As many of you know, the Affordable Care Act has provisions in it that could directly or indirectly impact adjunct faculty at CLC and elsewhere. The CLC-AFO, along with the IFT-AFT, is on top of this and is watching this situation. We feel right now there are too many variables that could impact us and we are diligently trying to receive information so we can make an informed stand. What precipitated this message now is that some adjunct faculty from our sister colleges are rallying in Lombard this Friday (3/8/13) to voice their concerns to community college administrators over the possible impact of this act on their teaching load.
News
The Adjunct Preferences Form
The Adjunct Preferences Form (APF, formerly the Teaching Preferences Form) for the Fall 2013 semester is due no later than Friday, April 5, 2013. Make sure you fill out the entire form and get it in on time. This form was sent to your individual CLC email address. Please follow the instructions contained in the email.
Special Announcement
Members Vote To Ratify CBA
We’ve ratified! On Saturday, August 18, before the annual Division meetings, the membership voted overwhelmingly to ratify the new contract. For those who couldn’t make the meeting, or are not members, below you will find the major changes to the contract. There is also a link to Elise Naccarato-Grosspietsch’s PowerPoint presentation.
We are also happy to report that the Board of Trustees has formally accepted the contract, so all provisions are retroactive to the start of the semester. It will take some time, but the new contract will be posted on this website as soon as possible, and it will also be posted on the CLC Intranet. Hard copies will eventually be available from Kaarin Engstrom, Faculty Coordinator, in Human Resources.
Have a great semester.
What Does It Mean to Be a “Fair Share” Adjunct?
The concept of “fair share” derives from section 11 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA). This law states that the “bargaining representative”, in our case the CLC-AFO, collects dues from bargaining unit members who are not members of the CLC-AFO.
Who is a member of the bargaining unit (BU)? Any adjunct who has taught a minimum of 3 credit hours for 3 consecutive semesters becomes a member of the bargaining unit in that third semester. The CLC-AFO does not represent adjuncts who are in only their first or second semester.
Once an adjunct has become a member of the bargaining unit, s/he can opt to formally join the CLC-AFO by signing a membership form.
Why do non-union members pay dues? Because once they become part of the bargaining unit, they are represented by the union, and enjoy the same benefits and salary increases as members. BU members also are protected by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) just as the union members are. However, BU members who have not formally joined the union cannot vote in union officer elections or to ratify contracts and do not have access to many union perks provided by Local 504, the IFT and the AFT, e.g. retail discounts, auto insurance, etc.
Because BU members enjoy all of the protections and provisions of the CBA, they pay union dues. This is state law. The CLC-AFO officers cannot change this.
Dues are assessed depending upon how much you make each semester. For the 2011-2012 academic year, the dues structure is as follows: Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be a “Fair Share” Adjunct?”