SEC OF LABOR SOLIS TO ADDRESS DIVERSITY, PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION

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1 From the California Faculty Association or CFA HEADLINES March 16, 2010 Weekly news digest from CFA CFA EQUITY CONFERENCE Secretary of Labor Solis to address diversity, public higher education Faculty to tackle Affirmative Action in a time of economic crisis BARGAINING Bargaining survey complete; CFA prepares for next steps CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES Faculty discuss Early Start remediation with Trustees Watch the video on the importance of Early Start THE STATE BUDGET & THE CSU Send a text message to support public education funding New CPEC report: Increased funding needed to cope with enrollment crush Sign the petition to support the California Democracy Act Join the March for California s Future FACULTY RIGHTS PERB issues complaint against CSU San Bernardino Admin UPCOMING EVENTS * * * CFA EQUITY CONFERENCE SEC OF LABOR SOLIS TO ADDRESS DIVERSITY, PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION In the aftermath of nationwide protests aimed at raising awareness about the crisis in public education, members of the California Faculty Association (CFA) are joining with U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to discuss the importance of diversity and proper funding for all sectors of public education.

2 At the 2010 CFA Equity Conference which will take place Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles CFA will bring together faculty members from the 23 California State University campuses, students and community leaders to address issues of diversity. Secretary Solis herself a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona and former community college board member will be on hand to speak with faculty and students about the value of higher education in general and its relationship to entering the labor force. FACULTY TO TACKLE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN A TIME OF ECONOMIC CRISIS In addition to Solis visit, the Equity Conference will feature two days of discussion and debate about what can be done to protect access to education for low-income, under-represented students the segment of the population that is being hurt the most by the record budget cuts in California. The theme of the event will be, Affirmative Action in a Time of Economic Crisis. The issue of affordability, opportunity and access to the CSU for under-represented students is a central concern to the vibrancy, vitality and viability of the university, said Cecil E. Canton, CFA Associate Vice President and chair of the CFA Council for Affirmative Action. The cuts to higher education have the biggest impact on low-income students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college. This is a conference designed to address what we can do as a community to stop the bleeding and make sure higher education in California remains accessible to all students, added Canton, a professor of Criminal Justice at CSU Sacramento. BARGAINING BARGAINING SURVEY COMPLETE; CFA PREPARES FOR NEXT STEP OF PROCESS This week CFA completed its bargaining survey for 2010 about members concerns and priorities for the next contract. There was strong turnout for the survey, with roughly 30 percent of CFA members making their opinions known. With the current collective bargaining agreement (contract) between CFA and the CSU administration set to expire at the end of June, negotiations will soon begin in earnest on a faculty contract that will succeed the one under which we now work.

3 This process is guided by requirements spelled out in the Higher Education Employer- Employee Relations Act (HEERA) and is overseen by the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). The initial stage in this process is the adoption of public notice proposals, also called sunshine proposals. CFA s Contract Development & Bargaining Strategy Committee, chaired by Chris Haynes (Geology, Humboldt), is currently compiling the suggestions from campus meetings that took place last fall and the returned surveys into an initial list of bargaining proposals to be made by CFA. CSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES FACULTY DISCUSS EARLY START REMEDIATION WITH TRUSTEES The CSU Board of Trustees meets in Long Beach this week to take up important educational policy issues, including the possible adoption of an Early Start program for the CSU. To view the agenda and preliminary reports for the Trustees meeting, go to: Among the items on the agenda for this meeting is a proposal that would require first-year students beginning in 2012 to complete some level of remedial coursework before enrolling in the regular term, which would mean thousands who fail to pass these courses would be unable to enter a CSU campus. Faculty members and students will be on hand to speak to the Trustees about the perils of this potential change and how it could adversely affect the under-served population and firstgeneration college students. WATCH THE VIDEO ON THE IMPORTANCE REMEDIAL EDUCATION As part of their presentation to the Trustees faculty, staff and students have created a video about the importance of this program as it currently exists and how it has positively affected the lives of so many. Watch the video on Youtube.com: Part 1: Part 2:

4 THE STATE BUDGET & THE CSU SEND A TEXT MESSAGE TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING College students are using technology to rally for education funding. Students are asking all Californians to text No More Cuts to to show their support for community college funding as the state continues to slash budget allocations for higher education. The effort will take place March 12 19, Participants are asked to text No More Cuts to The messages will be gathered and presented to legislators at the statewide March in March rally for community colleges on March 22, 2010, in Sacramento. CFA urges you to continue the message of March 4 and join this cause by sending your text message today. To learn more, visit: NEW CPEC REPORT: INCREASED FUNDING NEEDED TO COPE WITH EXPECTED ENROLLMENT CRUSH The state agency that tracks the health of California s public higher education system released a report last week revealing a drastic loss in access to college by the state s students. The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) study, Ready or Not, Here They Come, found that more than 275,000 eligible California students will be turned away over the next nine years from the state s community colleges, California State University, and University of California. In the CSU, the chancellor is in the process of turning away 40,000 eligible students by the end of this year. The chancellor implemented enrollment cuts as the state reduced funding to the CSU by about $1 billion over the past two years. The governor proposed to restore a fraction of that funding $305 million in his 2010/11budget plan. To view the study, go to: CPEC s report reinforces what many other reports have shown; California s future is on the line and this report shows how drastic the situation is, said CFA President Lillian Taiz. To view several other significant reports examining the fiscal health and value of the CSU, go to: SIGN THE PETITION TO SUPPORT THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRACY ACT

5 Faculty members, students and CSU supporters now have an opportunity to take concrete action to help break the gridlock in the state legislature, which will help rebuild public education and services. The CFA Board of Directors has voted to endorse the effort and urges faculty to join the signature-gathering campaign to get the California Democracy Act on the fall ballot. If approved by the voters, this initiative will end the 2/3 vote required to make any budget or revenue changes in the state (all other states require a simple majority). You cannot sign the petition electronically, but you can go on-line to print out an individual signature form, which then must be signed and sent in by U.S. mail. Full instructions and a downloadable petition are on the website. JOIN THE MARCH FOR CALIFORNIA S FUTURE The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and education supporters throughout the state continue to take part in a 48-day March for California s Future. The marchers are bringing more attention to the crisis in public education as they move north from Bakersfield up the Central Valley stopping at CSU Fresno and CSU Sacramento toward an April 21 rally at the State Capitol. You can follow the March for California s Future and learn more at: FACULTY RIGHTS PERB ISSUES COMPLAINT AGAINST CSU SAN BERNARDINO ADMIN The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has issued a complaint against the campus administration at San Bernardino. The complaint stems from the campus administration s refusal to meet and confer with CFA over adding a requirement that Lecturers teaching in the School of Business be either "academically qualified" (AQ) or "professionally qualified" (PQ). CFA Director of Representation Bernhard Rohrbacher commented that this requirement raises workload issues - because Lecturers typically are not paid for the time it takes to conduct the research needed to become AQ, and because full-time lecturers do not have the time to put in additional work outside business activities to become PQ.

6 Of special interest is the second theory on which PERB issued the complaint: That CSU failed to consult with CFA about the decision to impose this requirement. Under HEERA, "the scope of representation shall not include... "criteria and standards to be used for the appointment... of academic employees." For this reason, CSU did not have to meet and confer with CFA over the decision itself, only over its impact on, e.g., workload. But HEERA also states that "[t]he exclusive representative shall have the right to consult and be consulted on matters excluded from the scope of representation" such as the "criteria and standards" mentioned above. However, this right to consult has never been litigated, and CFA s case will be the first one to do so in the State of California. UPCOMING EVENTS Ongoing March for California s Future March CFA Equity Conference - Los Angeles, CA For more details: Contact your campus CFA Affirmative Action Rep. or CFA Chapter President March 29 César Chávez Day Holiday CFA offices closed April CFA Assembly - Los Angeles, CA More details & registration info will be announced soon * * * Join CFA s social network on Facebook at: For the latest news, follow CFA on Twitter at: See CFA and other great video on: * * * If you receive these Headlines directly from the calfac-l list and wish to unsubscribe, please go to If you receive these Headlines as a forwarded message from someone other than the calfac-l list and do not want to receive it, please contact the person who forwarded it to you. If you receive these headlines as a forwarded message and wish to begin receiving them weekly directly from calfac-l go to to sign up. See back issues of CFA Headlines, sent each Tuesday, at Update your contact info in the CFA member database at the Help Desk at

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