendar, and more. 

Through all of these frustrations, challenges, and stressors, adjunct faculty reached out and supported one another in a true sense of brotherhood and unity.   

Dr. Anthony Munroe announced that he was leaving ECC to become President of the Borough of Manhattan Community College.  As of this posting, Dr. Auguste Boakye has been appointed Acting Interim President of ECC.  A transition like this, by its nature, brings a degree of instability. 

One of Dr. Munroe’s major projects was to improve student retention.  His primary focus was on the MATH 086, MATH 092, and ENG 086 courses.  Embedded tutors were placed in the classes, tutoring hours were enhanced and some of the 100 level courses in those disciplines were combined with the 00 level courses depending on the students’ majors.  The resulting studies and statistics showed that progress was being made.  We asked the adjunct faculty how it affected them.  There didn’t appear to be any issues for adjunct faculty with those strategies.  

The discussion moved to the College’s finances.  On June 24, 2020, ECC Administration reported to us that state funding to the College would be reduced by 50%. They also reported that all of the monies from the CARES Act, upward of $7.8M, had not been allocated because there were no clear guidelines on how it could be spent.  The portion of the CARES Act that was specifically   designated for students was distributed to them.  That amount was $3.8M.    

The College has declared “financial exigency.” There is a plan being developed with strategies to address same. Administration suggested they may have to resort to “RIF” (Reduction In Force).

Our negotiations with ECC Administration have not been as productive as we hoped they would be, despite our efforts.  We will continue to press for the acknowledgement, respect, and compensation we deserve.  

Our meeting included an open discussion among members.  Questions were addressed and, again, members offered to lend each other a helping hand to meet the challenges of navigating Moodle and Zoom.

In all, it was a collaborative, informative and uplifting experience.  Colleagues who haven’t been able to attend our regular meetings were able to participate.  We will schedule more zoom meetings on the future.  

As you read this message, we sincerely hope that you and your families are well.  There are brighter days ahead.  

In Unity,

Lynne Peterson Cummins

John Smith 

Mark Brodsky

 

A&R's 37th Annual Convention - photo album

A&R's 37th Annual Convention was held April 16th, 2020.  Despite the pandemic, great efforts were made to ensure our  organization continued its business and was ready to represent the interests of the membership.  Through extraordinary measures, social distancing was achieved while still allowing the democratic process to be maintained.  Members attending the convention never had to leave the relative safety of their cars, as measures were taken to allow them to electronically register for the convention upon arrival, and to remain in their cars for voting purposes.  A public address system was used to ensure anyone wishing to speak at the convention could be heard by all.

Thank you for all who were in attendance.  A&R leadership is committed to ensuring the best interests of the membership are served, especially during times of crisis such as the pandemic.

Access the photo album through this link

http://andr.ct.aft.org/ars-37th-annual-convention

 

Quick Updates 4/22/2020

Masks:  the Governor has issued Executive Order 7BB, which orders that face-masks be worn whenever social-distancing can't be maintained in a public setting; that includes state office buildings.  Employees who report to an office can either make their own mask or receive one from their agency.  Each agency has a limited supply of masks available for distribution but they should be available to all employees who report to the office.  Masks are difficult to purchase due to the high demand (easier to get than Lysol wipes, but still very difficult to purchase).  So do your best to maintain your mask.  The fabricated masks purchased by the State for employees are intended to last a week.  It is also recommended that you attempt to make your own cloth mask as it is pretty simple; a home-made cloth mask should be washed daily.

Dental Care and Healthcare: As we reported last month, our annual Healthcare Open Enrollment has been delayed until September 2020 (normally it would occur in May). The transition from UnitedHealthcare to Anthem will also be delayed and will not occur on July 1, 2020 as originally scheduled.  Further, the "aging" out of 19 year-old dependents will not occur until December 31, 2020.   So if you have a 19year-old dependent on your dental plan, they will be covered through the end of the calendar year.

COVID-19 Guidance Letter:  This is the latest OPM/DAS guidance letter.  It is simply the original guidance letter which has been updated and the associated Q&A continues to grow, if you have questions about your situation, please read through this.

Power of Attorney Form:  This is not intended to be morbid, just as an FYI.  There is a POA form granting retirement decisions to a designee if you feel the need to do so.  If you are in a situation where it makes sense to complete this form, please read it carefully before signing.

Your Sanity Check: 

Today is Wednesday April 22 (we also like to refer to it as Blursday March 53rd).
It is the 113th day of the year and there are 253 days left
It is the 17th Wednesday out of 53 in 2020
Today is Earth Day, National Girl Scout Leaders Day, and (of course) National Jelly Bean Day
On this day in 1914 Babe Ruth pitched his first professional game with the (then minor league) Baltimore Orioles before being signed by the Red Sox later that same year.
1978, the Blues Brothers debuted on SNL
1994, former President Richard Nixon passed away

 

Northside AFT Survey Results

We're sure you have heard it enough, but these circumstances are unprecedented. However, like the true professionals schools employees are, everyone readjusted and has done a phenomenal job of delivering the quality education NISD students deserve. This doesn't mean that there haven't been bumps along the road, and this is why we created our survey. We wanted to hear from Northside AFT members on how this pandemic has affected them, and how we can address some of the concerns that were shared with us in our conversations with district officials. We'd like to thank everyone who took the time to answer the survey and we hope you will see results from taking this action.  

We hope you and yours are in good health and staying safe. 

 

 

 

 

Distance Learning Memorandum of Understanding Signed Today!

4-21-2020

Thank you for all of your amazing work throughout this unprecedented crisis.  You have gone above and beyond for every student. Thank you also for your keeping us informed during this very fluid situation on issues that have arisen.

We are happy to tell you that today CTA reached an agreement with the District that addresses many of your concerns, including attendance, grading, meetings, time keeping, video recording, lesson plans, professional development, and duties of specific instructional personnel.  

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