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4Trustee election changes everything for Victor Valley College chapter
Faculty gains new contract and right to represent part timers
Victor Valley faculty not only has a new contract, it has a new college superintendent, a new director of human resources and 325 new part-time faculty members who will be affiliating with the CCA chapter - all as a result of a November election that changed the trustees into a more faculty-friendly board.
 Victor Valley negotiators include (clockwise, from top, left), Juanita Chou, John Rude, chapter Vice President Debby Blanchard and President Gary Menser.
"We very much attribute all this to the election," said Debby Blanchard, vice-president of the Victor Valley College Faculty Association, which worked hard to re-elect one board member and elect a new trustee to the five-member board of trustees. "The money we received from ABC (CTA's political action fund) was instrumental in helping us get these board members. It has really put a whole new face on our campus."
Low morale plagued campus
Just last year, Blanchard said faculty were concerned over low morale, a mistreatment of the teaching staff, stonewalling over negotiations by the district, and questionable practices by the administration.
Instead of mourning its plight, however, the faculty association organized - politically. Working together with the campus California School Employees Association, the faculty association was able to gain two board seats, tipping the votes to a new 3-2 majority.
As a result of the new voting majority, the association obtained a new contract, with a 6.44 percent raise, almost immediately.
"This really opened the floodgates," Blanchard said of the election. "We had been negotiating ourselves to death for years. The new board gave us the ability to bring forth everything we had been told 'No' to before."
President terminated
Furthermore, since January, the new board has also terminated the president as well as the director of human resources and the president's wife, who was the MIS (management of information systems) director. The board has since hired an investigator and attorney in connection with the matter. No reason was given for the termination of the administrators' employment, but the faculty association regards it as a positive step and is ready to work with the interim president.
"The faculty believe they were unfair in a lot of their decisions," Blanchard said of the old regime.
In other changes on campus, the CTA affiliate has been given approval to fold the 300 part-time faculty into the association, providing "wall-to-wall" representation for the entire faculty - despite attempts by the rival American Federation of Teachers to thwart the deal.
"As far as I can see, the majority of part-time faculty is in support of CTA representing us. We want the same benefits as full-time faculty and I think CTA is really working toward that," said Ernie Mobley, a part-time instructor in physical education.
"I definitely do feel the right decision was made," said Donna Mertens, a part-time business instructor who will become a CCA/CTA member. "I've been on both sides of the bargaining table, as labor and management, and I think it's best to be represented by CTA as one union."
Prior to the November election, the board of trustees refused to discuss changing the contract to allow CCA to represent part-time faculty.
Part timers represented
"Once the new board had taken office, the trustees voted 5-0 in favor of allowing us to represent part timers," Blanchard said. As a result, the association will now start bargaining for more pay, office hours, offices, paid prep time and right of rehire for the part-time faculty.
Faculty members on the Southern California campus, meanwhile, have a whole new lease on life.
"It's all been good for us. The board is now enlisting the faculty - something we haven't had for 12 years," said Gary Menser, president of the association. "Not only were we able to settle our contract, we obtained nine other items we wanted," he said.
In addition to a 6.44 percent raise, the two-year contract provides an additional $1,000 for the faculty cafeteria - benefits plan; a $2,700 increase in the first cell of the salary schedule; a $50 increase in each step; and $100 in each column. Retirement benefits were boosted and re-assigned time compensation was added for faculty senate and department chairs. |
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