Hi all,
I have a couple of reminders:
1) Our next MPCTA meeting will be Friday, March 4, at 1 p.m. This will be an important one for a few reasons. More on that in a moment. Meanwhile, mark your calendar. Also, mark your calendars for the April meetings – April 8 and April 29 at 1 pm, too.
2) I wanted to remind you that if you want to claim missed flex time pay from Fall 2011 through Fall 2015, you need to turn in your forms by 4 pm on February 26. Don’t forget to do that. Be in touch with your DOM if you have questions. You will be pleasantly suprised how much money that might be for you.
3) We’re still working on the issue related to professional growth. So stay tuned on that.
4) Negotiations – I waited till tonight to email you in the hopes I’d have something positive to report from negotiations (we had a session today). But we are still working on the same issue we started with in January – pay for SLO assessment. I have to say my patience is wearing thin – as we have spent 20 + hours on this subject. And still no resolution. But perhaps the next meeting on February 29? Let’s see….
On February 24, the Chancellor’s Office will release the P1 Apportionment reports. That’s important because that is what our salary formula is based on.
So when I mention above that the March 4 General Meeting is an important one, one reason is this: By then we’ll know approximately what, if any, salary increase our formula will give us. If it doesn’t give us any or very little, then we will need to fight for an increase – and that can only be done one way – through strong support of faculty.
Remember: we are near bottom in terms of total compensation compared to other districts. We deserve a raise and should get one. That’s one “outcome” I’m in favor of measuring!
So plan to come to the next meeting on March 4 because we’re going to need to think through what our next steps will be if the district refuses to give a reasonable increase in our compensation.
5) MPCTA Bylaws and MPCTA elections
One last point – Some of you may have already heard, but I will not be running for MPCTA president next year. I wanted to get that out early so that others can think about stepping up to the plate after me. I’m a real believer that organizations run best when there is real turn around in leadership positions, and two years for me in this position is a good amount of time. Everyone brings in his or her own style and insights; anyone with the time and energy can do this position. So… all of you think about running….
Of course, I’ll still be active in the union in whatever way the next president wants me to be!
In relation to this, at the March 4 meeting, I’d like us to look at our bylaws. So that’s another reason that meeting will be important. I’ll attach them in the next email I send out to you all.
But mostly, the March 4 meeting will be important because we’ll know more then about where we have to go next in terms of getting our due – an increase in compensation.
A side note: Personally and honestly, I have been disappointed with the way the institutional review is going, the slow pace of IBB, the attempt again in negotiations to limit communication. I think we all need to get together and talk and plan at our March 4 meeting. From the conversations I have around campus, I think we all have lots to say. The fight for our working rights is not over; it may have just begun.
So please come to the March 4 MPCTA General Meeting at 1 pm.
I’ll be in touch closer with a room and a more detailed agenda.
See you all then!
Paola
