CFA Report to the Academic Senate

October 25, 2007

This past weekend over 100 CFA representatives from twenty-four campuses meet in San Francisco at the CFA Spring assembly. Guests to assembly included representatives from the Academic Professionals of California, Craig Flannery representative from AAUP, Christine Maitland and Mark Smith from NEA, Janet Munley from National Council of Higher Education.

The following is a summary of the important items passed or discussed by the assembly:

The president’s report thanked the CFA affiliates, such as the California Teachers Association, the National Education Association and the Association of American University Professors for their support of our efforts to pass SB 1413 Portantino. President Taiz extend her gratitude to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. . Unfortunately, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill. The good news is that SB190 by Leland Yee did pass. This bill would force the UC and CSU system to be “more open”.

The APC (Academic Professional of California) report titled “Roots N’ Ribs” was given by Steve Teixeira. The presentation was a proposal for collaboration on retention issues between the CFA and APC began with a graph depiction of the education spending in this state. The consequences of the decline in funding for higher education included an increase in numbers of students who are in need of remediation, a whopping 55 percent of first time freshman in 2005. In 2006, 11 percent of the students who needed remediation were “disenrolled”, because they failed to meet the remediation standards. The need for a collaborative effort to serve these students who are for the most part poor and minority was presented for consideration to the CFA assembly.

A Key Goals and Resources Plan was adopted by the Assembly, included the following:

1)Improve the funding situation for the CSU system above the “Compact” with less reliance on student fees.

2)Through bargaining and other advocacy processes improve the key working conditions for faculty and learning conditions for students, including but not limited to:

  1. Improve the workload situation
  2. Reverse the tenure track decline while protecting job security for incumbent lecturers.
  3. Attain more competitive faculty salaries
  4. Improve our representation processes to protect faculty rights.
  5. Protect healthcare and retirement benefits
  6. Strengthen and protect academic freedom and the profession

3)Identify and support efforts to make our faculty and student body reflect the diversity of the state. Strive to ensure that our union models the way.

4)Ensure that the Board of Trustees and the CSU administration serves as stewards of affordable, quality higher education.

The key goals will serve as CFA’s guiding principles for the next two years. An action plan will be develop with more specificity in the near future.

The political action and legislation report proposed a slight increase in the PAC dues for those who contribute from $6.00 for those who make over $1800.00 a month to $10.00 for those who make over $2000.00 a month.The rationale being that CFA is focusing efforts on political action and this effort will require more funding.

The second proposal is intended to align CFA dues structure to that of the California Teachers Association, the Service Employees International Union, the Firefighters Association and most other campus unions. This year, CFA spent over 1.4 million dollars on bargaining efforts and successfully bargained for a substantial increase in pay. We need to replenish this fund and in two years, we will be engaged in another round of bargaining. Moreover, the CFA is legally responsible for representing the entirety of the CSU faculty and our 100 percent dues paying members pay for these services. In order to create a more fair and equitable dues structure, a new dues structure was passed this weekend. The new dues structure will increase the amount of dues donated by those who pay only 70 percent of what members pay and receive 100 percent of the benefits. The new dues structure will be an opt-out model. The new dues structure passed by the assembly will request that fee payers pay the equivalent in dues, as do our members. The new dues structure will still allow “free riders” to opt-out beginning with the Hudson notice in 2008.

The motions passed overwhelmingly were:

Motion on PAC DUES

The CFA assembly authorizes an increase in the PAC contributions to $10.00 per month for all CFA members, with the exception of faculty earning less than $2000. Per month whose contributions shall be $5.00 per month.

Motion on CFA Resolution “Fair share” Fee Payment by CFA Non-Members

Effective with the January 2008 Hudson notice, non-members shall be notified that then their monthly payments to CFA shall be the equivalent of the dues unless they choose to opt out of this arrangement and pay the legally required agency fee amount. This notification as well as the procedure and timelines for opting out this fair share payment arrangement, shall be include in each Hudson notice and out to the non-members.

The political action and legislation report was presented by former president John Travis revealed that the CSU administration put a lot of “money, time and effort” in defeating AB 1413, but that our efforts to pass the bill were without precedent. We had am impact on the governor’s office “like never before”. We are particularly proud of our PR campaign, and the commercial website (available for review for about a week), on signab1413.com. As we enter the new legislative period, we will be talking about what our full legislative package will look like. We will also be working diligently on the upcoming national and statewide campaigns. Finally, our candidate for CALPERS is Henry Jones is in a run-off. Please encourage our FERP and retired CSU faculty to support the CFA candidate to CALPERS, Henry Jones.

Resolutions passed:

  • Alternative Certification Option for Multiple Subjects BCLAD Credential
  • Equity in Tenure, Promotion and Range Elevation of Women/Women of Color in the CSU
  • Health Insurance Reform in California from the Committee on Health and Retirement Benefits
  • CFA Equity
  • Support University of California Riverside: Latino Advisory Committee
  • Peace and Justice Committee Resolution Blackwater Corporation

If you are interested in the text for the above resolutions, please email: . Furthermore, if you are interested in discussing any of the actions taken by the California Faculty Association’s Assembly, please contact Theresa at the email address above.

Respectfully submitted,

Theresa Montaño

CSUN CFA Chapter President