May 11, 2020, we will begin our UF Vote on the question of raising FACCC dues. As you know, the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) has asked us to increase dues for part-time faculty by $0.75/month, from $4.50/month to $5.25/month, and for full-time faculty by $2.25/month, from $13.50 to $15.75. The change would go into effect Sept. 1, 2020. At our last UF Executive Board meeting, the E-Board voted unanimously to recommend a YES vote.

Some details about the Faculty Association, as well as our general dues structure are below. If you have questions, please email Jason Mayfield (jdmfield@gmail.com), our UF VP for DVC, who serves on the FACCC Governing Board.

 

All UF members should receive a voting link before Tuesday, May 12, from a “no-reply” email address. Each link allows for one vote only, so please do not share your link. If you or a colleague do not receive a voting link, email Jeff (ufjeffmichels@gmail.com). Faculty may choose to vote by phone (925-680-1771) or email (uf@uf4cd.org). Only UF members may vote in UF elections.  Votes are due by 12 noon on Wednesday, May 20.

 

 

A Few Words from FACCC

 

Evan Hawkins, FACCC’s Executive Director writes:

 

Thanks for considering this request. I know the timing isn’t ideal with everything else going on, but this increased investment is critical for FACCC to expand its work when it is needed most to protect funding.

• With estimated state budget deficits rivaling what was seen in the Great Recession, advocacy in Sacramento that is focused on protecting funding for faculty, pensions, and faculty policy priorities will be critical.
• An increased investment from UF members would allow FACCC to expand its advocacy capabilities when it is needed the most – in times of budget shortfalls.
• This investment will allow for more lobbying in the Capitol, additional research to show the data to make our case, and more support for the UF locally with professional development and dedicated research.
• UF’s support of FACCC has also raised the union’s profile at the state level, allowing for increased attention on the issues specifically affecting its faculty and students.
• As everyone fights over diminished state resources, increasing investment in FACCC’s advocacy will increase the UF’s voice and its priorities while expanding FACCC’s reach during these uncertain times.

Jason Mayfield, our UF VP from DVC, writes: “I have served on the FACCC board for three years now and have seen first-hand the remarkable work that is done on behalf of faculty. All other colleges and districts around the state are paying the higher dues that are the focus of this vote. I encourage you to approve this small increase so that the work will continue on behalf of the faculty. I suppose I should note that I receive NO money from FACCC; my time on the board is volunteered.”

 

About FACCC

FACCC is the statewide professional membership association that advocates solely for all California Community College faculty. Since 1953, FACCC has provided focused representation for community college faculty to promote funding, academic freedom, and retirement benefits. With members across every campus in California, FACCC works to strengthen the position of faculty in the State Capitol, the State Chancellor’s Office, and the State Teachers’ Retirement System.

FACCC is faculty driven and professionally managed. Its board and staff are dedicated to working cooperatively with unions and academic senates to ensure that faculty voices are heard in the halls of government and across the state. FACCC represents and promotes faculty interests at hearings, in meetings with legislators, and in policy forums. Most recently, FACCC has invested in research to help support collective-bargaining efforts on the most complex issues (such as health benefits). FACCC Education Institute (FACCC EI) organizes workshops and conferences for faculty across California. FACCC EI also provides policymakers with research materials on community college issues.

FACCC communicates with its members through print, electronic, and social media. For more about FACCC, check out their website: www.faccc.org.

 

About the UF’s Contract with FACCC

UF members voted in spring of 2014 to have the UF become a “contract member” of FACCC. Like many other independent faculty unions (i.e. Chabot/Las Positas; Foothill/De Anza), we wanted to ensure the strongest possible voice in Sacramento for community college advocacy. And we wanted to support our professional association for all that it provides: research to support advocacy and collective bargaining; training and support for workshops (like our Retirement and Health Benefits Conference, which FACCC co-sponsors with us every year, and the Great Teachers’ Seminar); and political connections. Since most of our members had already joined FACCC, and since FACCC was regularly hosting events with UF (such as get-out-the-vote rallies and fundraisers for local pro-education and labor-friendly candidates, it was an easy decision to become a contract member. The contract lowered dues (even with the increase, our members pay less than regular dues) and linked UF membership with FACCC membership. Every UF member is now also a FACCC member. We also have a guaranteed spot for a representative on the FACCC Board of Governors.  Many of our UF leaders, including Jason Mayfield, Doug Dildine, Donna Wapner, Jeffrey Michels and others have served on the FACCC Board.

 

About UF Dues and FACCC Dues

Adapted from the last issue of our UF newsletter, Table Talk:

UF members pay some of the lowest dues in California. After the Supreme Court ruled in the 2018 Janus decision against public-sector unions charging non-members for “fair-share agency fees,” we wondered if the UF would have to raise dues or cut services to make up for lost revenue. But the steps we took have mostly worked to stabilize our finances: we held several successful membership drives to recruit new hires (including 100% of new full-time faculty) as well as convince some previous agency-fee payers from among the part-time faculty to join the union; we trimmed spending; and while we were not able to negotiate as much extra support from the District as we had hoped, we did lower UF costs in the last agreement, which has also helped. We have ideas for some new paid positions (like a membership director), but we think we can keep shuffling resources to meet our needs without any dues increase. The only dues increase we are considering, therefore, is one that FACCC has been requesting for the last year or two: a modest raise in FACCC membership fees.

United Faculty has contracts with three statewide organizations, including FACCC. We belong to the California Community College Independents (CCCI), an association of 13 independent faculty unions, which gives our leadership excellent access to support and training for much less than either of the big teachers’ unions (CTA or CFT) would cost. We also belong to the Bay Faculty Association (BFA), which connects all Northern California faculty unions, regardless of other affiliations. Both CCCI and BFA charge the UF an annual membership fee that the UF itself pays. FACCC, in contrast, is an organization of individual faculty members, not unions, which plays a distinct role in our overall strategy and in representing faculty statewide. FACCC dues are deducted from the paychecks of members as a separate line item.

Our full-timers currently pay FACCC $13.50/month, and our part-timers pay $4.50/month. (The dues are tax deductible; see FACCC’s website for details.) Almost two years ago, FACCC elected to increase all dues, to better fund advocacy efforts as well as to fund the expanded research that many faculty groups, including UF, have been requesting. They asked us to increase to $15.75/month for full-timers (an additional $27/year) and $5.25 for part-timers (an additional $9/year). We delayed considering the increase, even though other contract districts have already agreed, waiting to conclude salary negotiations. Now we would like to consider FACCC’s request. Strong representation in Sacramento provides real returns on our investment (as FACCC not only influences the budget process but also what happens to faculty-supported bills). This is why we are asking our members to approve FACCC’s request for a dues increase.