It’s said that out of misfortune comes opportunity. While we were distressed about the Janus v. AFSCME decision, we have faced this attack on unions and working people by standing strong, showing our power, and demonstrating the value of the work we do. Our voices remain strong – and we recognize that our words and actions are more important than ever. Our organizing is reaping benefits beyond the collecting of dues and the signing of membership cards. This month, we can be proud of many Guild actions and projects:
- A successful demonstration at a Board of Trustees meeting at Southwest College resulted in discussions with Board members on finding a suitable facility for the LASC Nursing Program.
- Our student debt clinics have escalated into a lawsuit, with two of our members stepping up to be plaintiffs in the case against Navient, one of the most notorious student loan services, which is accused of lying to and misleading borrowers.
- We are continuing to flex our political muscle to take action to support candidates running in the November election who care about the public good versus privatization. Join us for phone banking and precinct walking in support of these candidates. Contact Guild Political Director Natalina Monteiro at nmonteiro@mac.com or (310) 469-4083 to get involved.
Stand with us as we continue to speak up and speak out – loud and clear!
In Solidarity,
Joanne Waddell
AFT 1521 President
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2018 Conference Helps Guild Faculty Plan for the Future and Build Union Strength
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More than 300 faculty attended AFT 1521’s 16th annual retirement and benefits conference, “Steps to a Secure Financial Future: Benefits 101,” on September 14th, almost half of them for the first time. The conference was open only to Guild members.
One big difference between this year’s conference and last year’s: the specter of the Supreme Court’s
Janus v. ASFCME
decision.
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AFT 1521 Makes Its Voice Heard at Board Protest
A powerful demonstration in support of the L.A. Southwest College RN program at the October 10th Board of Trustees meeting at the campus brought together students, faculty, community members, and over 1500 online supporters in an effort to move the Board from “no” to “yes” on a facility that will be acceptable to the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). During the program’s 2017 site visit, the accreditors found that the bungalow housing the program was not conducive for learning, and the BRN demanded that the program move.
“We moved to another facility, the Career & Tech Ed Building, which was a better environment,” said Dr. Catherine Azubuike, Director of the SW Nursing Program and Department Chair. “We saw it as temporary since an appropriate facility would be modeled after a hospital setting, with all the features we need. It was like putting a band aid on a wound.”
The Board heard compelling testimony by LASC Chapter President Sandra Lee, Guild Political Director Natalina Monteiro, Tina Wright, Wanda Powell, Zack Knorr, student interns, LAVC Chapter President Ruby Christian-Brougham, LASC Nursing Faculty and students. Special thanks to Mitra Hoshiar of Pierce College for her work on the online petition.
The next step will be a meeting between faculty leadership (Guild, Senate, Nursing faculty) and Board of Trustee members Mike Fong, Andra Hoffman, and Steve Veres. “They should commit to renovate or build a facility suitable for instruction,” said Azubuike. “I hope they get the message.”
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Meet the New Guild Leaders
AFT 1521 is excited to welcome some fresh faces in Guild leadership positions as we kick off the 2018-2019 academic year. These new leaders were elected to their positions this Spring and will serve through the Spring of 2020. This is part of a series introducing some of the Guild’s new leaders.
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What Do Your Chapter Presidents and Grievance Reps Do?
Chapter Presidents – Your Eyes and Ears on Campus
Besides being voting members of the Executive Board of the union, your elected chapter presidents ensure that faculty voices are heard on campus. They attend numerous college and district meetings to represent faculty interests and have input on decisions being made that affect your working conditions. They attend consultations with their college presidents to work out problems before they escalate into grievances. At campus chapter meetings, they bring back information from the Executive Board and inform you of issues the Guild is working on as well as hear from members about their concerns. If you believe that the contract has been violated, you can go to them to help you resolve the issue.
Grievance Reps – Enforcers of the Contract
If your chapter president believes a complaint deserves more investigation, he/she will send it to the appointed grievance rep. The grievance rep goes into action to conduct an investigation of the complaint to see if it violates the contract; he/she also ensures that the timelines in the contract are being followed. If the complaint does violate the contract and requires further action, he/she will seek a resolution with the administrator, who may have not realized the contract language prohibited the action. In this way, the diligence of the grievance rep can avoid having to file a grievance. If that doesn’t yield results, a grievance is filed.
The grievance rep will file Step One of the Grievance Procedure. If the campus administrative decision does not provide the requested remedy, Step Two is filed, usually with the college president. If that decision also fails to provide an acceptable remedy, the grievance rep moves to Step Three and presents the grievance, along with the grievant, to the Grievance Review Committee, comprised of the nine college grievance reps and the Chief Grievance Officer. The decision of the committee is final and is one of the following (as per Article 28.F.1.2.3.4.): Not pursue the grievance further, meet with Human Resources, mediation, or arbitration.
The grievance rep may accompany a complainant to meetings not associated with a grievance with campus or district administrators, following the directives of the federal Duty of Fair Representation and the Weingarten Rights that faculty have.
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UTLA Strike: Adopt a School!
Our colleagues in United Teachers, Los Angeles (UTLA), are in a tense contract fight with the L.A. Unified School District. UTLA authorized a strike vote earlier this year, and it just might come to that should the District continue to refuse to do what is best for its teachers, schools, and students. Should UTLA go on strike, AFT 1521 will be “adopting” school sites to lend support.
UTLA aims to lower class sizes, allocate more resources to classrooms, improve school safety, and offer more instructional time and fewer standardized tests. LAUSD has $1.8 billion in reserves that could be used for smaller classes and more nurses, counselors, librarians and other critical staff, but LAUSD leadership refuses to use its funding reserves to do what’s right.
For more information on how you can help, visit:
www.utla.net
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Guild Stops Board from Violating Our Contract
A Board resolution -- BT 5 -- which would have banned unrepresented administrators (some of whom are also in our faculty unit) from taking Instructor Special Assignment (ISA) positions, was “withdrawn for further research” after the Guild pointed out that it would have violated two articles in our Collective Bargaining Agreement. “Thanks go to Trustees Hoffman, Veres, Buelna, and Vela for voting in favor of the withdrawal,” said Guild President Joanne Waddell. “This is a reminder to us to stay vigilant.”
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Phone Banking
We Need You!
We need volunteers to help with phone banking leading up to the Nov. 6 election. Our next round of phone banking is scheduled for
Thursday, November 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Guild office. This election is critical, and we need to make every effort to ensure that we elect candidates who are committed to promoting public education as opposed to privatization.
Phone Banking
Thursday, Nov. 1
4 to 7 p.m.
Guild Office
3356 Barham Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90068
For more information about volunteering in this election cycle, contact Natalina Monteiro at
nmonteiro@mac.com.
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CFT Convention
Be a Delegate!
The next convention of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), our statewide faculty union, will be March 22-24 at the Millennium Biltmore in Downtown L.A. Keep an eye out for an announcement from the Guild with information on how to submit your name to be elected as part of our AFT 1521 delegation and be entitled to vote on CFT business. However, you can also attend as a guest to attend informational workshops and hear from inspiring speakers.
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Motions Approved at the August 21, 2018 Executive Board Meeting
- Approved the 2018-2019 Guild Goals with edits
- Approved an LA County Federation of Labor request for financial support for the November Campaign.
- Approved the Guild’s Student Internship Program
Motion Approved at the September 18, 2018 Executive Board Meeting
Endorsed Miguel Santiago for AD53 and agreed to provide support with 15 volunteer shifts
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If you’re enrolled in Medicare and are in an Anthem Blue Cross medical plan, you’re entitled to take advantage of the Silver Sneakers program, which provides you with free gym membership. Among the participating gyms in the Los Angeles area are L.A. Fitness, 24-Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym.
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