Here is a PDF of the Nov. 4, 2014 issue of Table Talk: TableTalkNov2014FINAL.

The full text of the issue is also reprinted below, so that topics may be found by our website’s search engine.

 

 

Table Talk

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

 

November 4, 2014

News at a Glance

 

•  Three Candidates Run for United Faculty President

•  Union Meetings Scheduled for Members to Meet Candidates

•  Candidate Statements: Henderson; Godinez; Wapner

•  UF Leadership Attends CCCI Negotiation Workshops

•  Food Drive in High Gear: Donate Now!

•  Statewide Election Today: Don’t Forget to Vote!

•  President’s Message: “Building a Leadership Team”

 

Three Candidates Run for United Faculty President

 

Three candidates have submitted nomination forms to run for UF President, so a vote will be held using our on-line voting system to begin on Tuesday, November 11, with votes due by noon on Tuesday, November 25.  All UF members will receive a link to vote electronically on Tuesday, November 11. Those who prefer will be able to vote by phone as well. (Details will come via email. If you do not receive an email with the voting link on November 11, or if you have questions about how to vote, please call the UF Office at 925-680-1771.)

 

The candidates are Donna Wapner (DVC); Silvester Henderson (LMC); and Marco Godinez (LMC). Each candidate submitted a statement for Table Talk, which has been printed in this issue. Vice Presidents from each college are appointed by the President (and then must be confirmed by a vote), so these assignments will not be made until after a new UF president is elected. No other nomination forms (for spots on the UF Executive Board) were received, so current E-Board members whose terms were set to expire will stay on the Board. Plus we added one new full-time member from LMC, Math Department Chair Tue Rust. We still have open spots for one full-timer from LMC and one from DVC, and a spot for a CCC part-time representative.  If you are interested in joining the UF E-Board (meetings every other Thursday from 2:15-5pm at DVC), please email Glenn Appell at gappell@sbcglobal.net.

 

Meet the Candidates

 

Finding meeting times that worked for all three of our busy candidates was tricky. Here are the dates we have scheduled. The candidates may make themselves available at other times as well, to be announced.

 

CCC

Nov. 20, 11am-12noon

LA 26

Donna, Marco, Silvester

 

DVC

Nov. 17, 10-11am

BFL Conference Room

Donna, Marco, Silvester

 

LMC

Nov. 11, 11am-12noon

CC3-365

Marco, Silvester

 

Nov. 18, 2-3pm

CCQ-226

Donna

 

 

 

 

 

Silvester Carl Henderson: Candidate Statement

 

My name is Silvester Carl Henderson.

 

As a 30 year collegiate professor and educator, I have worked extremely hard to be innovative and creative in my instructional style, and to always keep an open mind to learn.

 

In the over two decades that I have taught at Los Medanos College, I have been emotionally invested in the promotion of student success, the local campus and the district. As I investigate my emotions, my desire to promote our district and local colleges is my heartfelt journey for leadership and equity. I believe in our Faculty and our rights are of utmost importance to me.

 

As both Music Department Chair and Academic Senate President for Los Medanos College, I have benefited from learning the art of collegial collaboration through shared governance. If selected as your President, I will represent the entire district’s faculty with a level of commitment and energy that has been documented during my various Leadership Roles at Los Medanos College.

 

We deserve to work in an environment where our district executive members validate our efforts not just through promises, but through tangible actions. As our President, I’ll work collaboratively with the United Faculty Executive Board and its unit leaders to improve our employment rights.

 

As our President, I’ll fight for fair contractual language, respectful collegial treatment, and appropriate compensation packages. If I am given the honor of serving, I will create an environment of care and open and honest transparency, with an open door policy to anybody who has suggestions or feedback.

 

Student success can’t happen without employment equity. We, the faculty are the ones who can make true student success and equity happen, and to do that we need fair employment practices and benefits.

 

Freedom of Speech is only truly free if we have no fear of retaliation for our words. I will always fight to preserve our right to engage in our own individual brands of scholarship and instruction. As Professors, we are required to uphold a high standard of instruction. However, this professional mandate can only be achieved through respect, human honesty, administrative fairness and contractual protection. That’s what you’ll get from me as union President: a collegial and respectful approach, but a willingness to fight for what is ours when necessary.

 

I would be honored to have your vote.

 

Contact Silvester:  shenderson@losmedanos.edu

 

 

Marco Godinez: Candidate Statement

 

Hello! My name is Marco Godinez. I am interested in serving as your Union President of the United Faculty (UF). As a fifteen-year community college counselor and educator, I have always championed for students rights and success. I am proud to say I am alumnus of Contra Costa College District and a success story to many of my family members. My past experience has brought me to share my knowledge to students in a very sincere manner while still understanding their personal and educational struggles. Moreover, I served as a Puente Project Coordinator/ Counselor at Los Medanos College for ten years.  Through my service to the community college I was awarded the Cesar Chavez Educator Award and a Proclamation by the city of Oakley.  These awards have solidified my commitment and my belief that this is my personal calling to advocate for student success.

 

In addition, I have come from a strong union background since my father and many of my relatives worked in the local steel mill in Pittsburg, California. I was raised to believe in worker rights and the importance of the union. This is a core value of mine. Due to the union’s advocacy they provided strong representation to my family members for better working conditions, health benefits, and better wages. The union epitomized respect, dignity, and honoring of employees craftsmanship. In a similar matter, this would be my guiding principal if I were elected as Union president.  I would utilize this same philosophy with a scholarly perspective of respect, dignity, and honoring academic freedom.  I will do my best to uphold and adhere to our United Faculty Contract by listening to your needs, assisting with any areas needing changes and all for the better of faculty rights. My father rallied with his fellow co-workers to defend their labor rights. My father’s mantra was, “If it happens to one, it can happen to all”. I would be honored to protect our academician rights as faculty. I have served on the UF board and learned  the minutia of our policies and practices of our collective bargaining contract. Furthermore, understanding the contract has served me well when I was elected as department co-chair. As a Counseling Department Co-Chair, for the past three years, I have benefited from working collaboratively and embracing departmental role of shared governance. It was the position of serving on the UF board and being the department co-chair that motivated me to apply for United Faculty President. If selected, I will represent the entire district to defend our workers rights as faculty. Thank you for your consideration.

 

Marco Godinez, Counseling Faculty

 

 

Contact Marco:  mgodinez@losmedanos.edu

 

Donna Wapner: Candidate Statement

 

For eight years I have been on the UF Executive Board focused on learning “all things union” – four as “Faculty Advocate” working as a grievance officer, mediating disputes between faculty and managers, and representing faculty in District investigations; two as one of our “Benefits Directors” (working with the District and the classified union, Local 1, to review health insurance plans and options), and two years on our negotiating team and Contract Review Committee as UF Vice President for DVC. There is a big learning curve to become astute, proactive, and strategic in prioritizing and resolving union issues while meeting the diverse needs of all our members – both full and part-time faculty.

 

I am a 22-year DVC faculty member. Other “hats” I’ve worn include CTE program lead, Faculty Senate Council rep, grant coordinator for innovative learning communities, member of numerous committees, and study abroad instructor. I pride myself on being straightforward, persistent, able to listen, willing to speak out when things are not equitable or fair, and committed to collaboration.

 

As UF President, I will fight in negotiations for salary increases and stable benefits. I’m upset that our pay has not even kept up with the cost of living. It is way too hard to make ends meet and raise a family in the Bay Area on our base pay. We also need to add steps at the top of the salary schedule, increase compensation for department chairs and program leads, and fix workload inequities starting with increased pay for teaching labs. More full-time hires are also imperative, as are part-time parity and paid office hours. To fund this will require shifts in district priorities and reductions in administrative costs.

 

For years, I have been advocating for better treatment of faculty when there is an allegation of misconduct. These unfortunate situations require knowing your contractual and legal rights, and the Union can help protect you. As UF President, I’ll use the Union’s lawyer as needed and work to add contract language related to investigations.

 

Sometimes the UF President is also a spokesperson, whether at District Governing Board meetings or as a liaison to legislators. I am comfortable speaking at Board meetings, have led advocacy efforts to influence officials, and meet with other faculty union groups regularly.

 

Our UF leadership team is strong and dedicated. I am ready to lead our union, and I have the support of our trained and experienced UF leadership, who will continue to work with me: Jeffrey Michels (CCC); Marina Crouse (DVC); Milton Clarke (LMC); Doug Dildine (Part-Time Issues); Deborah Dahl-Shanks (STRS and Benefits); and many others.  A vote for me supports you.

 

Contact Donna: dwapner@sbcglobal.net

 

 

UF Leadership Attends CCCI Negotiations Trainings

Eight members of the UF Executive Board attended a three-day meeting of the California Community College Independents in October to share strategies and goals with faculty leaders from throughout California and attend workshops on negotiations, STRS and pension issues, state advocacy, and reading budgets. Keynotes speakers at the conference included lawyers from the firm representing City College of San Francisco in their lawsuit against the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), who spoke about the ongoing struggle for accreditation reform as well as legal issues related to collective bargaining; STRS Deputy CEO Ed Derman, who spoke about coming increases to STRS contributions; FACCC Executive Director Jonathan Lightman, who spoke on the State Budget and advocacy efforts; and CCCI Lobbyist David Balla Hawkins, who met with the UF team to discuss potential legislation aimed at increasing the number of full-time faculty in our system. John P. Johns, the forensic accountant who recently worked with the UF to review the CCCCD budget, also spoke on issues related to collective bargaining. CCCI’s newsletter, which features an article by UF Executive Director Jeff Michels on the dangers of funding “student success” and “equity” while ignoring the system’s over-reliance on part-time faculty, should be delivered soon via campus mail.

 

 

UF Food Bank Drive Ends November 11

 

We have extended our food drive to November 11. Please remind colleagues to bring in cans and help fill up the barrels. A number of faculty have noted that food seems to disappear regularly from the barrels,  but the Food Bank says this is normal and OK. They figure anyone who takes food out of a barrel must need food, which is the point of the whole process, after all.  Still, we want to have full barrels when they come to collect them, so let’s fill them up this week! You may also contribute money by using the link on the UF website: www.uf4cd.org. Don’t forget the fabulous prize for whatever group donates the most: an E-Board-sponsored workplace party!

 

 

VOTE   Statewide Election November 4, 2014   VOTE

 

The UF E-Board endorsed Tim Farley (Ward 3) and John Marquez (Ward 1) for District Governing Board, as well as Tom Torlakson for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. We also endorsed Tim Sbranti and Elizabeth Echols for CA Assembly. FACCC’s endorsements can be found on their website: www.faccc.org.  Don’t forget to vote November 4!  And thanks to our UF student interns who registered hundreds of students to vote this fall!

 

 

President’s Message

 

Greetings colleagues. This year marks my twelfth serving on the United Faculty Executive Board. As the E-Board’s longest standing member, I have witnessed the United Faculty rise from the ashes of a pay cut and impasse in negotiations to become, over the last eight years, one of the strongest, most respected independent unions in the state.

 

Our leadership team is known for innovation, expertise, commitment and vision. We are outspoken leaders of CCCI and FACCC. And our statewide connections translate into better local service when faculty need help or have questions. We are influential with our District Governing Board and Administration because we know what we’re talking about; we know what other CA unions are doing; we know our contract; we know the law; and we’re on the cutting edge of emerging trends.

 

Our part-time faculty leadership is highly respected statewide: Doug Dildine recently received FACCC’s Part-Time Faculty Member of the Year award. Deborah Dahl-Shanks, our current Benefits Director, also won Part-Time Faculty Member of the Year, and is a leading expert statewide on STRS and retirement issues that affect all faculty. When UF members have needed help working with STRS, Deb has been able to cut through red tape and get to the decision-makers. Our former president and current executive director, Jeffrey Michels, was named FACCC’s Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year in 2010 and won FACCC’s Literary Achievement Award in 2013. He remains one of the State’s most progressive and influential voices on faculty issues.

 

Our entire leadership team has attended multiple statewide trainings, events and conferences, continuing to learn and to build relationships that will help our faculty. We have invested time and union money in training a team because when it comes to dealing with the day-to-day challenges we face as your union, there is no substitute for experience. From district personnel investigations to scheduling problems to intra-faculty disputes, there are often no easy answers. The UF works hard behind the scenes to protect and improve working conditions in a host of ways that often remain invisible. But any member that has had an issue where he or she needed the union will tell you, we are responsive, well trained, pragmatic but aggressive when we need to be; we are there for our faculty because we have a strong, supportive team in place.

 

A central focus of my tenure as president has been the continued development of leadership training. I believe that the strength of our union is the result of both this focus on leadership development and the many years of collective experience shared by our largely volunteer Board. As outgoing president, I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of continuity and experience in the work we do. Donna Wapner has been on the UF E-Board for eight years and has served as the UF VP for DVC for the last two. I cannot think of a more competent, experienced, knowledgeable person to move into the crucial role of UF President. I hope you will help us to continue our work as your advocates and elect Donna Wapner in the coming election.