September 11, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
In our last contract struggle, which concluded in January, unprecedented numbers of us participated – observing bargaining, attending departmental union meetings, rallies, pickets, board meetings and signing the strike pledge. It worked. With a credible strike threat, we bargained the best contract we’ve ever had. Need proof? Check your October paycheck 😉
So…. wanna do it again? Better?
It’s time for us to begin preparing for our contract reopener, which begins in April, 2025. The reopener is mostly about wages and benefits, but it will also include bargaining over the impact of the new AP classification system and could include things like supporting shared governance. One of our first steps is to form our bargaining team, and a concrete process for all members to regularly meet with our bargaining team representatives.
According to our FFAP Constitution, the Bargaining Team is appointed by the FFAP President and approved by the Executive Council. Serving on the bargaining team is a huge commitment, and it requires a lot of learning, but anyone can do it.
If you’re interested in serving on the Bargaining Team, or just want to discuss what that would entail, please email me at ben.cushing@pccffap.org. There are probably more people who are interested than we can fit on the team, so if you don’t end up being on the Bargaining Team, there are many other ways you can participate. Experienced members of the Bargaining Team can also help mentor people who are interested in participating in the future.
We’re also going to begin holding regular union meetings for all the members of each job class: Full Time Faculty (FT), Part Time Faculty (PT), Academic Professional (AP) and Career and Technical Education (CTE). These meetings will give space for us to develop shared goals for organizing with our coworkers and bargaining a contract that addresses our issues. Each job class will meet regularly, facilitated by the elected Lead Steward for that group as well as the bargaining team member(s) in that group. Check out the diagram below. For example, I’m FT, so I’d attend a regular meeting of all FT faculty union members, facilitated by the FT Lead Steward and the FT member(s) of the Bargaining Team. So, when my coworkers and I identify a problem, we can brainstorm solutions and communicate with those of us in union leadership. My hope is that this process will help all of us be more connected to the bargaining table, and increase our capacity for democratic participation.
This Fall, democracy is on all of our minds. But democracy doesn’t just matter on election day. We need to build a more democratic union and fight for a more democratic workplace.
In solidarity,
Ben
President, FFAP
Sociology Faculty