Dear Peralta Community,

Time for another installment of the PFT e-Communiqué, a quick glance at issues, events, and ideas relevant to the union and the broader Peralta community. Check your inbox for the e-Communiqué on the second and fourth Tuesday each month.

*The PFT urges faculty, staff, and students to attend the Tues., Oct. 27, meeting of the Peralta Board of Trustees, set for 7 p.m. in the district boardroom (333 E. Eighth St.). Concerned members of the Peralta community should question proposed staff layoffs; demand a management hiring freeze; decry recent class cuts, which have hurt students and sapped the livelihoods of part-time faculty; and insist on transparency and consistency in district financial reporting, including a full, contextualized accounting of all consultants engaged by the district. The board will receive a letter, penned jointly by the leaders of the District Academic Senate and PFT, detailing questionable management hiring practices.

*Join PFT part-time representative Cynthia Mahabir on Wed., Oct. 28, 4-5:30 p.m., in Room T 450 (tower building, fourth floor) on the Laney College campus, to help mark Campus Equity/Fair Employment Week. The get-together will feature light snacks and lively discussion. For more information—and to RSPV—contact Prof. Mahabir at cmlaney2003@yahoo.com. All are welcome.

*BCC will hold a teach-in on Sat., Nov 7, at 10 a.m., to help gear up for the statewide No Cuts to Education Rally on March 4 in Sacramento. (See the PFT’s resolution in support of the spring 2010 action at pft1603.org; select “Resolutions” from the left-hand menu.) The BCC event, to take place at its downtown Berkeley campus at 2050 Center St., will offer a free lunch to those who register by Nov. 2. To RSVP and to get more information about the event, email NoCutsToEducation@gmail.com.

*More than 40 faculty members came to the PFT’s first 2009-10 Laney College chapter meeting on Wed., Oct. 21. Over enchiladas and jalapeno poppers, attendees talked about what they’d like to see the union take on over the school year. New Laney rep Marie Wilson (X3165, dwilson@peralta.edu) introduced herself, and she and senior Laney rep Ron Jones (X3187, rjones@peralta.edu) let members know that they’d work hard and late to “make sure things get settled on campus.”

*Departments should continue to make part-time evaluations a priority and ensure that eligible teachers get placed in the rehire pool as soon as possible. Under the streamlined evaluation process, a quarter of a department’s eligible faculty are to be evaluated for the rehire pool each year.

*The district has announced a 16% reduction in services contracted with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, effective Nov. 1. The PFT met with Sadiq Ikharo, Vice Chancellor of General Services, to review policy and ensure the safety of faculty as the cuts go into effect. The cuts to police services are also on the agenda for the Oct. 27 meeting of the Peralta Board of Trustees.

In unity,

Debby Weintraub, President
Peralta Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1603

For more about the PFT—contract information, contacts, downloadable forms, updates, etc.—visit pft1603.org or write PFT1603info@gmail.com.

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