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NOMINATIONS FOR DELEGATES TO THE CFT CONVENTION ARE NOW OPEN
The 74th Annual Convention of the California Federation of Teachers, “Activate Labor for Justice” has been called to convene at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco from March 11-13, 2016. The Peralta Federation of Teachers can send as many as 23 delegates to this convention. The ten delegates with the highest votes, in addition to the PFT President, will be reimbursed up to $200 for documented convention-related expenses (allocations have been made for 5 full-time faculty and 5 part-time faculty to attend).
The Convention is open to all CFT members, but only elected delegates can vote. It is the Federation’s highest governance body, where delegates shape union policy and positions on issues affecting all members. The Convention will also elect delegates to the AFT Convention and the California Labor Federation Convention.
All nominations must be received in the PFT office no later than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3, 2016
For more information and to download a nomination form, please click here.
PFT hopes that you are enjoying an energizing break. There are a few things we would like to put on your radar:
* District Flex Day is Wednesday, January 20th. Stop by the PFT table to check your member status or update your information. Campus Flex Days are TBA.
* We are happy to announce the election of Eva Ng-Chin as Merritt Campus Co-Chair. Arja McCray has decided to resign and PFT extends thanks to Arja for her time representing Merritt Faculty this past year. This leaves an opportunity and need for a replacement campus co-chair for Merritt. Anyone interested in serving in this position should contact Kayla Lewis at union@pft1603.org
* California Federation of Teachers’ annual convention will be held in San Francisco on March 11-13. Nominations will be open to all members beginning January 20th. Forms will be available in your faculty mailbox.
FREEWAY FLIERS
PCCD Chancellor, Jowel Laguerre, Freeway Fliers Filmaker, Bradley L. Rettele, & PFT President, Ed Jaramillo
PFT had previously opened nominations to fill a vacancy for a campus co-chair representative at Merritt College. We didn’t receive any nominations before the deadline period for this position.
We are extending the deadline to November 9. PFT is encouraging any member interested in serving to submit a nomination form.
SPECIAL ELECTION: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Merritt Campus Co-Chair & College of Alameda Campus Co-Chair
For the term of date of election through June 30, 2017
Peralta Federation of Teachers is announcing a special election and call for nominations for open seats on the Executive Council. Seats open for nominations are two campus co-chair positions; one representing Merritt and one representing CoA. All PFT members in good-standing are eligible to be elected to serve on the Executive Council. Members may nominate themselves (self-nominations are encouraged) or other members of the union for positions on the Executive Council. Please make sure your nominee is a member in good standing of the union and willing to run.
Elected members of the Executive Council have the overall responsibility of decision-making for the PFT. Campus Chairs are the first contact for faculty on the campus, frequently serve on hiring and screening committees, and occasionally handle grievances. Campus Chairs are also encouraged to hold Chapter Meetings for their campuses or represented populations once a semester. Campus Chairs must be primarily working at the campus they represent.
Each Executive Council member is required to attend PFT Executive Council Meetings, which are generally on the first and third Thursday of each month from 3-5pm during the Academic Year (though extra or emergency meetings are sometimes called in the Summer).
Please be certain that your nominees wish to run for the position, have the time to do so, and verify their willingness to serve. Please only nominate the Campus Chair that would specifically be representing you. You must sign this nomination form. Unsigned nomination forms will be disregarded.
NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 4PM.
Nomination forms should be returned to the PFT office via US Mail at 500 East 8th St., Suite B, Oakland, CA 94606 or faxed, 510-763-1140. You may also use District mail, addressing the form to PFT, email to union@pft1603.org, or deliver by hand to the PFT Office or to any PFT Executive Council Member.
District Flex Day
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
9am-4pm
Odell Johnson Theater, Laney College
Dear Peralta Faculty:
The Peralta Federation of Teachers has received matching funds from its statewide affiliate, the California Federation of Teachers, to hire an organizer for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Under a new CFT program, the Strategic Campaign Initiative (SCI), PFT will work with an organizer to expand membership, increase participation in the union, develop the union’s communications database, and aid CFT with state-level campaigns. The organizer will report to the PFT president and the CFT SCI director.
The successful candidate will be a faculty member currently employed at Peralta who is
• an active member of both PFT and its COPE
• familiar with the four Peralta colleges and their faculty
• knowledgeable about the priorities and strategies of CFT
• a strong public speaker with good people skills
• experienced in organizing (e.g., signing up members, running phone banks, staffing tables, maintaining a data base, distributing literature, mobilizing members, etc.).
Email a brief cover letter and CV (MSW or PDF only) to PFT DB Coordinator/Communications Specialist Kayla Lewis at union@pft1603.org by Monday, July 27, at 3 p.m. PFT will screen qualified candidates and make a recommendation to CFT by the start of the fall term.
In solidarity,
Ed Jaramillo
President, Peralta Federation of Teachers
AFT Local 1603
500 E. Eighth St., Ste. B
Oakland, CA 94606-2825
PFT hopes that your summer’s off to a good start and that—whether you’re working, vacationing, or maybe doing a little of both—you’re managing to recharge the batteries between the long semesters. We’re sending out this brief communiqué to call faculty attention to a few items of interest:
*The district has begun issuing checks for the 3% retroactive pay raise PFT negotiated in the spring. Full-timers should have received checks/paystubs for their 2014-15 retro pay at the end of June, and the district has assured PFT that it would have retro checks to part-timers by summer’s end. An additional overall raise of 3% will appear on checks in 2015-16—that is, in the coming year faculty will see an improvement of more than 6% in their pay relative to 2014-15. The first contract paycheck of 15-16 comes at the end of August; the first part-time check is at the end of September.
*Checks for parity pay, a state effort to bring part-time wages closer to full-time wages, also went out at the end of June. PFT fought successfully for the restoration of parity pay in 2011 after a district effort to withhold it.
*Faculty serving on faculty hiring committees this summer may be eligible to receive a $500 stipend for their work, thanks to an agreement negotiated by PFT. Details are available on the PFT website.
*PFT is pleased to announce that Ed Jaramillo, late of the CoA Auto Tech Department, has begun his term as president of the faculty union. Ed brings decades of experience to the job, and he looks forward to getting to know faculty around the district. PFT is also happy to welcome Peralta’s new chancellor, Jowel Laguerre, who, like President Jaramillo, moved into his new office on July 1.
*A pair of sunglasses and a water bottle were left at PFT’s May contract-ratification meeting at Laney. Please contact the office at 510.763.8820 if you think they may be yours.
The union’s regular publications—the e-Communiqué, PCCD Board Watch, and the Peralta Teacher—will return in fall. Until then, follow PFT on Twitter at @PFT1603, and like us on Facebook, too.
Have a nice summer!
Ed Jaramillo
President, Peralta Federation of Teachers AFT Local 1603
500 E. Eight St., Suite B
Oakland CA 94606-2825