 |
| COCC Library 1991 (Now Modoc) |
"October 6 -- 7 - 8 am, Faculty Forum Meeting
-- 8:00 - 8:20 Don G. talks to C. [a hire from my year], Kake
-- 8:20 - 9:20 -- C. and Kake Deconstruct
Faculty Forum
Faculty Froum is the name given to the faculty union. The faculty at COCC no longer belongs to any of the national teacher's labor unions. Instead, every teacher at COCC is a member of the union automatically ($10 per paycheck goes to the union.)
C. and I met up at Deschutes and walked over to Ochoco 5, a room in one of the sciences buildings with chairs attached to risers and tables of the elements on the walls. It isn't odd for things to begin at 7 am around here because so many folks have to be at work at 8. (My first class on Thursday isn't until 9:30).
Bruce N. (the geologist) called the meeting to order. We votes to accept the minutes. We then voted for a new member of the College Affairs committee. Even though there were new folks there, no explanations were given as to who the people were we were voting for and what their stands were in regards the committee. They stood up, we looked at them, and then we wrote our votes on little slips of paper and handed them to the front. C. and I sort of giggled about the guesswork we were doing . . .
Then Don G. -- a clean shaven fellow with a round face, a muscular body (slightly gut spring) blow dried hair and a Dukakis-Bentson button, got up to explain the history of the negotiations. He said that there were five major issues: Faculty governance, professional improvement, faculty loads, contract language, and salary-and-insurance. Those are in order of importance. The first two issues are centered on the question of the PhD. It seems that two years ago, President Fred got a bee up his butt about PhDs -- he decided that those sabbaticals and professional improvement plans which were directly related to producing terminal degrees were those which would get the most support. The administration here decided that without any by-your-leave, handing it as a fait accompli to the faculty. Needless to say, as teachers in a community college (the job of which is to serve the community, not some disciplinary body) the profs here didn't cotton to the PhD idea.
After discussing the main points, G. went on to give an overbiew of the history of the negotiations. They started last February. they originally talked to a team of familiar administrators. Then the administration brought in a lawyer from the outside. Things got bogged down, and everybody went away for the summer (I am not telling you all the details he told us about negotiation -- I have notes on it but you'd just be bored.) When they cam back, they fond that president Fred still won't budge, so it looks like a mediator is coming in from Portland. (Arbitration is illegal in Oregon.) What's going to happen is anybody's guess. Ten years ago there was a similar upheaval, but Fred held out and the faculty rolled over. G. reported that Boyle has said that "Mediation won't do any good."
It's a tense situation. Boyle is retiring in two years. The faculty, which has accepted Pres. Boyle's paternalism for 20 years, is afraid that the new pres will be even more difficult to work with. There was talk at the meeting about the possibility of a strike, but someone said that it wasn't likely unless the faculty had more backbone that it did 10 years ago. Someone mentioned that there was a new school board now which might be more supportive of the faculty. The "ultimate authority" is the board.
L. (a middle aged woman from nursing) asked twice during the meeting if Don wanted a vote of confidence. He said no, that that wasn't necessary at this time.
____________________________________
Tomorrow's post: C. and Kake talk about the meeting.
No comments:
Post a Comment