March 25, 2015 Meeting
Agenda
Taft College Faculty Association Agenda
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
- Welcome and Lunch
- Approval of Minutes from February meeting
- Treasurer’s Report
- Cash balance
- TCFCBC Update
- Club Advisor Compensation
- Division Chair Compensation
- Retiree Health Benefits for new employees
- Retirements
- Classified Appreciation Week
- Scholarship Committee (Applications available March 27, 2015, Deadline for selection of recipients April 17, 2015.)
- Other
- Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 12:10pm, Location: Cougar Room (Lunch will be provided)
Minutes
Call to order
President Diane Jones called the meeting to order at 12:12 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Dr. David Layne motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by Mike Mayfield. The motion was unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Cash Balance
Treasurer Ruby Payne reported a balance of $10,406.36 before lunch.
TCFCBC Bargain Update
A). Club Advisor Compensation:
President Diane Jones reported that the bargaining team reached consensus to offer 8 paid club advisor positions (excluding PTK, Dental Hygiene, and ASB, which are already on the salary schedule) at $1,600/year for full-time and adjunct faculty. This option honors past precedent for PTK, Dental Hygiene, and ASB advisors who were not required to submit verification of time spent; additionally, she distributed drafts of the New Club Information and New Club Application forms that will be revised once the Club Advisor Taskforce meets.
Discussion encompassed these points: 1). If more than 8 faculty apply, the committee will select club advisor positions based on the needs of the college and what the potential club(s) may offer; 2). Only faculty within the West Kern Community District will be eligible to become club advisors; 3). Although the current consensus ended with 8 clubs, the topic may still be open for further negotiation; 4). Once a faculty member has been approved as a club advisor, s/he will not have to re-apply unless the club discontinues; 5). The taskforce will address the details regarding renewal and club advisor changes.
Kelly Kulzer made a motion, seconded by Kamala Carlson, to approve the ratification of a MOU, which was unanimously approved. Additionally, President Jones announced that the PTK advisor position is open.
B). Division Chair Compensation:
President Jones updated the Association with the following summary: while this issue has been on the agenda for a year, more data is needed, which Vice President Mark Williams will supply by April 8th. This data—FTES, FTEF, number of adjuncts, divisions open to splitting—will contextualize and help shape further negotiations. President Jones thanked Bill Devine for tracking his time and thanked the Division Chair Taskforce for their work. President Jones also clarified that program lead compensation is a separate issue and that the division chair compensation has not been changed since 2000, although everyone agrees that the duties have increased.
In addition to compensation, President Jones reported that the contract language for selecting a division chair had not been updated. Although a draft was presented, the Administration requested time to review this draft. President Jones asked Association members if they still had an interest in voting for division chairs. Several responded with these comments: 1). Individual faculty voting for division chairs ensures shared governance; 2) In the past, division chairs rotated every two years; 3) faculty have a strong interest in electing division chairs in their areas.
President Jones shared the Administration supports division chairs and has indicated it is exploring taking back duties.
- C) Retiree Health Benefits:
President Jones passed out Craig Johnson’s data that indicated that in 2010, the bargaining team conceded a significant portion of its retiree health benefits for faculty hired after 2010, who would not receive health benefits after 65. This negotiation resulted in the faculty retaining 14.9-21.4% of the benefit and the District retaining 78.6-85.1% of the benefit. The District expressed an interest in exploring other options for reducing the GAS-B liability in response to this data. President Jones added that while faculty comprise 25% of employees, differentiating employee groups may help contextualize the issue. Also, Jones clarified that the District wants to move from a defined benefit to a defined contribution and that the Administration currently receives health but not retirement benefits.
Retirements:
President Jones announced Sonja Swenson plans to retire. Vicki Jacobi made a motion, seconded by Sharyn Eveland, to approve a scholarship of $400 with Swenson selecting the recipient. The motion was approved. Additionally, Linda West expressed her desire to help select a scholarship recipient. Tony Thompson made a motion, seconded by Sharyn Eveland, to approve a chair for Dr. Harold Pease’s retirement. The motion was approved. Sharyn Eveland made a motion, seconded by Joy Reynolds, to approve a plaque for Sonja Swenson pending her decision. The motion was approved.
Classified Appreciation Week:
President Diane Jones requested reimbursement of $150 for 15, $10 Starbucks gift cards from the Association to support Classified Appreciation week. Craig Johnson made a motion to approve reimbursement, seconded by Kelly Kulzer. The motion was approved.
Scholarship Committee
David Layne, Kelly Kulzer, and Candace Duron, the scholarship committee, authorized $3,000 for students and for Association members children attending Taft College. Debbie Hegeman recorded $800, which went unclaimed last year, will be paid for the Swenson and West awards. In response to a question of increasing the amount, President Jones referenced the previous year when the Association voted to increase the scholarship amount and explained that past practice has been to reclaim unclaimed awards.
Other
President Jones reminded everyone of a CTA benefit and of the upcoming April 17th deadline for Foundation Grants.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:58 p.m.
Supporting Docs