NEA Affiliates in Action
Organizing
When art faculty members at St. Louis
Community College protested workload changes last January by using
black plastic sheaths to cover the works of art they presented at
the annual faculty art show, the dean of humanities and social sciences
ordered the drapes removed.
But when Missouri NEA, the faculty
union, notified the college it was prepared to file action in federal
court seeking redress for violating the protesters’ academic
freedom and constitutional right to free speech, the college rescinded
its directive to remove the “black installations.” The
gallery reopened and the protest continued for the duration of the
public exhibit.
“Faculty have the right to communicate
not only with the general public but with their students about the
circumstances in which they find themselves,” said Vito Maniaci,
the faculty’s field representative from Missouri NEA.
Efforts to resolve the workload issue
through the grievance procedure continue.
Contracts
At press time, the University of Hawaii
Professional Assembly, the exclusive bargaining agent for the faculties
of the University and Community Colleges of Hawaii, was to hold a
strike vote on all of the university system campuses March 30 and
31.
UHPA filed an Intent to Strike Notice
with the state in February after the union and the employer reached
an impasse in negotiations.
Hawaii faculty, who have watched their
salaries fall to the 30th percentile in the nation from the 80th percentile
in 1992, want to bring their salaries to the 50th percentile of peer
institutions during the life of the new agreement.
The state’s economic situation
is improving, according to UHPA, and the state can no longer justify
underfunding the university and driving down faculty salaries. The
state higher ed faculty last exercised its legal right to strike in
2001 and won significant gains.
Keep up-to-date on developments and
ways to support Hawaii’s faculty at UHPA’s Web page at www.uhpa.org.
Campus
Activities
It took 20 months, but Riverside Community
College accounting professor Frank “Chip” Stearns has been reinstated
to his job with the help of the California Community College Association
and its Riverside Community College chapter.
Stearns was fired after a financial
analysis he conducted suggested the college’s administration
violated state law by not spending the required 50 percent of school
funds for classroom expenses. The administration claimed he was dismissed
for poor performance and for letting his classes out early on numerous
occasions.
Stearns received a favorable decision
from an arbitrator last summer recommending he be reinstated and receive
back pay and benefits. The district appealed to the Superior Court.
Shortly before the hearing, however, the district approached Stearns
with a settlement offer that included his reinstatement, full salary
and benefits, and nearly a year’s lost pay.
Stearns had the full support of his
faculty Association, as well as CCA/CTA’s legal counsel. In addition,
numerous students wrote letters and e-mails of support as well as attended
rallies on his behalf.
The Texas
State Technical College System and the Texas Faculty Association
have announced the settlement of serious disagreements over
a number of issues using mediation. Texas law does not allow collective
bargaining for public employees, but a cooperative process developed
by TSTC’s Chancellor Bill Segura and TFA’s Executive
Director Charles Zucker has produced a new dispute resolution model
for the system.
In May 2003, when three TFA leaders
were notified that their positions would not be renewed for the 2003—04
academic year, TFA viewed the non-renewals as reprisals for their union
activities and prepared to file lawsuits on their behalf. Instead,
the parties agreed to try to settle the dispute through mediation.
The result: two faculty members were
reinstated and a third was reassigned to a two-year position in the
TSTC System Office to work on developing a conflict resolution program
for TSTC campuses.
