Dear Faculty:

There are moments in life when we are called upon to unite and be counted.

This is that time. Our contribution to this district that we love so much

is neither respected nor rewarded.

As a Trustee put it last Thursday night, "there are plenty of teachers on

the market who can replace those who are complaining."

Our contributions to the success of the WVMCCD district have become

expected and go largely unnoticed. In fact, there are Board members who

think we have a four-day workweek because of the compressed calendar. They

have no clue about the work in which we engage on Fridays and yes,

Saturdays, and, yes, even Sundays.

If you want more proof of this lack of respect and reward, consider that,

after our appeal to the Board on Thursday night, the district submitted a

new compensation offer on the table on Tuesday: one-half of one percent on

the salary schedule and a 3% bonus. The one-half of one per cent on the

salary schedule amounts to 75 cents a day, not enough for a daily cup of

coffee at Starbucks.

And, yes, benefits have not gone away and will be the issue at the

negotiating table in the fall. The Board wants cost containment and they

want it the simple, easy way - on the backs of employees. They have made

no effort to look at alternate means to cost contain our medical benefits.

Just read the minutes of the entire last year's benefits committee

meetings.

And, there is the continuing resentment that some Board members won't let

go of their assertion - that the faculty didn't step up to the plate

during the lay off crisis. Despite the fact that they received

approximately $400,000 in conference and sabbatical funds, hundreds of

thousands of dollars of savings from a prescription card, Blue Shield

co-pays and increased deductibles, they didn't get a salary decrease.

Despite the fact that they restored everyone else except the faculty so

that the faculty not only gave but also keep on giving and giving - that

wasn't enough.

We are entering our third year with no salary increase. We have had no

Cost of Living adjustment. We have over half of our faculty with no

retirement program. We have given substantial benefit concessions within

the last two years. And now they want even more compensation concessions.

Look at what San Jose/Evergreen negotiated. Two years of continued no cost

medical benefits plus a bonus and 90% of COLA next year that translates to

at least a 3% raise. We can't compete with our sister colleges anymore.

Foothill/DeAnza received 2.41% in a cost of living adjustment and no

premium caps. Contrary to Trustee Schwartz's statements, most of the

districts do not have premium caps. Go online to the various contracts of

our sister colleges and you can see for yourselves.

The district's attitude toward associate faculty is similar to their

attitude toward full time faculty; that is, easily replaceable, no need to

reward further and little respect for work done. ACE says that a part

timer should be paid 88% of what a full timer earns for the instruction

portion of the job and that it should be calculated by what a full timer

earns in salary and benefits. The district says no. They give no

explanation for the "no" other than to say they think 82.5% of what a full

timer costs is fair but only what a full timer costs in terms of salary.

No one is asking to get rich. Faculty are asking for an equitable

distribution of the resources. The district insists it does not have the

money but our facts belie that statement. Then they question our facts but

they never put out facts of their own to disprove ours.

They restored every other group on campus except us. Those groups didn't

have to bargain to get restored. The district simply did it. In April,

after a whole year of negotiation, the district offered to restore, at

least, our conference monies but they didn't just do it for us. They put

it on the table as a bargaining tool. So everyone else gets theirs without

bargaining for it but us.

The district is willing and able to raise other people's salaries - the

Chancellor's, the Vice Chancellor's, the two Presidents, and a number of

managers who accepted "additional responsibilities." Of course, in our

four-day workweek of packed classrooms beyond our agreed numbers, it is

not recognized that we have taken on "additional responsibilities." In

Sandi Dillon's contract for a four-day workweek, the district pays $79,500

for six months of her employment. For six months! The cost of Ms. Dillon

alone would pay for the one half of one percent of salary to our entire

faculty.

The district once again has a carry over - this time to the tune of $6

million into 2005-2006. They have chosen to share only one-half of one per

cent and a 3% bonus with us. They could share much more.

And now we see the Governor's revise and it is stunningly friendly to

community colleges. This district is going to have even more than its $6

million in carryover to budget. This persistent unwillingness to share and

the mantra that they do not have the money must stop.

ACE is calling for us to take action that will remind our district of our

value to the institution to which we are so committed. All we have to

leverage is our labor and so ACE is calling for a "work to contract"

action to begin in fall 2005.

We will do our job and we will continue to do it well. We will teach every

student we committed to teach as outlined in our performance goal plans.

We will attend every meeting and perform every office hour and teach every

class that is required of us in our 37-1/2 hour workweek. When our class

fills to the level to which we committed in our performance plan, we will

ask for another section to open and thus give our part timers additional

work and students the classes they need.

When our office hours are over for the day, we will hand a flyer to those

students still waiting to see us that explains why we cannot stay longer.

When our 37-1/2 hour week is completed, we will explain to all those

committees that need our participation that we will be happy to help as

soon as our time opens up.

This is tough love. And it makes some faculty uncomfortable. They fear the

impact on students. They fear our absence on committees will result in

policies not to our liking. They fear some action will bring harm to a

program. All of these are legitimate fears. But they can be overcome. We

can prevent harm to programs. We can meet the needs of our students with

careful planning and attention. We can avoid most of the negatives. But,

at some point, we MUST factor into the equation the needs of our faculty.

ACE is saying that this - the status quo - is unacceptable. We have part

timers who are paid miserably and have no health insurance. We have new

faculty who want a career here but are looking to move on to better

pastures. We have retiring faculty who gave up larger salary increases to

protect their benefits and now those benefits are threatened. And we have

the faculty in between who work long hours and drive long distances and

give so much of their heart to our district and are only asking for a

living wage. It's time, says ACE, to meet their needs.

This is a labor of love. We have tried reasonableness and cooperation and

evidence and solid proposals for two years. It has resulted in nothing.

Our entire year of work is being tabled to next year with no resolutions

to anything of consequence.

Are we satisfied with the status quo such that we are unwilling to take

this action or are we prepared to stand together to work toward a better

future for all of us? That is the question and ACE recommends that the

answer be a resounding and united "NO" to the status quo and "YES" to a

better future.

Please read our newsletter carefully. It is coming out on Tuesday. Then,

please participate in our vote on whether to initiate a "work to contract"

action in the fall. The instructions for voting will be sent to you on

Wednesday.

If the vote is yes, we will provide ample information and instructions on

how to "work to contract" over the summer and immediately beginning the

fall semester. You will be fully informed and every ACE Council member

will be available to help you with any questions you have or issues that

may arise.

The time has come, fellow faculty. We need to unite to defend our district

and our college and our colleagues.

Pat Andrews, President