Here is a PDF of the September 6, 2012 issue of Table Talk:  tabletalkSept2012.

The full text is also reprinted below so that the issue can be searched by our web site’s search engine.

Table Talk

The Newsletter of the United Faculty of Contra Costa Community College District

 

September 6, 2012

 

News at a Glance

•  UF and District Reach Tentative Agreement for 2012-2013

•  Ratification Vote for TA Begins Today (Votes due by 9/20/12)

•  Presentations and Survey Coming Soon on Blue Cross Bid

•  Appell Announces Run for UF President; Michels to Step Down

•  Open E-Board Spots for FT Faculty from All Three Colleges

•  Part-Time Faculty Leaders Call District-Wide PT Meeting

•  UF Makes Sizable Contribution to Measure A Campaign

•  Small Changes to Delta Dental Plan Offer Some Savings

•  President’s Message: On Pension Reform

 

UF and District Agree to “Rollover” TA; Vote Starts Today

After months of discussion, the UF and CCCCD have reached a Tentative Agreement for 2012-2013 that essentially rolls over last year’s agreement on compensation and benefits. The Agreement includes no new cuts or concessions, nor are there any raises or new contract changes. The District agrees to cover step and column increases for 2012-2013 as well as to pay its share (94%) of any benefits cost increases. The part-time parity rate will remain constant at 7.8%, and the provision from last year’s agreement that allowed some part-time faculty to remain in District medical plans even if their load had dropped below the normal threshold of 30% remains in effect for another year. All other outstanding issues, including changes to Article 25 (part-time staffing preference), updated evaluation procedures, intellectual property rights, flex reporting, and an ongoing parity plan, will be held over for 2013-2014 negotiations, expected to begin this spring.

This is the first time in recent memory that the UF and District have agreed to roll over a contract without new negotiations, but the feeling on both sides was that the November elections (especially Proposition 30, the Governor’s statewide tax proposal, and Measure A, the District’s parcel tax initiative) promise to be such a financial turning point for our district, for better or worse, that leaving more substantial negotiations until after November seemed sensible. By agreeing to close negotiations for 2012-2013, the UF team sought to limit our immediate vulnerability by taking retroactive cuts of any kind off the table, while still recognizing that if the tax measures fail, we will be facing difficult negotiations for 2013-2014. Both sides concurred that a rollover agreement was sustainable this year, particularly with healthy District reserves, and would minimize the distractions and anxiety associated with retroactive bargaining.

The only unsettled question in the 2012-2013 agreement concerns the “funding source” for part-time parity in the event that State categorical dollars prove insufficient to cover the cost of maintaining a 7.8% parity rate. If there is a shortfall in the spring, our projections suggest it will be small, but exact predictions are impossible since the numbers fluctuate––both the categorical dollars provided by a state formula and the cost of parity (determined by the number of part-time lecturers and composition professors, their sections and salary placement). Recognizing this, the TA guarantees the same parity rate this year as last, so that part-time lecturers can be sure they will not face a pay-cut, but postpones a discussion of funding sources until after all the numbers are in.

If the State dollars fall short, we will meet again in the spring to review savings from previous UF agreements as well as the state of district and college reserves, and future projections, and we’ll come to agreement about funding 2012-2013 parity.  In the mean time, both sides have agreed to continue work on an “ongoing” parity plan (aiming for a 2013-2014 agreement) that we hope will make such negotiations unnecessary in the future and finally put CCCCD on the path to paying part-time lecturers at a more equitable rate, rather than continuing our band-aid approach to parity of the last few years.

The UF Executive Board voted unanimously at our first meeting of the year to recommend ratification of the TA to our members, and the ratification vote begins today.  UF members should find ballots in campus mailboxes today, along with a return envelope. Votes are due back in the UF office at DVC by 12noon on Thursday, September 20. Faculty are welcome to vote by campus mail, email, phone or fax.  To vote electronically or by phone/fax, you will need your voter number from the green dot on your ballot.  Call or email Terri Adame in the UF office if you have any questions or need help:  925-680-1771 or uf@uf4cd.org.

The CCCCD Governing Board will vote to ratify the Agreement at their September Board meeting, pending the outcome of the UF ratification vote.  If ratified, the TA will go into effect retroactively to July 1, 2012.

 

Anthem Blue Cross Presentation and Survey Coming Soon

District Human Resources will be meeting with representatives from the UF and other employee groups this week to develop a presentation comparing Anthem Blue Cross’ recent bid to become CCCCD’s non-Kaiser provider with current HealthNet plans. Some time in late September or early October, we expect a series of public meetings at every campus, followed by a district-wide survey. The UF is also planning an issue of Table Talk devoted exclusively to analyzing the pros and cons of switching from HealthNet to Blue Cross. As we have reported in previous issues of Table Talk, this is the first time in many years that the District has received a competitive bid for health care, and while the Blue Cross plan appears to offer advantages (including access to the entire nation-wide Blue Cross PPO network at HMO pricing, without the need for any referrals), our long history with HealthNet offers a stability and predictability that faculty clearly value. There are many factors to consider, so keep a lookout for our next newsletter and future announcements.

 

Jeffrey Michels to Step Down as UF President

After nearly six years and three terms as United Faculty President, Jeffrey Michels has announced he will not seek reelection when his term expires this December. Instead, Michels will support DVC Music Professor Glenn Appell in his bid to become the next UF President. Michels has agreed to stay on in a leadership role with the UF, acting as lead negotiator next spring and continuing to direct UF communications (including Table Talk and the website).

Appell, a longtime E-Board veteran who has served for the past four years as UF Vice President from DVC, will run for UF President in October elections.  Other UF members interesting in running for President (or any open E-Board spot) are invited to submit a nomination form (available on the back page of this issue of Table Talk before Thursday, Sept. 20 (see below).

The exact details of Michels’ next position with the UF will not be worked out until after the election. But Michels, Appell, and the rest of the UF leadership group have committed to continuing to work as a team, noting that many of the strongest faculty unions sometimes rearrange human resources and rotate positions as a way of both sharing the workload and developing broad-based leadership.

 

Nominations Now Being Accepted for UF Leadership Posts

This fall marks the end of UF President Jeff Michels’ third two-year term, and nominations are now being accepted for any full-time faculty member who would like to run for the UF’s top post. Glenn Appell has announced his intention to run for UF President, but if more candidates step forward, then an election will be held in October.

In addition, there are full-time E-Board members from every campus whose terms expire at the end of the fall semester, and part-time representatives from CCC and DVC are also up for reelection.  Any member who would like to serve on the UF Executive Board may submit a nomination form (printed on the back of this issue of Table Talk) by noon on September 20, 2012. The form requires 10 signatures of support from UF members. We expect that our current E-Board members will be willing to continue on the Board, and our only true vacancy at the moment is for one full-time representative from LMC. But as we always do when two-year terms expire, we are putting out the call for nominations. If we have more candidates than we have spots from any college, we will hold an election in October.

The E-Board meets approximately every other Thursday from 2:15- 5pm, usually at DVC. Part-time representatives are compensated $150 per month. The UF covers travel expenses to and from meetings for all E-Board members. The President receives 100% release-time plus a monthly stipend. For details about any UF post or how to submit your nomination, please call Terri Adame at the UF office: 925-680-1771.

 

Part-Time Faculty Leaders Call District-Wide PT Meeting

All part-time faculty who teach at CCC, DVC, LMC, SRC and Brentwood are invited to a meeting with UF and Academic Senate Part-Time Faculty representatives on September 14 at 10am at DVC in the Student Union Building (the downstairs coffee shop).  Topics for the meeting include:

• Recent legislation affecting part-time faculty

• November ballot issues affecting part-time employment

• Professional responsibilities

• Student Success and SLOs

• Advancement and Job Security for Part-Time Faculty

• Pension Reform

Brunch will be provided for those who RSVP before September 12 to Doug Dildine at ddildine@dvc.edu. Come meet your Senate and UF representatives, and learn how you can become better informed and more involved in efforts to improve part-time working conditions.

 

UF Contributes to Measure A (Parcel Tax Campaign)

The United Faculty Political Action Fund has made a sizable contribution to the Yes-on-Measure-A campaign, and the UF PAC expects soon to be sending a letter to all faculty asking for both financial support and help getting out the word and the vote. Measure A, the District’s parcel-tax initiative, asks voters to pay an additional $11 per year (per parcel) for six years in order to raise nearly $24 million for CCC, DVC and LMC. This measure, along with the Governor’s statewide tax proposal, Proposition 30, will have a significant impact on the financial future of our colleges, so the UF will be doing everything we can to raise awareness and support for these measures. We will be expanding our student internship program to include students tabling at all our colleges (registering students to vote and organizing grass-roots events).  We’re planning rallies in October throughout the District. And we’ll be looking for faculty to help organize and advocate all over the Bay Area.  If you want to get involved, send an email to uf@uf4cd.org.

A number of non-tax-related measures on the November ballot will also concern UF members, particularly Proposition 32, which would prohibit unions like ours from deducting PAC contributions from member paychecks (thus dramatically curtailing unions’ ability to contribute to campaigns). Look for our annual political issue of Table Talk with E-Board endorsements coming soon.

The UF has also put together a list of rules and recommendations regarding campaigning.  It is important that no faculty member or other district employee use district funds or facilities to advance a particular political position, and this is doubly important when the District has its own initiative, such as Measure A, on the ballot.  The “Rules for Campaigning” may be found on the UF web site: www.uf4cd.org.

 

 

Small Changes in Delta Dental Plan Offer Some Savings

This summer, in consultation with the United Faculty, the District expanded Dental coverage for full-time employees to include a plan called “Delta Dental PPO.” In the past, our plan has been “Delta Dental Premier” (except for part-timers, who were already in a PPO plan).  The difference between the Premier and PPO plans are the number of dentists included (the PPO is a smaller network), and the amount Delta pays dentists for services (the PPO pays dentists less).

There is no difference in cost or copays for the employee with either plan, but there are two small advantages to the PPO.  First, the calendar-year allowance is $2100 as opposed to $2000 with the Premier plan. Second, since Delta pays PPO dentists less for services, members may get more dental work done before reaching their annual maximums.  There is also a savings to the District when members switch to the PPO.

Nobody is required to change anything. For those faculty in Delta Dental Premier, nothing has changed or needs to change. If you would prefer to be in the PPO, however, you can ask your dentist if he or she already contracts with Delta PPO.  If so, the dentist can simply make the switch.  Or anyone can go to the Delta website at www.deltadentalins.com and click on “find a dentist” to select the PPO network and find a PPO dentist.  Again, this applies only to full-time faculty, since part-timers are in a separate Delta plan.  If you have questions, contact Reed Rawlinson at the District Office: extension 925-229-6853.

 

President’s Message:  Pension Reform

We’re still analyzing the pension-reform bill that has swept through the Legislature (and oddly enough, so are many of the legislators who have already voted on it!), but this much is clear: public employees and especially our pensions have become so popular a scapegoat with some in the public and media that even our friends have joined the attack. Mostly, the pension-reform bill seems aimed at new employees. As STRS deputy CEO Ed Derman told us last year when he spoke at DVC for our FACCC Policy Conference, those of us already in the system are fairly well protected. The reform bill will stop letting faculty buy “unqualified” air time (where one invests in one’s own pension by purchasing service credit), starting at the end of this calendar year. It will also impose a waiting period after retirement so that faculty who retire will not be able to return the next semester to teach part-time. Otherwise, the bad news seems all for future faculty (as if we needed new ways to dissuade people from becoming teachers). My short message is less about pensions than the target we’ve all been wearing. We need to find ways to go on offense, to expand union participation, to link with other unions. We need to stand up for full-time jobs (classified as well as faculty); we need to stand up for secure retirements. To paraphrase President Obama, we need to not just boo but to organize and vote.