We won! 162 YES, 38 No.
We will be in touch soon about an inaugural membership meeting and preparations for contract negotiations.
Best,
The KVCC-FT Organizing Committee:
Dr. Catherine Barnard
Nancy Beers
Ann Marie Boyle
Christopher Karbowski
Kyle Kelly
Laurie Nic
Edward O’Dowd
Kelly O’Leary
Dr. Nishani Samaraweera
Thomas Schurino
Jean Snow
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KVCC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (KVCC-FT)
729 Academy Street
Kalamazoo MI 49007
office@kvccft.org
Friday, May 25, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Reminder
All KVCC-FT ballots must be mailed by Monday, May 21st, in order for your vote to be counted.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Dear Part-time Colleagues:
Our last communication with you briefly explained the teleconference
whereby the KVCC Federation of Teachers and the College’s administration
had to decide on language governing who would be eligible to vote in the
certification election.
We are happy to report that an agreement defining eligibility was
reached on Monday! Part-time instructors who are teaching at least one
credit in the current semester--including those who work full-time at
the college & have a second appointment as p-t faculty--will have the
opportunity to cast ballots. To be eligible to vote, you must have been
employed on March 27, the date the petition was filed with the state.
The election will be conducted by mail through the Michigan Employment
Relations Commission (MERC):
**Ballots will be sent by mail May 4
**Ballots will be due at MERC May 23
**Ballots will be counted May 24
We will send out additional details closer to the election, along with a
sample ballot! Following the election, we will need to formalize the
organization's structure with a constitution and the election of
officers -- and then begin preparations for negotiations. If you are
interested in getting involved, please reply to this message!
Sincerely,
The KVCC-FT Organizing Committee:
Dr. Catherine Barnard
Nancy Beers
Ann Marie Boyle
Christopher Karbowski
Kyle Kelly
Laurie Nic
Edward O’Dowd
Kelly O’Leary
Dr. Nishani Samaraweera
Thomas Schurino
Jean Snow
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KVCC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (KVCC-FT)
729 Academy Street
Kalamazoo MI 49007
office@kvccft.org
Our last communication with you briefly explained the teleconference
whereby the KVCC Federation of Teachers and the College’s administration
had to decide on language governing who would be eligible to vote in the
certification election.
We are happy to report that an agreement defining eligibility was
reached on Monday! Part-time instructors who are teaching at least one
credit in the current semester--including those who work full-time at
the college & have a second appointment as p-t faculty--will have the
opportunity to cast ballots. To be eligible to vote, you must have been
employed on March 27, the date the petition was filed with the state.
The election will be conducted by mail through the Michigan Employment
Relations Commission (MERC):
**Ballots will be sent by mail May 4
**Ballots will be due at MERC May 23
**Ballots will be counted May 24
We will send out additional details closer to the election, along with a
sample ballot! Following the election, we will need to formalize the
organization's structure with a constitution and the election of
officers -- and then begin preparations for negotiations. If you are
interested in getting involved, please reply to this message!
Sincerely,
The KVCC-FT Organizing Committee:
Dr. Catherine Barnard
Nancy Beers
Ann Marie Boyle
Christopher Karbowski
Kyle Kelly
Laurie Nic
Edward O’Dowd
Kelly O’Leary
Dr. Nishani Samaraweera
Thomas Schurino
Jean Snow
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KVCC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (KVCC-FT)
729 Academy Street
Kalamazoo MI 49007
office@kvccft.org
Friday, April 13, 2012
You have probably seen office doors blossom out in yellow, much like spring daffodils with the promise of a new day dawning. Your door may already look like a daffodil garden, but if you haven’t yet received a “STRONGEST TOGETHER” sticker, reply to this email, and your name will bloom, too.
On Friday, April 6, at 1:00 PM, we teleconferenced with the attorney for the College and the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) to determine a definition of who will be able to vote in the election. The brief conversation went very well, and with a little adjustment in language we should be able to reach an agreement. We contend that anyone who teaches part-time, whether one credit or ten credits, should be allowed to vote, and it appears that the Administration agrees.
We ask for your public support in the coming weeks. Let’s make every office door an acclamation that we stand STRONGEST TOGETHER. Once the voting date has been set, let’s all agree to have our names printed on a poster in support of a YES vote. A new day is dawning.
In Solidarity,
The Organizing Committee
Please reply to office@kvccft.org to give permission for a sticker on your office hour posting and your name on our campaign poster.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
March 29, 2012
Dear Member of the KVCC Federation Of Teachers (KVCC-FT):
We are proud to announce that we filed our union membership cards and a
representation petition with the Michigan Employment Relations
Commission (MERC) on Tuesday, March 27. We formally notified Dr.
Schlack by letter (atached) on Wednesday, March 28.
Within the next week or two, MERC will contact the KVCC-FT Organizing
Committee and the College’s administration to discuss the details and
date of the election that will certify the organization so that we may
begin negotiations on such issues as salary increases, job security,
health insurance, and clear policies governing evaluations, grievances
and absences. With an enthusiastic majority of KVCC part-time faculty
signed on, we are confident about the outcome of the election!
"The committee recognizes the need for open communication with the
administration and our full-time colleagues," said Dr. Catherine
Barnard, part-time Psychology instructor of 15 years, who was
instrumental in forming the committee which represents a number of
departments at KVCC.
Although we don’t know what the administration’s response will be to so
many signatures, we intend to maintain the same degree of
professionalism that we bring to the classroom. Indeed, we are intent
upon establishing an ethical working relationship with the
administration, not only for the best interests of those we represent,
but also for the benefit of our students and the College, itself.
It may be unlikely, but if administrators see fit to instigate an
anti-union campaign to inspire fear, we will hold our ground, for we
have tremendous strength in our numbers. Anti-union campaigns typically
consist of letters of "concern" from management that paint a union as an
outside third-party over which we have no control – rather than as a
democratic organization that allows us more control over our jobs and
our lives.
This is an exciting time for all of us, but we still have a lot of work
to accomplish. Between now and the election, we will be calling upon
you to show your support.
Sincerely,
The KVCC-FT Organizing Committee:
Dr. Catherine Barnard
Nancy Beers
Ann Marie Boyle
Christopher Karbowski
Kyle Kelly
Laurie Nic
Edward O’Dowd
Kelly O’Leary
Dr. Nishani Samaraweera
Thomas Schurino
Jean Snow
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KVCC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (KVCC-FT)
729 Academy Street
Kalamazoo MI 49007
office@kvccft.org
Dear Member of the KVCC Federation Of Teachers (KVCC-FT):
We are proud to announce that we filed our union membership cards and a
representation petition with the Michigan Employment Relations
Commission (MERC) on Tuesday, March 27. We formally notified Dr.
Schlack by letter (atached) on Wednesday, March 28.
Within the next week or two, MERC will contact the KVCC-FT Organizing
Committee and the College’s administration to discuss the details and
date of the election that will certify the organization so that we may
begin negotiations on such issues as salary increases, job security,
health insurance, and clear policies governing evaluations, grievances
and absences. With an enthusiastic majority of KVCC part-time faculty
signed on, we are confident about the outcome of the election!
"The committee recognizes the need for open communication with the
administration and our full-time colleagues," said Dr. Catherine
Barnard, part-time Psychology instructor of 15 years, who was
instrumental in forming the committee which represents a number of
departments at KVCC.
Although we don’t know what the administration’s response will be to so
many signatures, we intend to maintain the same degree of
professionalism that we bring to the classroom. Indeed, we are intent
upon establishing an ethical working relationship with the
administration, not only for the best interests of those we represent,
but also for the benefit of our students and the College, itself.
It may be unlikely, but if administrators see fit to instigate an
anti-union campaign to inspire fear, we will hold our ground, for we
have tremendous strength in our numbers. Anti-union campaigns typically
consist of letters of "concern" from management that paint a union as an
outside third-party over which we have no control – rather than as a
democratic organization that allows us more control over our jobs and
our lives.
This is an exciting time for all of us, but we still have a lot of work
to accomplish. Between now and the election, we will be calling upon
you to show your support.
Sincerely,
The KVCC-FT Organizing Committee:
Dr. Catherine Barnard
Nancy Beers
Ann Marie Boyle
Christopher Karbowski
Kyle Kelly
Laurie Nic
Edward O’Dowd
Kelly O’Leary
Dr. Nishani Samaraweera
Thomas Schurino
Jean Snow
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KVCC FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (KVCC-FT)
729 Academy Street
Kalamazoo MI 49007
office@kvccft.org
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Envision a campus where non-tenured faculty…
Sit on committees to enact clear and consistent policies that affect us:
ü Pay schedules
ü Contract language (define: “excessive student complaints”)
ü Evaluation procedures
ü Grievances
ü Sick days
ü Orientation and mentoring
ü Faculty Success Center offerings
ü Grading Systems
ü Syllabi
ü Office hours
Are paid according to our level of education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D.’s), years of service to the College, and consideration for the off-hours work required.
Earn job security and grow in seniority semester-by-semester.
Receive benefits full-time faculty and staff enjoy:
- Healthcare
- Sick days
- Tuition reimbursement
- Access to insurance plans and Workman’s Compensation
Gain top priority in filling new full-time positions.
Undergo an ethical, fair and transparent evaluation system.
Have the opportunity to evaluate administration.
Share offices according to our curriculum so as to create communities for the exchange of ideas.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
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