AAFMCC, Association of Adjunct Faculty of Macomb Community College, AFT Local 6533
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BELIEVE IT--WE HAVE A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT!

6/23/2019

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MEDIA RELEASE--AAFMCC FILES FACT-FINDING PETITION TODAY

5/7/2019

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REVISED ANNOUNCEMENT: SURVEY RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS

4/29/2019

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SURVEY RESULTS & UPCOMING ACTIONS

4/18/2019

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URGENT INFORMATIONAL MEETING THIS SAT., MARCH 9

3/5/2019

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Mediation Session #1

1/14/2019

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Contract negotiations resumed on Wednesday, January 9, as AAFMCC met with the state-appointed mediator for the first time. During the session, which lasted from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., the mediator spent time individually consulting with AAFMCC and The College in order to learn about what has ensued at the bargaining table at the last few sessions and better understand the issues that have not yet resolved. 

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The Good News
It’s looking like The College is willing to grant AAFMCC our request for campus-wide seniority for online teaching. We did not thoroughly discuss the details or contract language that will reflect this change, but we hope to do so during our upcoming sessions.

The Bad News
The College is still unwilling  to accept our requests for increased PTO and our proposal for course cancellation stipends (or our alternative Section 4 proposals for improving assignment and reassignment procedures).

The College is also maintaining its latest salary proposal, which is hardly competitive with current adjunct compensation at comparable community colleges (see November 30 blog post for more information about The College’s salary proposal).

Moving Forward
Based on our interactions with The College at the first mediation session, AAFMCC is worried that that The College is using mediation as a tactic to make AAFMCC settle for what The College has offered us us.

Although it is the mediator’s goal to work with each party to persuade them to resolve their differences and enter into a mutually acceptable agreement, a mediator’s recommendations are non-binding, and ultimately, a mediator has no authority to compel a settlement.

If we are unable to solve our issues during mediation, the next step in the process is fact finding: a formal procedure where a state-appointed fact finder will conduct a hearing relating to all of the facts in dispute. According to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC), “the value of fact finding is that after a formal hearing, the parties receive an objective and professional evaluation of their bargaining positions.” Much like during mediation, the fact finder’s report is not binding, and the parties may accept the recommendations in whole or in part.

If a fact-finding hearing doesn’t facilitate an agreement between both parties, then the final step is arbitration. As published by MERC, “The majority decision of the arbitration panel is binding on the parties and enforceable in circuit court, if the conclusions are supported by competent, material, and substantial evidence on the overall record.”
This means that AAFMCC could spend several more months attempting to pass our proposals and several more months working without a contract or a raise without any guarantee that the arbitration panel will side in our favor.

Mediation and fact finding are both lengthy processes that must occur before arbitration. Ideally, mediation would facilitate the necessary collaboration and communication to settle our disputes, but since The College has indicated that they do not intend to move on the unresolved issues or increase their compensation package, it appears that The College is just going through the motions to either “starve us out” or push the process forward to arbitration in hopes that the arbitration panel will make a final decision that is favorable to The College.  

Final Thoughts
MCC adjuncts deserve more than what The College is offering us. MCC needs to make it a financial priority to compensate adjuncts competitive wages that reflect the quality instruction that we provide to students.

AAFMCC is dedicated to upholding our mission:
  1. To end the sense of isolation and disenfranchisement many adjuncts experience by creating a deeper sense of community and support.
  2. To create a more fair and harmonious working environment, not only between administration and adjuncts, but among adjuncts themselves.
  3. To fulfill the promise of mutual respect and the recognition of the invaluable service adjuncts provide to higher education.
  4. To erase the stigma of “casual and temporary labor” often associated with adjunct instructors while eventually achieving the parity and equity we deserve.
  5. ​To enforce a fair contract, openly and mutually bargained, duly and democratically ratified by its members for the betterment of its members.

The AAFMCC Bargaining Team needs to keep fighting.
AAFMCC members need to keep fighting, too.

We are crucial to this institution, and we can not settle for wages and working conditions that minimize our value!  

We are the 76%, and we deserve better!


Our second mediation session is scheduled for February 14. Stay tuned for future updates.

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Nov. 27: Unresolved Issues at the Bargaining Table

11/30/2018

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The Bad News
On November 8 (prior to our last two bargaining sessions), The College requested a mediator. 

As for the other 4 remaining unresolved issues, the College has informed us that they “are not moving” on our other requests.

Contract negotiations will reconvene in January, and a mediator will be joining us at the bargaining table.

Unresolved Issue #1: Paid Time Off 
Highlights 
  • We currently have 1 paid day off. 
  • We have presented several proposals for increased time off or sick days.
  • Instead of making any counter offer, The College has repeatedly denied our requests.

Unresolved Issue #2: Course Assignment, Cancellation, and Reassignment Processes (4.5, 4.10, and 4.11) 
Highlights
  • Our main concern here is that current contract language does little to ensure course reassignment.
  • AAFMCC has proposed that The College pay adjuncts a one-credit stipend if an adjunct does not receive a reassignment after their course has been cancelled or reassigned to another instructor.
  • We feel that this course cancellation fee would motivate The College to offer reassignments for cancelled courses, and if a reassignment offer can’t be made, as a last resort, The College would pay the adjunct instructor a one-credit stipend to partially compensate for the lost course and for the work that they did to prepare for the course.  

Unresolved Issue #3: College-Wide Seniority for Online Teaching 
Highlights
  • Currently, there is no consistency with regard to how seniority is determined for adjuncts who teach online.
  • AAFMCC contends that since online teaching is not physically carried out at Center or South Campus, seniority for online teaching should be college wide--NOT campus specific.

Unresolved Issue #4: Salary (Section 15) 
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Highlights
  • The greatest increases are concentrated in Steps 2 and 3.
    • ​​Approximately 90% of us are at Step 4, so these increases are deceptive in the way that they will only benefit a small percentage of us.
  • The College’s Salary Proposal still only has 4 steps, and since most of us are already at Step 4, the longstanding problem remains: we still have no opportunities for step advancement.
  • What The College is offering us is hardly competitive with adjunct faculty rates at comparable community colleges.
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  • The Step 4 Winter 2019 ($832.57), 2019-2020 ( $853.38), and 2020-2021 ($874.71) proposed salary rates are lower than the 2018/CURRENT average rate of $884.01 at comparable colleges.
    • That means that in 2021, when we’re earning $874.71 per credit hour, we will still be making less than the 2018 average of $884.01.
  • MCC is a tier one school. St. Clair Community College is tier two school, and their adjuncts secured some pretty hefty raises in their new contract.
    • In 2019-2020, St. Clair will be at $850/credit hour
    • In 2020-2021, St. Clair will be at $1000/credit hour
      • MCC is only offering us $874.71 for 2020-2021. This is hardly a competitive rate for a tier one community college.
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Nov. 27: Some good News From The Bargaining Table

11/29/2018

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​At our last bargaining session on Tuesday, November 27, AAFMCC presented The College with a proposal package that targeted the 6 major contract issues that we still need to resolve:

  1. Compensation for Committee Work (new contract section)
  2. Engineering and Advanced Technology (EAT) Availability and Seniority Procedures (4.3)
  3. Paid Time Off (8.11)
  4. Course Assignment, Cancellation, and Reassignment Processes (4.5, 4.10, and 4.11)
  5. College-wide seniority for Online teaching (4.14)
  6. Salary (Section 15)

The Good News: 2 Wins at the Table
After much discussion, collaboration, and compromise, we were able to come to an agreement on 2 of these 6 issues: Compensation for Committee Work and EAT.

Our next post will provide updates about the other 4 unresolved issues, so check back soon!

Win #1: Compensation for Committee Work
Highlights of  Changes
  • The College has agreed to compensate part-time faculty for participation on various committees, councils, and work groups at a rate of $50/hour.
  • When The College invites a part-time faculty member to serve on established or new committees, The College will present the part-time faculty member with an offer which will include the number of hours The College deems necessary to actively participate on the committee and will compensate adjuncts on a semester by semester basis for their service.
  • Committee service will be processed as supplemental pay, and the compensation will not exceed the amount that was agreed upon in the initial offer.

Win #2: Engineering and Advanced Technology (EAT) Availability and Seniority Procedures (4.3)
Highlights of Changes
  • The College has agreed to grant the following EAT areas the same availability, course assignment, and seniority procedures as the rest of our bargaining unit:
    • Automotive Technology (AUTO)
    • Civil Technology (CIVL)
    • Climate Control Technology (CLCT)
    • Engineering (ENGR)
    • Land Surveying Technology (SURV)
    • Media and Communication Arts (MACA)
    • Renewable Energy (RNEW)
  • All adjuncts who teach in listed EAT areas will share the following contractual rights with the rest of our bargaining unit:
    • ​Submitting availability in accordance with 4.2
    • Receiving tentative course assignments 60 days in advance and in seniority order
  • Adjuncts who teach in EAT areas not included in this list will still be subject to the course assignment provisions outlined in 4.3 (i.e., they will not be able to submit their availability or receive their course offers 60 days before the start of the semester).
    • The College maintains that since these other EAT areas contain a high volume of industry-driven programs and apprenticeships, these courses are often subject to a lot of last-minute cancellations, additions, and schedule changes. As a result, it would be impractical to make advance course offers and then undertake the task of extensive rescheduling a few days before the start of the semester.
  • However, the good news is that is that ALL EAT PART-TIME FACULTY WILL BE GIVEN COURSE OFFERS BASED ON SENIORITY.

We realize that these changes do not reflect the totality of what we were hoping to accomplish for EAT faculty, but this compromise shows significant progress from The College’s initial position of “No Change” on the EAT issue.

Thank you to all the members who supported this cause and helped to facilitate this workable solution.

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Join AAFMCC at the Bargaining Table Today

11/27/2018

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4-8 PM
Center Campus P128
Show up whenever you can. Leave whenever you like!
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Highlights from Friday's Bargaining Session

11/19/2018

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On Friday, AAFMCC--joined by AFT Michigan President David Hecker--spent a full day bargaining with The College.

We made some progress with regard to committee compensation, seniority issues, and MCC tuition assistance for our spouses and dependents. We also saw some slight movement on salary.
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The College recognized the need for more transparency and further conversation in order to better address the EAT issue, and we are looking forward to what administration brings to the table on this issue at the next bargaining session.

Unlike previous bargaining sessions up to this point, Friday’s session was rich with several productive conversations and opportunities for problem solving. Even though we still have several major issues that we need to resolve as we move forward, we hope that Friday’s session paved the way for more collaboration and compromise at the bargaining table.

The College informed us that they hope to finish up negotiations in time for the December 19 Board of Trustees’ meeting and agreed to meet with us for another bargaining session on Tuesday, November 27 (more info coming soon).

Thank you to all of our members who showed up in solidarity at Friday’s session. Your presence directly impacts what happens at the table, and we must continue to have a strong presence in order to facilitate positive change for MCC adjunct faculty.  
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10 reasons why

11/6/2018

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Do you care about our contract?  Then show up on Nov. 14 & 16

11/6/2018

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MCC put All of their cards on the table With The same $48 Offer

10/3/2018

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At yesterday's 4-hour bargaining session, Macomb "countered" AAFMCC's most current salary proposal by giving us the same offer that we received on Sept. 11:
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When Denise Williams, MCC's VP of Human Resources and Lead Negotiator for The College, presented us with this salary proposal, this is what she had to say: 
All of my cards are on the table...We are very close to our last best offer."
A $48 per-credit-hour raise over the course of three years is no "best offer."

  • This offer is insulting and disrespectful because of the extreme disparity that persists between adjunct and full-time salaries and because of the fringe benefits that The College  agreed to in the new Full-Time Contract.
  • This offer is insulting and disrespectful because it is significantly lower than adjunct salaries at several Michigan Community Colleges.
  • This offer is insulting and disrespectful because The College has continuously denied our requests for additional steps and opportunities for advancement beyond Step 4.
  • This offer is insulting and disrespectful because $48 doesn't even remotely reflect the value that we--the majority of MCC's teaching force--bring to Macomb and will continue to bring to The College over the next three years.

In addition to this current salary proposal, AAFMCC is also discouraged by how The College has rejected the majority of our other proposals in one of the following ways:
1. by completely dismissing them
2. by accepting selective portions of them (and dismissing the rest)
3. by agreeing to a few minor changes 

The College would rather maintain the current contract language rather than engage in productive conversations and work with AAFMCC to find mutually-beneficial solutions to the many, serious problems that we have brought to their attention at the table.

The College informed us that they didn't anticipate making any major changes to the contract during negotiations, and even after acknowledging that we "did a really good job" of presenting our proposals and the problems that need to be addressed in our contract, The College has no interest in making the large-scale changes that our contract so desperately needs.

That The College is unwilling to put in the work to make MCC a better place for the majority of their employees demonstrates, once again, that WE are not a priority. 
Come see for yourself.
Join us at the bargaining table on Friday, Oct. 5.
Center Campus, P-128
3-7 p.m.
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The 76% are worth more than $48 and 4 steps.

9/12/2018

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At our first open bargaining session on September 11, The College countered our salary proposal by offering us what amounts to a $48 per-credit-hour raise over the next three years.


​The College rejected 3 of our 5 Benefits Proposals:
  • MCC Tuition Waiver 
  • Professional Development Fund
  • Health, Dental, and Optical Coverage

The College countered 1 of our 5 Benefits Proposals:
  • Tuition Reimbursement Program (TRP)
    • The College proposed to keep the TRP language the same (an annual fund for adjuncts to take classes at MCC and other institutions).
    • ​The College rejected AAFMCC's revisions to modify/expand the program to include MCC Tuition Waiver for spouses/partners/dependents.

The College accepted a portion of 1 of our 5 Benefits Proposals: 
  • YES to PTO for Bereavement
  • NO to increasing PTO to 2 personal and 2 sick days per semester

Finally, The College also rejected our Pay Rates proposal to add additional steps to our salary schedule.
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The Problem with our 4-Step Salary Schedule 
  • The College reported that "over 90% of adjuncts" are currently at step 4. 
    • ​Under these current conditions, 90% of us--regardless of our continued service to The College--have no opportunity for upward financial mobility.
  • MCC has 9 different bargaining units, and AAFMCC is by far the largest unit at The College.
  • Other than the Command Officers (POLCCO), which have two steps (sergeant and lieutenant), the other 7 bargaining units all have more than 4 steps.
  • ​Some of the units also have additional salary levels within each step:
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MCC adjuncts deserve a respectable living wage. We, like the other bargaining units,  also deserve a multiple-step salary schedule that rewards our years of service. 

We are worth more than $48.
We are worth more than 4 steps.
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Join us at the bargaining table on Wednesday, September 19.

South Campus
P155 (Expo Center)
2-4 p.m.

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Let’s show The College that we have the numbers to fight their numbers.

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Bargaining Sessions #8-11

8/5/2018

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June 11—Session #8

AAFMCC:
  • Proposed articles for adjunct faculty rights and opportunities for shared governance (decision-making input on factors that impact students’ learning opportunities) and committee representation

June 23—Session #9
MCC:
  • Indicated that they are open to creating opportunities for adjunct service (and even to compensating us for our service)
  • Reported that they are unwilling to include the term “shared governance”
  • Rejected proposals regarding rights and responsibilities on committees
  • Stated they are not comfortable with including specifics about committee structure in the contract
AAFMCC:
  • Proposed increasing load limits to 12 per each fall, winter, and spring semester
  • Proposed new contract section--Benefits:
    • Tuition Reimbursement funds for classes outside of MCC
    • Tuition Waiver for AAFMCC members, our spouses/domestic partners, and legal dependents (like the FT Faculty have in their contract)

July 25—Session # 10
AAFMCC:
  • Presented the remainder of the Benefits proposals:
    • Professional Development Fund
    • Paid time off (personal, sick, and bereavement)
    • Health, dental and optical coverage.
  • Proposed a New Section--Career Path:
    • Gives adjunct faculty preference to outsiders when hiring for full time
    • Requires MCC Administration to provide a written response explaining why an adjunct applicant was not selected for full-time position

July 30—Session #11
MCC:
  • Claimed our requests for hiring preference and written feedback conflict with MCCFO’s contract.
AAFMCC:
  • Presented Pay Rates proposals :
    • Adjunct compensation proportionate to full-time compensation--Equal Pay for Equal Work
    • 75% pro-rata: adjunct faculty receive 75% of what full-time faculty receive per credit hour
    • 25% difference accounts for the additional departmental and institutional service that full-time faculty are expected to perform
    • 9 salary steps (currently, we only have 4)
    • $25 per hour compensation for completing MCC required on-ground or online training (like the Security Mentoring courses)
    • $50 per hour compensation for substitute teaching short term
    • Pay scale compensation for extended substitute teaching (greater than two days in the same assignment) ​
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