Advocate Online

NEA Affiliates in Action

Organizing
With contract negotiations between the California State University system and the California Faculty Association, NEA’s affiliate representing 22,000 faculty, coaches, and librarians in the CSU, at a stalemate, CFA has stepped up its member mobilization activities on the system’s 23 campuses.

While continuing to working for a settlement, CFA members across the state began to hold informational picket lines to spread the word about the contract situation and waste and abuse in the CSU system administration.

“Our difficulties in bargaining an equitable agreement for the faculty are symptomatic of a larger problem plaguing our publicly funded state university system,” said CFA President John Travis.

Informational picketing began as campuses opened their quarter sessions. At one opening salvo, more than 150 faculty and supporters picketed at CSU Bakersfield January 8. To view the full schedule of informational pickets and get updates on those that have already taken place, visit: http://calfac.org/infopicket.html.

Campus Activities
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is praising Governor Deval Patrick for taking action to restore $92 million in programmatic cuts to education—including funds for higher education and health insurance premiums for state employees.

Patrick’s decision will undo the damage done by former Governor Mitt Romney, who, in early November, unilaterally slashed $425 million in funding across the board. On January 5, a day after he was inaugurated, Patrick followed through on his commitment to restore Romney’s cuts. It was the new governor's first official act of governing.

The decision to reverse the cuts will restore $13 million for early education funding and close to $9 million in K-12 funding. The restoration of funding also covers retroactive salary increases paid to public higher education faculty and staff, as well as health insurance premiums for state employees.

MTA members have been lobbying their legislators since November, seeking reversal of the cuts made by Romney.

Contracts
Faculty at Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale Florida are working under a new contract, approved by the college’s Board of Trustees last semester.

The pact provides a guaranteed 4 percent minimum salary increase for all faculty members, as well as adjustments for salary equity and compression problems. Overall, the package contains 6.75 percent in new money for faculty raises.

On the way to success, the BCC chapter of the United Faculty of Florida conducted an intensive campaign to increase union membership and win support. As a result of these efforts, the college’s faculty senate passed a resolution of support, faculty letters and e-mails poured in, and direct forms of activist participation multiplied. Faculty also reached out to wider constituencies for support—to unions representing faculty, teachers, and educational paraprofessionals in Broward County and the United Faculty of Florida.

“This contract victory is the culmination of months of careful bargaining to ensure that urgent concerns are addressed, along with growing and increasingly effective faculty and affiliate support to make sure that the hard and conscientious work of bargaining would be appreciated and accepted by all,” said UFF-BCC President Tom Green. “Without the efforts and energy of a growing coalition, this contract would still be a dream.”

After more than a year of contentious contract negotiations and a spirited contract campaign that included rallies and demonstrations across the state, the Associated COLT (Clerical, Office, Lab, Technical) Staff of the Universities of Maine has ratified a new contract with the university system.

The contract, retroactive to 2005, provides a wage increase of about 8 percent over two years. In addition, the university system agreed to full implementation of the step system, which includes a provision that all employees below the pay grade maximum will receive a step during the course of the contract. The pact also establishes a minimum wage of $9.50 an hour and holds the line on health care costs.