President’s Update

By Mary Gross, FA President

It has been a busy but productive fall for the Faculty Assembly. As you will read in this newsletter, the Chancellor’s Office DEIA Evaluation mandates for all employees has been legally challenged and is now stayed pending further actions. The FA’s philanthropic outreach has been impactful for many organizations and students on campus. FA Leadership attended the CCCI (California Community College Independents) Conference where we connected and learned from fellow independent unions and received guidance and advice from legal counsel. And the FA is well represented on the work of the Calendar Taskforce.

In addition, the FA negotiated an updated and approved Guided Pathways MOU that now codifies the work of our Lead ACP Counselors. Along with Academic Senate Leadership, we enjoyed meeting and getting to know our first-year full-time faculty and shared the work our respective organizations do. The FA Council also approved the 2023-2024 Budget that is funded by your dues (thank you!). We ensured that the fringe benefits philosophy was maintained despite the steep increases from our current providers. We also updated the FA Website that we invite you to visit which contains all meeting agendas with actions taken, related PowerPoints and other materials, as well as current information about membership, MOUs, and other helpful resources.

Education continues to be a primary goal for the Faculty Assembly Council and in October, the FA Council hosted an educational luncheon that focused on learning about Labor Relations; various negotiation strategies; and the people, processes, and timelines involved in a full Contract Reopener as we are scheduled to have next year. Nearly 50 full time faculty joined the education event and had much positive feedback to share:

The FA Luncheon was engaging, meaningful, and welcoming. Markus Berrien, Ed.D

It is productive to learn about negotiating strategies based on the real-life examples discussed at the event. Plus, I never want to miss the free vegan lunch or the raffle! Tyrone Nagai

I am so glad I was able to make the luncheon! I learned a lot about the MCC contract and negotiation process, as well as how "side letters" and MOU's fit in. I enjoyed the interactive process you all set up for us to learn. Thank you! Ticey Hosley

"The Faculty Assembly event was a perfect blend of insightful conversations, glorious eats, and great company. All and all an awesome afternoon!" Rick White

If you were unable to join, you can still access many of the resources and materials from the event.

Our work is never done. We will be considering several MOUs before the end of the academic year, engage in the work of helping to create the state mandated Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, provide feedback to any District Reorganization proposals, and negotiate the working condition impacts that any changes to the Academic Calendar may bring. And of course, we will host another Education Luncheon event on April 12. Mark your calendars!

We hope to see you at our end-of-semester Social Event on December 8 from 3-5 at the Pour House in Oceanside. Join us for complementary drinks and great appetizers, but most importantly, an opportunity to engage socially with your fellow faculty.

Have a wonderful, well-deserved winter break, and I look forward to seeing you in 2024!

Mary