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January 12, 2003 |
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COC Part-Time Faculty United 
College of the Canyons Part-Time Faculty United Building a better profession, a better institution and better student learning. The following information includes emails come from several sources (including California adjunct organization listservs). There are included here for there direct or indirect relevance to the part-time faculty organizing campaign at College of the Canyons. The names of Part-Time Faculty at COC (excepting the organizing committe) and VVC who authored some of the emails that follow are omitted to preserve their anonimity. January 26, 2003
Michael, Congratulations ........on step one (MAJOR Victory). Celebrations. Yes, remain alert to further exploitation using the budget category, as you remarked. The election & final counting of votes lies ahead, your final, historic victory. Caroline Blake January 23, 2003
Michael! HOORAY! Congratulations on your BIG WIN. Alas, Ray Barney is the BEST that CTA has in the south part of the state, and his hateful speech and posturing does nothing to advance the cause of CTA. I think he should think seriously about taking early retirement, as he is not in step with either his union brothers and sisters or with potential union members...where ever they may be! Dud! Did I say that? Oh, My! Maybe CTA members should mount a "Retire Ray Barney" initiative...I should suspect that there would be a ground swell of support for putting the olde boy out to pasture. Just my 2.5 cents! I can think of a number of folks in both the south and the north who would love to see something like this happen, and none too soon! What
are the next steps, and how can part timers of good conscience around the
state help you all?
Robert B. Yoshioka The following (related) email was also posted on the listserv the following day (January 24, 2003): When the union leadership changed here at Pasadena City College, and the CTA state leadership came down to mend fences, the first thing we said was that Mr. Barney could not continue as our field representative if CTA wanted to keep our chapter in the union. We have been assigned another field representative.The following was Michael Ward's response (dated January 25, 2003) to Robert Yoshioka's email (noted above). Dear Robert, Thank you for your continued support and offer of help! The way that our colleagues can help is by continuing their show of support - we received MANY great emails and phone calls from across the state - while our AFT sisters and brothers have been consistently behind us all the way, we also feel that our colleagues in the CTA and other unions and faculty organizations understand that Ray Barney's angry declaration to me and Allen Gildard of VVC on January 10, does not reflect the objectives of the CTA/ NEA and a spirit of constructive support for part-timers generally, especially considering the current budget crisis, and the fact that all we are seeking is a chance to vote for union representation at COC. Therefore, in a spirit of part-time faculty solidarity, we at COC especially seek the support of those persons within the CTA as well, that they might voice concern about the direction taken by some members of the CCA leadership, who evidently (in our case) do not have the best interests of part-timers at heart. I still assert that such attitudes do not represent the intent or professionalism of the CTA, and I commend the recent offer of Brad Reynolds, the President of the COC full-time faculty local (COC Faculty Association), to call on the CTA to back off any further litigation aimed at keeping COC part-timers from voting for our representation. Nevertheless, I fear that even Brad's expression of collegiality and fair play may become subverted by the insolent conceits of a few individuals who betray the best intentions of the good institution they claim to represent. Thanks again, Robert! Sincerely, Michael
K. Ward
January 22, 2003
Congratulations! This has been a long time effort and you succeeded. S. . . .and another: Michael, Hurray, for us all!! Arlene
. . .and another: Congratulations!!! Fantastic, fantastic!!! You really won!!!! Gus . . .and another: Michael, Congratulations to you and your colleagues! Great news! Cliff
Liehe
January 21, 2003
Amen and amen, Michael. You message is wonderfully put. How could anyone representing CTA have the lack of perception to make such a statement? It's incredible, because "they must be better than that." May you now have a clear path to exercising your rights and proceeding to what will surely be a victorious election. Mary
Millet
The following congratulatory email came from across the state (name removed to protect the contributor's anonymity: Hi Michael, . . .I am delighted to offer you a heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I had the (shudder) occasion to see [CTA Community College Council president] Dian Hasson on our campus last week and she so creeped me out. I can not begin to tell you how glad I am that you are not being represented by her or her ilk...What a glorious victory. In solidarity, S. The following email came to us from part-time faculty advocate Margaret Quan: My heartiest congratulations on your victory in behalf of part-time faculty. Margaret Quan . . .and additional emails of congrats and support from across the state: Michael, This is great news! While I think the ideal in most districts would be for full-timers and part-timers to be united under one union (whichever one they mutually choose) and be one force against a common enemy--the administration--I know that sometimes damage--inflicted by a perverse group of full-timers who have abused their position and appear to be in league with the devil, errr, I mean administration--is irreparable, making the attainment of that ideal of unity impossible. Among this nation's founding principles is that people are free to choose their own representation. The outcome at COC does, indeed, give hope to the oppressed and is a cause for celebration. It reinforces the importance of perseverance and inspires hope that truth and justice can eventually triumph. Congratulations! In Solidarity, Suzanne . . .and another: Michael: Congratulations. What great news! --charles johnson, yuba . . .and another: Michael, This is outstanding, wonderful, delightful news! Congratulations and salutations and CHEERS! Pamela
Highet, English
January 17, 2003
Dear Michael, Just got back from a few days away and was delighted to read this e-mail. You deserve so many congratulations for all the hard work you've done. Thank you so much for being a tireless advocate. It must have seemed a thankless task at times, but so many, I'm sure, are grateful to you. N. January 14, 2003
Congratulations! Linda is great and you are lucky to have her there helping out (I wish we could gain someone like that in Wisconsin). You have had a long struggle but at least the light at the end of the tunnel is there. David
Boetcher
The response to David's email came from COC PTFU's Michael Ward: Hi David, It's great hearing from you! Thanks for the good wishes and congrats . . . Yes, we are lucky indeed to have Linda out here working with us, and though we'd love to share her with you all in Wisconsin, but I'm afraid she's ours! . . . The following congratulatory email came from Chris Cumo: Just
this morning I learned of PERB's ruling. Congratulations! You deserve
all the accolades that come your way & more.
Again, my congratulations. Chris The following congratulatory email came from Alisa Messer of the Community College Council of AFT and fellow part-timer: Congratulations!!! Great news. Alisa Messer The following congratulatory email came from one of our fellow COC part-timers: Bravo!!!! D. The following congratulatory email came from one of our fellow COC part-timers: Dear Mike: Finally! How about scheduling a vote right away -- like next week -- hopefully before an appeal can be filed? Then publicize the results immediately? L. We WISH that we could do just that! The following congratulatory email came from one of our colleagues at Ventura College: WAY TO GO! CONGRATULATIONS! You worked very hard and ruffled some management feathers...GOOD for You! Bea Herrera The following congratulatory email came from one of our colleagues in San Diego: Congratulations. The sweetest victories are the hardest fought. Mark
Anderson.
The following congratulatory emails came from two of our fellow COC part-timers: Congratulations!! You guys are great. K. . . .and the second: KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU. YOU ARE AWESOME! S. The following email came to us from a very unhappy COC part-timer who is battling an issue of fairness with this person's department chair: We truly are second-class citizens, and after so many years, I'm fed up. C. The following congratulatory email came from one of our colleagues (and important part-time faculty advocate) in northern California: Michael: I have kept a running account of what was happening on COC and I must congratulate all of you for staying the course. I know Linda Cushing, I admire Linda Cushing greatly and if I were ever in need of an advocate she would be one of the first I would call. Congratulations and the best to all who worked so hard for this day. Margaret Quan The following email came from one of our many full-time faculty supporters at College of the Canyons: Michael, That's WONDERFUL news! Wow! Good for you! M. The following email came from Ruth Hunt, Executive Director of the Ventura County Federation of College Teachers (AFT Local 1828); sent to the local's executive board: Exec--- Thought you'd like to see the good news from our brothers and sisters at COC. ---Ruth January 12, 2003 COC
Part-Time Faculty United/ AFT
On January 8, 2003, The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) issued its FINAL DECISION in the Case of COC Part-Time Faculty United/ AFT v. Santa Clarita Community College District and the CTA-affiliated COC full-time Faculty Association (COCFA). Ruling in our favor, we now look forward to finally having our election and choosing our own union representation. See the President's Message for additional thoughts and perspectives on this most significant development and our hopes for a speedy resolution that will allow us to finally have an election.As we look forward to ending more than one year of legal wrangling whereby we were forced to fight for our right for free choice, COC Part-Time Faculty United implores the Santa Clarita Board of Trustees, the College of the Canyons administration, and the California Teachers Association to keep their word to "abide by PERB's decision." • COC BOARD OF TRUSTEES SAYS, “WE’LL ABIDE BY PERB’S DECISION.” The Board of Trustees is the major policy-making body of the college. In October 2001 they directed the college administration to sign a back door agreement with the CTA full-timers’ union illegally accreting the part-timers into their union. In January 2002, the Santa Clarita Community College District/ College of the Canyons Board of Trustees, when questioned at an open board meeting by a part-time faculty member, publicly announced that they would abide by any decision made by the Public Employment Relations Board in the matter of the Unfair Labor Practice charge filed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on behalf of part-time faculty at the College. • COC VICE PRESIDENT SAYS, “WE’LL ABIDE BY PERB’S DECISION.” COC Vice-president Phil Hartley has publicly expressed his opinion that it would be better if part-time faculty were put in the full-timers’ union, but, in January of 2002, Dr. Hartley, Vice President of Instruction and Student Services, announced at the COC Adjunct Orientation meeting that, should PERB rule in favor of the adjunct organization COC Part-Time Faculty United/ AFT that “the college will abide by the decision.” Again, on May 30, 2002, in a phone call to an AFT national rep, Hartley assured Linda Cushing that “We don’t have a dog in this race. We can work with CTA or AFT. We’ll accept PERB’s decision.” • CTA STATE COLLEGE ASSOCIATION VP SAYS, “WE’LL ABIDE BY PERB’S DECISION.” Although responsible for fighting to keep COC part-timers in the district’s “company union” by using CTA staff attorneys to prevent a vote, the most active CTA state official on campus agreed that CTA will abide by PERB’s ruling. While staffing an information table at College of the Canyons in June 2002, CTA’s Community College Association vice-president, Rachel Maldonado-Aziminia, asserted that, should PERB make a ruling in favor of COC Part-Time Faculty United/ AFT, CTA “will abide” by the PERB’s ruling. January 10, 2003
Hi Corps- I've attached a missive that I'm going to be submitting for Gordon to include in our next (Not this) news letter. I'd like any suggestions you have for improving it. Essentially it deals with my belief that had COCFA simply asked adjuncts to join the union, we would, unfortunately, be part of COCFA. Chuck January 8, 2003
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President's Message | VVC P-T United | History |
