PTLogo.jpg

December 10, 2004

 From the President

So here we are at the end of the Fall 2004 Semester—and what a memorable semester it has been, with one milestone after another!

For the Union, it started off in August with a pretty bumpy changeover from Blue Cross to CoreSource, a changeover that could have been a lot worse without the hard work of our benefits broker, Michael Lamperd, and the efforts of the Health Benefits Committee and the Union. The new health-care plans still give us a little burp now and then, but by building a strong relationship between the Union and the Benefits Office, we are well on our way to enjoying a truly effective system.

At about the same time, the Union had to move its headquarters; we only went to the other side of Laney, but it’s not the distance that counts, it’s how much you have to take with you.  Our transition from one locale to another was pretty bumpy, too—and as with our health-care transition, we’re settling down and really enjoying the new space.

Following that, we found ourselves in Election Season; our Political Action Committee went into high gear, with candidates for four seats on the Board of Trustees.  Helene Maxwell did some amazing work on those elections, with the PFT PAC and our brothers and sisters at SEIU 790 and IUOE 39.  With three endorsed candidates elected to the Board, we can look forward to a better relationship between the Faculty and Trustees.

Most recently we have been working on a ballot that asks the Membership if the PFT should affiliate with US Labor Against the War.  This ballot was a lot of work, requiring a great deal of discussion at Executive Council meetings culminating in many hours of tedious labor to stuff and label all those envelopes; but the Union’s leadership felt that a decision such as this, to affiliate with an outside organization (which we have never done before), required the full knowledge and will of the entire Membership behind it.  A number of faculty came to the December 9 Membership Meeting to share their different views.  The ballots will be counted on Wednesday the 15th, and the results will be immediately posted on our website, www.pft1603.org.

During all of this special work, we were still doing all of our usual work, too.  We had grievances to handle, new Contract provisions to work out, and a host of miscellaneous faculty emergencies to settle.  So as you can imagine, we’re very much looking forward to Winter Break!  The PFT Office will be closed from December 23rd  through January 3rd while the Officers and Staff take a well-deserved rest.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a wonderful Holiday Season, and wish you a joyous New Year!

Yours in Solidarity,

Michael Mills

Unemployment Benefits for Part-Timers!

With the end of the semester upon us, please remember that Part-time Faculty are entitled to apply for unemployment benefits through the EDD (Employment Development Department), starting the day after the term ends (12/17/04). You may file for these State benefits even if you have an oral or written offer of a Spring teaching assignment because, as a Part-timer, you have no contractual guarantee of continuing employment; your rehire is contingent on sufficient enrollment and adequate funding.

The 1989 “Cervisi Decision” (Cervisi v. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board) provides Part-timers with this unemployment eligibility.  The California Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision that college-level part-time teaching faculty are not given “reasonable assurance” of rehire semester to semester because of the contingencies of enrollment and funding.  Therefore, you are entitled to unemployment benefits between semesters—as well as during Summer Break—so long as you are not earning more than about $240 per week in some other employment (retirement income is considered as employment earnings.)  You must also be looking for work, but you need not look outside the teaching field.

And remember that these benefits are not automatic—you must formally apply for them.  You will probably have to do this over the telephone, under the current EDD system.  When you call, you will be asked for your Social Security number, as well as the name and address of your most recent employer.

If for some reason you are denied unemployment benefits, don’t despair and don’t give up.  There is an excellent chance that EDD has inadvertently misunderstood your rights.  Contact the PFT office: we can give you advice on how to file a simple—and usually successful—appeal.  Such an appeal could take some weeks, but it is free to you.

Need Help Paying for College?

Joanna Beck, PFT Professional Staff

The California Federation of Teachers is currently accepting applications for the Raoul Teilhet Scholarship for the 2005-2006 school year. The CFT established the Raoul Teilhet Scholarship, honoring one of the founders of the Federation, in 1998.  The scholarship program was designed to offer support to high school students whose parents or guardians are members of the American Federation of Teachers (the AFT) and the CFT.

This year the scholarship program has been greatly expanded: wider eligibility, more awards, and more money. In addition to graduating high schools seniors, the CFT program will be open to continuing college students as well. (Please note that there is a separate application for each of these two categories.) All students must be dependents of CFT members in good standing. In addition, at the 2003 CFT convention, delegates voted to extend scholarship eligibility to children of deceased CFT members.

Scholarships are awarded on the following bases: academic achievement, financial need, special talents and skills, participation in campus and community activities, and a required 500-word essay.  For students entering or continuing in two-year institutions of higher education the awards are $1000; for four-year institutions the awards are $3000.  Awards are for one year only.  The money to fund these scholarships (and to create the annuity to fund future awards) comes from our local CFT dues. A couple of years ago a Teilhet Scholarship went to the daughter of one of our very own Peralta colleagues!  It can happen here again.

Please note that there are now two separate deadlines for applications. The application deadline for high school seniors is January 31, 2005; the deadline for continuing college students is July 1, 2005. Interested?  You can obtain the appropriate application several ways. Contact Joanna Beck at the PFT Office, write or call the CFT, 2550 North Hollywood Way, Suite 400, Burbank, CA 91505 (tel. 818-843-8226), or download an application from www.cft.org.

The Executive Council and Staff of
the Peralta Federation of Teachers
T   Wish you and yours   T
Happy Holidays!

 

What’s an Agency Shop?

Robert Lew Jr., PFT Staff Secretary

It sometimes amazes me, the things that people don’t know about the Union that represents them.  And here is my favorite example:

Peralta is an Agency Shop

There are a number of people I talk to in the course of my job who think that, because there is a PFT deduction on their paychecks, that means they are “members” of the Union.  This is not true, though I frequently wish it was. 

Way back when the PFT was formed and the first Contract was negotiated, there were a number of ideological objections from faculty members about being required to join a labor union; however, for collective bargaining to be effective in any way, the Contract that is negotiated must apply to everyone in the unit… imagine if the PFT could only negotiate pay-raises and enforce contractual protections for a portion of the Faculty! 

And so the Peralta Faculty became what is known as an “agency shop,” where all members of the unit contribute to the Union and benefit from contract negotiations and enforcement, but are not required to join the Union itself unless they want to (as opposed to a “union shop,” where it is a condition of employment that you must belong to the Union).

Since the PFT negotiates salary raises and protects benefits and working conditions for non-members as well as members, it is only fair that non-members contribute a “fair share” to the considerable expenses of negotiating and enforcing your Contract.  And so non-members are charged agency fees, which are the same amounts as membership dues.

The PFT is currently in the process of sending out its annual Fee Payers’ Notice, which only goes to non-members; if you receive this notice in the mail (keep an eye open for it), that means you are not currently a member of the PFT… and as a non-member, you have no voting rights in how the Union is run, nor do you have access to the many members-only programs provided by the American Federation of Teachers, our national affiliate.

If you receive the Fee Payers’ Notice, please give serious consideration to placing membership with the Union and taking an active part in the enrichment and protection of your life as a Peralta Faculty Member.  Although we still represent you and will help you in any way we can, member or not, you have nothing to lose by joining… except your silence.

 

Return to Archive

Return to Homepage