Dear Peralta Community,
Welcome to the second Tuesday of the month and the latest PFT e-Communiqué. Look for the e-Communiqué—a rundown of issues, events, and ideas of interest to the union and the wider Peralta community—each second and fourth Tuesday.
*Make your voice heard as Peralta CFO Tom Smith finally unveils the 2009-10 budget tonight, Tues., Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., during the PCCD Board of Trustees meeting (district boardroom, 333 E. Eighth St.). Concerned faculty, staff, and students should tell the board that they expect budget details, including clear explanations and direct comparisons to 2008-9 district spending, and an unambiguous emphasis on learning, teaching, and student support. Trustees also need to hear community concerns about management hiring and spending in the face of layoffs and workload reductions for staff and part-time faculty.
*Contract faculty: check the district’s record of your Faculty Service Area (FSA). It’s important to make sure the district properly acknowledges all the fields you’re qualified to teach in, as having multiple FSAs can save your job in the event of fulltime-faculty downsizing—which, to be clear, the district and PFT negotiators have not discussed. Your official FSA is available at the reference desk of your college library and from your dean (the district emailed the updated FSA list to college VPIs on Oct. 31, per the PFT contract). To update your FSAs, complete the official district form, available on the web at http://peralta.edu/forms/document.asp?Q=5461&T=Documents.
*BCC faculty should mark their calendars for the PFT chapter meeting on Wed., Nov. 18, 12:15-1:15 p.m., in Room 51 (in the basement). The meeting will focus on responding to the budget crisis, mobilizing to direct district resources toward education and student support, and organizing for the March 4 action in Sacramento. And you can expect snacks! For more information, contact college reps Joe Doyle (jdoyle@peralta.edu, X2945) and Val Djukich (vdjukich@peralta.edu, X2863).
*Don’t miss the next PFT general membership meeting, set for Tues., Dec. 8, 3:30-5 p.m., in Room A 266 on the Laney College campus. Among other agenda items will be a rundown of all the actions the union has taken so far against the budget cuts and a discussion of strategies for meeting the fiscal challenges of the future. Also, look for updates on the PFT’s third-annual wine-and-cheese holiday party, set for Dec. 3.
*The PFT applauds the activism of Peralta students and employees at the many speak-outs held around the district. BCC, CoA, and Laney all held major student-led events this fall to call attention to the ongoing plight of California’s public education system. The union looks forward to working with students to make the big “March in March”—3/4/10 in Sacto!—as effective as possible.
In unity,
Debby Weintraub, President
PFT, 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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