Looking Back and Warning Forward

May 2022

www.AFT1521.org

President’s Message

For my Real News column this month, I am sharing comments I made to the LACCD Board of Trustees in May.

These are not the comments I thought I would be making today. I thought I would thank those in the room for caring so much about our students-and I do thank those of you with whom I have worked over decades to improve the lives of our students and our faculty.

I thought I would reflect on the four Chancellors, three recessions and one pandemic that I worked on with you - the most drastic effects of those recessions being staved off by labor's efforts to pass Propositions 25, 30 and 55. And I thought I would reflect on the battles with and ultimate reform of the ACCJC and with our efforts to pass bonds going back to Prop A in 2000, followed by Props AA, J, and CC, and perhaps yet another.

I would have added comments about that Supreme Court's Janus decision five years ago which caused us to look straight into the soul of the Guild and find the inner organizer in each of us. And I would have noted how the pandemic became an opportunity to showcase our many strengths and unlimited creativity and resilience, while holding us accountable for parity and equity between and among us.

In Unity,

Joanne Waddell

AFT 1521 President

Local 1521 Welcomes New Officers

AFT Local 1521 has elected the following officers:

President: James McKeever

Executive Vice-President: William Elarton-Selig

Treasurer: Xiaoyang Behlendorf

Secretary: Picolya Robinson

To see the full list of elected chapter presidents and executive board delegates, click here.

1521 Welcomes New Trustee Dr. Kelsey Iino

By Evan Henerson

The confirmation of former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos inspired Dr. Kelsey Iino to take the next step in her leadership journey…but not in the way that you might think.

On April 13, the LACCD Board of Trustees appointed Iino to fill the vacancy created when Mike Fong left his Board Seat #7 after being elected to the California Assembly. And to hear Iino tell it, the nation’s shifting political landscape played a significant role in her choosing this path.

Back in 2016, Iino was already a tenured faculty member in the counseling department at El Camino College. She was an active member of AFT 1388, the El Camino College Federation of Teachers and a delegate to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. Busy as she already was, when the country elected new leadership that put former president Donald Trump in the White House and, subsequently, DeVos into the cabinet, Iino gave serious thought about how she could make an even greater impact.

Election 2022: AFT 1521 COPE Endorsements and CFT Educators Choice Voter Guide

Ballots have arrived for the June 7 primary election, and once again we have the opportunity to support candidates and measures that support our schools and California’s working families.

Before you vote, please take a moment to review both the AFT 1521 Committee on Political Education (COPE) endorsements and the CFT’s Educators Choice Voter Guide. These guides contain voting recommendations for both statewide and local candidates and measures that will appear on your ballot.

Remember to cast your ballot!

A Force at the Part-Time Faculty Conference

Whether they are referred to as “adjuncts,” “part-timers” or “contingent faculty,” those faculty members who are not full-time faculty in AFT 1521 know how to make their voices heard.

With fair treatment and health care benefits among their goals, approximately 17 Guild members turned up at the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) Part-Time Faculty Conference held May 1-2 in Sacramento. The attendees included members from all nine LACCD campuses and was the largest turnout of any faculty union in the state. Guild Political Director Natalina Monteiro and Organizer Seo Yun Son also attended.

“Our group’s presence was definitely felt,” said Son, who noted that Monteiro represented AFT 1521 virtually at the CFT panel on recent political wins at a local level.

Click on this link for information on discounts and savings for union members.

Motions Passed at E-Board Meeting, March 15, 2022

Send a Letter to the California Legislature to support a resolution that secures $12M in ongoing state funds for Labor Centers at UC Berkeley, Los Angeles, and Merced to help start labor studies programs at other UC campuses.

Approve $12,000 to help defray the costs for 20 adjunct faculty to attend the Part Timer Conference May 1-2, 2022, in Sacramento.

2020-2023 L.A. College Faculty Guild Contract is Available

The L.A. College Faculty Guild 2020-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement in print is here! In our effort to go green, we have printed a limited number of paper copies for guild members. The PDF version of the complete contract has been available for all to download on the Faculty Guild website here. However, if you’d like a print version, please provide us your updated mailing address in the following form.

AFT 1521

3356 Barham Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90068

323-851-1521

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