Dear Faculty:

We are halfway through the semester and hope you are doing well.  We want to remind you to mail in your ballots regarding the decertification TODAY if possible.  The ballots must be mailed in the envelopes provided via USPS snail mail per PERB regulations.  Dropping off your ballot at your nearest post office hub might expedite the receipt of your ballots. 

We also want to update you on the current negotiations process and the Faculty Association’s October negotiations meetings with the District.  We continue to push back on the District’s insulting offers for pay increases and TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS AND REPRESENT ALL FACULTY IN NEGOTIATIONS!

Thursday, October 6, 2022:

• The FA followed up with the District on the FA very first proposal – Part-time faculty healthcare –but the District still did not produce a response, citing the need to wait for Chancellor guidelines before responding to our proposal.
• The FA responded with counter-proposals to the following District proposals:

• Article 5 Working Conditions.  The FA continued to fight for a more flexible non-instructional faculty work schedule, equitable load for non-credit faculty, and the ability to conduct office hours online for instructors teaching face-to-face classes, among other issues.  We pushed back against District efforts to diminish Flexible Flex.
• Article 16 Distance Education.  The FA continued to push back against unannounced administrative access to faculty Canvas courses and to clarify the DE load-limitation language for full-time faculty.  The FA also rejected the District’s proposal for DE recertification because the proposed terms were vague and ripe for abuse and misapplication. 

Thursday, October 19, 2022:

• The FA presentedthe District with a counter-proposal on Article 18 (15) Part-Time Faculty Reemployment Priority.
• The FA sought clarification from the District regarding its proposal for Coaches’ stipends.
• The District rejected the FA’s Article 4 Fringe Benefits counter-proposal to raise the amount provided to retirees to cover the cost of Medicare supplemental insurance.
• The District presented the following counter-proposals:  

• Part-time faculty healthcare:  The District continues to delay responding to our initial proposal for part-time faculty healthcare but has agreed to reopen discussions within 14 days of receiving guidance from the Chancellor’s Office. 
• Article 5 Working Conditions:  Though the District has yet to formally agree, they seem initially receptive to online office hours for part-time faculty of face-to-face classes.  However, the District also continues to try to diminish faculty’s rights to Flexible Flex and to push back against a more flexible non-instructional faculty work schedule and equitable load for full-time faculty in the non-credit disciplines.
• Article 12 Salary Schedules:  The District moved the needle nominally from 4% to 5% for salary schedule increase in their most recent counter-proposal, but this amount is far less than what the FA originally proposed (12%) and does not include the 5% parity adjustment the FA proposed on behalf of part-time faculty. 

Please note we have notified the District that their “Bargaining Units” webpage has not been updated to include the most recent proposals and counter-proposals.  

The FA and the District are next scheduled to negotiate on Friday, November 4, 2022.  Thank you for your patience as we continue the fight to strengthen your contractual rights through the Negotiations process.  Please email us at facultyassociation@gmail.com with any questions.

Sincerely,

The PCC Faculty Association Negotiations Team