Following the Provost’s announcement that all fall classes will begin remotely, many of us are beginning to realize that this new precarious situation could adversely affect adjuncts and potentially threaten our contractual rights with regard to seniority, availability and course assignments. 
 
We want you to know that AAFMCC is very aware of the many issues that our members may encounter in the coming months. Therefore, we are taking action to ensure that our contractual rights are upheld and that new, equitable measures are put into place to safeguard us from the adverse effects of these unforeseen circumstances.  
 
On Wednesday, April 22, AAFMCC contacted Provost Don Ritzenhein and Vice President of Human Resources Denise Williams in order to call attention to our change in working conditions, outline the issues surrounding the new training requirements and request that The College work with us to come to a mutual agreement. 
 
Below you will find a condensed version of the email that we sent to The College on April 22. We also requested that The College schedule a meeting with AAFMCC next week in order to resolve these matters. 
 
We will follow up with an update next week even if it’s just to let you know that we’ve scheduled a meeting with The College.
 
In the meantime, please know that we are fighting to protect you and your rights.
 
Wishing you safety, health and peace!
 
In Solidarity,
 
The AAFMCC Executive Board
 

Condensed version of the email that AAFMCC sent to The College on April 22, 2020
 
AFFMCC absolutely believes in the importance of quality instruction and part of that is preparing teachers to be most effective in the online environment. However, to ask instructors who have already been teaching at your college to undertake this extensive training before they can teach online, which effectively means before they cannot teach in the foreseeable future, is a change in working conditions. Also, any qualification modifications must be mutually agreed upon by both parties in 5.7 of the contract.
 
We believe we can come to a mutual agreement on the issues surrounding training.  Here is a list of what we need to resolve:
 
1. Access to training.  Supervisors are still not allowing access to training for instructors asking for it at this very moment. You need instructors for several sections for the coming semester. We know you were going to work on this issue, but we are being flooded with issues about training access. This is likely to continue into the fall without a clear process that honors the contract. 
 
2. A process to get training based on honoring the contractual process for assigning classes. 
 
3. Accepting training that has already happened. We discussed how many adjuncts have been trained for Canvas at Macomb and at other institutions. According to some correspondence that we are getting from members, the fact that people have experience teaching online is not being considered. An agreed-upon process for assessing what training and experienced instructors have already will help the college streamline getting people slotted into sections and preparing their classes. 
 
4. For those instructors that need training and have no experience, then they should be paid for the time it takes to complete the course since this will have to be done outside of the semester where the instructor is working. This is mandated training outside of the period of work a member is hired for. Therefore, it needs to be compensated training. 

The following information is also available on our Member Resources page. 
We will update these resources as more information becomes available.

AAFMCC,

Over the past week, you've received several emails from various MCC administrators regarding the upcoming transition to online teaching as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.  We realize that you may overwhelmed or confused, but know that you are not alone--this is a tough situation for everyone, including your students.

Below is an email that was sent by the Provost on March 13. It does a good job of summarizing the current situation and provides an overview of the steps that you can take to move forward with your transition to online instruction. 

If you're confused about what steps you must take, please read this email from Provost Donald N. Ritzenhein, and then reach out to the Center for Teaching and Learning for further assistance.

Center for Teaching and Learning
CC-127 and SJ-120
586-226-4774


​March 13, 2020
 
To the faculty:
 
As you know, in response to the Governor’s call for colleges and universities to conduct classes online wherever feasible for the next 30 days, and recognizing the growing number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in our area, we have suspended face to face instruction through April 12. We are using the remainder of this week and all of next to work with you who are not currently teaching online to convert to some kind of remote delivery of instruction.
 
If you are already teaching online you should just continue. The pause this week and next only applies to face to face classes.
 
If you have been using Canvas to web enhance your onground classes, please work to expand its use so you can conduct class completely online for the next 30 days. Once you have converted lessons to online you may begin teaching them even before the end of our one week pause.  You will want to be sure all your students know you are resuming instruction.  We assume in most cases that students are already connecting to Canvas to upload assignments and perhaps even take quizzes or exams, so the conversion to all online even during the face to face pause should be feasible.
 
If you are not using Canvas now, a blank Canvas shell has been created for each of your classes.  You can access the shell using the instructions below.  If you already received training in how to use Canvas, feel free to start populating your blank Canvas shell.   Alternatively, whether you’ve been trained in Canvas or not, you can send your first day handout to the CTL and they will create a core shell for you.  Instructions for doing that were sent earlier this week, and are reproduced below. 
 
I know if you have not been using Canvas in any capacity it’s for a reason.  Even as demand for online instruction has grown, face to face interaction with students remains a fundamental method and philosophy of higher education.  I recognize and appreciate your commitment to that modality of teaching.  We are in a situation, however, where continuing face to face instruction is being halted because it places you, your students, and our community in jeopardy of contracting COVID-19.  Our Center for Teaching and Learning is ready to work with you during this transition period to implement a type of remote instruction that will allow you to continue teaching, and your students continue learning, through this period, until face to face classes might be able to resume April 13.  Please contact the Center to explore options for remote teaching including, but not limited to, the use of Canvas.
 
Thank you for your commitment to teaching and learning.
Don
 
P.S.  There are over 300 replies to my earlier emails and I’m working through those as quickly as I can.  Should be caught up by the end of the weekend!  In the meantime, as a British poster once put it, we should keep calm and carry on.  Thanks.

1. Send your First Day Handout (FDH) to ctlsupport@macomb.edu. 

The FDH must contain the following information: 

• faculty member's name
• the course title
• grading scale
• assignments with point values
• assignment groups/categories
• If you would like to include any online exams in your course you may also include them in the email.  Exams should have the Exam title, questions and the answer key(s), due date(s) as well as any time limits, and number of attempts allowed
• If you would like to include any PowerPoint lectures (or other types of lectures) you may include those as well
• After your master course is built, we will contact you to let you know how to request course section(s) that contain students.  Note: your course shells have already been created and linked to you and your students. 

To access Canvas:

1. In the address line of your browser (we recommend using Google Chrome), type online.macomb.edu
2. Sign in with your Macomb credentials
3. You will then enter the Canvas Dashboard
4. Click on the course that you wish to access
5. The home page for that course will open
6. You may navigate through the course by clicking on the content for the modules

If you would like to learn how to use Canvas:

1. You may complete the Intro to Canvas online course by clicking on that card on your dashboard (The Start Here Module and Module 4 are of particular interest to those who have not yet used Canvas)
2. You can call the CTL at 586-226-4774 to make an appointment to learn about using Canvas
3. The CTL will be offering  on-ground Canvas training this Saturday, March 14 at SC 9-11am, 1-3pm and Wednesday March 18 at CC 9-11am,  4-6pm.

​Mark your calendars--and join us on Feb. 7 for our general membership meeting (GMM). 

• Open to all members in good standing.
• Follow this link to RSVP by Feb. 5 (so we can make sure to have enough food for lunch).
  
  • (https://aftmichigan.org/local-union-events/#upcoming-union-actions/view-actions-details7/5e27434afb3211001756a414/)

Looking forward to seeing everyone and enjoying some lunch together in celebration of our new contract!

Visit http://www.aafmcc.org/aftmemberbenefits.html to find out more about Summer, a new resource you can use to help navigate and simplify your student loan situation.

The AFT and Google have partnered to offer a deep discount for AFT members on the cost of the Google Certified Educator Exam. This discount is available in a pilot program through February, 2020.

For more details about this new member benefit--and other AFT member benefits that you can take advantage of, visit AAFMCC's AFT Member Benefits page.

Check out the story that the Macomb Daily ran today:

"Adjunct Professors Agree to New Contract with Macomb Community College," by Don Gardner.

https://www.macombdaily.com/news/local/adjunct-professors-agree-to-new-contract-with-macomb-community-college/article_7bf7d110-c04f-11e9-9302-cb30ac12e63b.html

Faculty members carrying picket signs gathered at the college's Clinton Township Center Campus in October 2018.                                                 
​David Angell--For The Macomb Daily

Thank you to all of you who came to the BOT meeting on Aug. 6--The BOT voted to approve the new contract, which will be in effect from Aug. 12, 2019-Aug. 12, 2023. 

The AAFMCC Executive Board is meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15, to review the new contract and prepare for its implementation in the Fall 2019 Semester. 

Over the next few weeks, we'll be updating the website and sending out updates pertaining to the new contract so that members can learn about the changes and take advantage of the gains that we won at the bargaining table.

We appreciate your patience as we transition into our new contract, and we thank you all for your ongoing support.

Cheers to the next four years!