Lessons Learned: We’re Stronger Together!
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For six rainy days in January, if you were anywhere near one of the 800 LAUSD public school sites or in Grand Park you couldn’t miss the momentum and sky-high morale of the 30,000+ UTLA members who went on strike for “the schools our students deserve.” When UTLA reached agreement with the LAUSD after four days of marathon negotiations, they did more than just end a historic six-day strike. UTLA created a pathway to improve their schools and left a trail of lessons about the power of collective action.
The courageous, committed, and innovative members of United Teachers Los Angeles were successful for several reasons: the union brought parents, students, and community members together and focused their demands on a broad range of issues, not just wages. They demonstrated that when we stand together, our power is magnified and our voice is amplified.
Their strike, like the “Red for Ed” actions that swept through the nation last spring in other states, was fundamentally about securing the investment to create the schools all students deserve -- smaller class sizes, more support staff (librarians, nurses, counselors), and better pay for educators in a city with very high housing costs.
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In Unity,
Joanne Waddell
AFT 1521 President
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An article in the February 5
th
edition of the Los Angeles Times raises questions about an audit of the most recent LACCD bond measure. The Guild takes these concerns seriously and is monitoring Board actions to ensure that the trustees are held accountable for implementing the building program for the benefit of our students, staff, and faculty.
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By Willam Elarton-Selig
AFT 1521 Executive VP, Chair of the Joint Labor Management Benefits Committee (JLMBC)
"FMLA" refers to the Family and Medical Leave Act, which is a federal law that guarantees certain employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave each year with no threat of job loss. FMLA also requires that employers covered by the law maintain health benefits for eligible workers just as if they were working. In general, female employees normally take two types of leave while on maternity leave. The first leave is an Illness Leave (also called “sick leave”) for the “pregnancy-disability” portion of the leave. The duration of the leave is determined by the doctor -- normally 6 to 8 weeks. Pay during this type of leave is generated by use of the faculty member’s illness days. Faculty members are able to use half-pay illness days once the full-pay illness days have been exhausted. D basis faculty are also able to use their non-duty D basis days if approved by the department chair.
Most faculty members follow the Illness Leave with an FMLA bonding leave. Faculty members are entitled to 12 weeks of FMLA bonding leave per calendar year and can take the leave up to the baby’s first birthday. The unions have negotiated to run FMLA quota on a calendar year basis so a faculty member can take two 12-week periods of FMLA bonding for one child. For example, if the baby is born in June 2019, the parent can take 12 weeks of FMLA bonding leave in 2019 and another 12 weeks in 2020 up to the baby’s first birthday.
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Women's March Breakfast
Guild EBoard delegate Kathleen Yasuda (Trade), Chapter President Ruby Christian-Brougham (Valley), and Guild Treasurer Sharon Hendricks (City) congratulated newly-elected U.S. Rep. Katie Hill (pictured second from right) at the Women’s March breakfast in January.
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Supporting L.A. Workers
AFT 1521 members were among the supporters at a rally in downtown L.A. to support striking UTLA teachers and Unite Here Local 11 hotel workers. #Solidarity! (l.to r.) Kathleen Yasuda (Trade Tech Executive Board member), Mo Menon (Guild Organizing Director), Brian Patrick Walsh (Pierce Chapter President), Joanne Waddell (Guild President), Mario Valadez (Harbor Chapter President), Vivian Price (Cal State Dominguez Hills).
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Job Opportunities and Resources for Adjuncts
By Kathy Holland & Ken Taira, AFIC co-chairs
Welcome back to the Spring semester. The spring, the district will be hiring several new full-timers on all of our 9 campuses. If you are interested, go the
LACCD website
Click on the magnifying glass and you will see the list of Academic jobs. Check frequently as the list of opportunities will be updated on a regular basis. If you are looking for opportunities outside of the district, go to the
CCC Registry
.
Be sure to look for additional adjunct teaching opportunities as well. Adding an extra class or two to your teaching schedule won’t just increase your income, it will also help you qualify for medical benefits. If you are teaching at least a .33 of a full-time teaching load, you qualify for district medical benefits. In addition to medical, you may be interested in dental, vision, EAP, and pet insurance. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) covers mental health services, wellness support, and other services. Visit the
Health Benefits website.
If you are qualified and have not signed up for benefits, contact the Health Benefits Unit at 888-428-2980. By now, you should have received the JLMBC Adjunct Faculty benefits brochure. This brochure has vital information about the benefits the district has to offer.
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CFT Convention Update
Not an elected delegate? You can still participate in the Convention of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and celebrate the 100
th
anniversary of our statewide union at the Millennium Biltmore in downtown L.A. March 22-24.
Although only elected delegates can vote on resolutions, you can register as a guest to attend the convention. You can attend the general sessions to hear guest speakers and debates on union policy. Numerous workshops will be held on a wide range of topics. Social events will be held throughout the three-day event. To register,
click here.
2019 is a special year for CFT as the organization celebrates the 100
th
year anniversary of its founding. At the convention, delegates propose changes to union policy on issues affecting all members. In 2019, the Convention will elect its officers, including President, Secretary Treasurer and 24 Vice Presidents. Guild President Joanne Waddell is currently serving as a CFT Vice President.
Visit
www.cft.org
for more information on workshops and speakers at the event.
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All of our nine colleges are hiring full-time, tenure-track faculty for Fall 2019. If you’re interested, plan to attend the LACCD Job Fair on Saturday, March 2 from 9 am to noon at Trade Tech College.
For a list of job openings, click on flyer below.
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No motions were passed during the December Executive Board Meeting.
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