TVI Employees Federation
Advocates for a Professional WorkPlace
 Who
we are: the TVI
Employees Federation
Click here for the Union Story from 1993 to the present Need a New Member Packet? Contact your Department Representative
|
||
| Constitution: |
Bylaws: |
|
| .html format | .html format | 
for .pdf format |
Our Constituency and Affiliations
Our
organization, the TVI Employees Federation, Local 4974, is a
democratic union run by its membership. Members are employees of the
Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (TVI), a Community College in
New Mexico.
The TVI Employees Federation is authorized through a certification election recognized by the TVI Labor Relations Board. Our federation represents four employee units - Full Time Faculty, Part Time Faculty, Security Officers, and Instructional Support Unit employees (Tutors, Reader/Writers, and Instructional Technicians). We are affiliated with the New Mexico Federation of Educational Employees (NMFEE, formerly known as NMFT), and with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a national union of the AFL-CIO. These affiliations provide us with statewide and national contacts, support, and valuable resources that help us meet our goals.
Our Mission
Our purpose is to support our fellow TVI employees in gaining and defending favorable terms and conditions of employment, fair wages and salaries, and rights to fair treatment and professional dignity. We do this through the collective bargaining process and the tools forged within the resulting contracts. We bargain as an equal partner with TVI to develop collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). These contracts, one for each employee unit, may vary in content and duration. Each unit selects its collective bargaining team that is responsible for negotiating for them. In this process the team receives advice, legal experience, and tactical support from NMFEE, and the AFT.
Our
History
Our early efforts at organizing for collective bargaining faced tough opposition from the TVI Administration and Governing Board then in power. Winning collective bargaining was the major turning point in the history of employee rights at TVI. The struggle for representation took two years beginning in 1993, through the efforts of the original group, the TVI Organizing Committee. In November of 1995, full time faculty voted by an overwhelming majority to be represented by the union. It was then that our federation (first known as the TVI Faculty Federation) was organized as Local 4974 of the New Mexico Educational Employees Federation.
The major events and accomplishments of the Union at TVI are highlighted chronologically in the table below.
| 1992 New Mexico Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act signed. New Mexico Federation of Teachers begins organizing at TVI. |
1993 TVI Administrators given 15% raises; staff and faculty 3%; part-time faculty none (see organizing flyer & news clipping; 59 seconds to load at 28.8kps). Organizing Committee formed; first signature cards calling for an election are circulated. TVI Administration uses public funds to oppose union. Bitter campaign begins. |
| 1994 Campaign for recognition continues. Union Organizing Committee successfully defends cafeteria and security workers against privatization. Organizing committee defends non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in employee handbook. |
1995 First districted Governing Board elections held. Faculty Federation successfully supports four candidates. Governing Board votes in June to approve a statement affirming employees' right to form a union. The Board ad hoc committee studying the issue was com- prised of Charles Barnhart, Pat Chapman and Ruth Connery, along with attorney Tom Griego and Jon Barela, director of community relations at Intel. |
| 1996 First 3-year contract negotiated by TVI Faculty Federation for full-time faculty. Gains in job security, grievance procedures, and pay (see news clipping; 51 seconds to load at 28.8kps). In December, part-time instructors receive a letter from then-president Alex Sanchez informing them that some part-timers' salaries would be cut in order to increase full-time faculty salaries (see news clipping; 45 seconds to load at 28.8kps). |
1997 TVI Part-time instructors vote overwhelmingly to be represented by Faculty Federation (see news clipping; 60 seconds to load at 28.8kps). COPE successfully supports two Governing Board candidates. The previous TVI Administration arbitrarily tests the language of the new contract by "non-renewal" of eight full-time instructors. The union successfully defends the right to due process for all covered employees, and to no terminations without just cause. The Federation and the Institute agreed on a mediated settlement. Because of Union action and employee solidarity, today all bargaining unit contracts contain similar language that protects employees from arbitrary termination. |
| 1998 Negotiations for Part-time Instructors contract begin. |
1999 COPE successfully supports three Governing Board candidates. Second 3-year contract negotiated for full-time faculty. Significant gains in pay, job security, and summer term relief. Part-time instructors' new 2-year contract provides job security and health & retirement benefits. |
| 2000 Against the will of the State Legislature, Governor Johnson allows the New Mexico Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act to expire. TVI Board continues to voluntarily recognize the right of employees to bargain collectively. Instruction Support Group (instructional techs, reader-writers, and tutors) vote 99 to 1 to have the union represent them as well as faculty and security officers. |
2001 COPE successfully supports four Governing Board candidates. Security Officers renewal contract provides 7% pay increase and improved benefits. Instruction Support Group's first contract is approved in October, providing increases in compensation of about 9%. Successful negotiations for second Part-time Instructors contract include just cause provision for termination, significant pay increases, definition of Academic Freedom, Health & Safety provisions strengthened (particularly in regard to a student's threats or violent behavior), professional development available at full pay, payroll deduction for dues, and eligibility for seniority (veteran) provisions for faculty having taught 6 terms or more (calculated twice during the term of the 1-year Agreement). Federation membership ratifies a name change to TVI Employees Federation to reflect the broader scope of member occupations. |
| current issues: | |
| 2002 In contract negotiation for Full Time Faculty, the Federation makes some small strides in achieving faculty objectives; gets 3% raise and 1 year contract. Security Officers also get 3% raise in their long-time negotiations which required Mediation to conclude. Institute's President, Michael Glennon, receives an 11% raise and a 3-year renewal contract (see news clipping). Administration employees get raises that are smaller. |
2003 Governing Board election for Districts 2,4 & 6 (and District 3 following Board member resignation) add 2 new board members, Janet Saiers and Jeff Armijo. Instructional Support Unit's new contract provides 3% raise for everyone and includes language similar to the PartTime Instructor contract regarding benefits for part time employees. Part Time Faculty contract ratified by members with 3% increase. Institute President receives 11% pay raise in 3-year contract bringing annual salary to $196,000 (not including auto allowance, etc.) at a Governing Board meeting for which the agenda was not published in advance. President Swanson-Hurtado responded (see remarks) at the following Board meeting. The Tribune editorialized (see article) as well. |
|
2004 Contract negotiations for Full Time Faculty produces a plan to allow faculty to decrease their teaching load by one summer course each year to reach goal of a true two-term contract by 2006. TVI Employees Federation President, Donna Hurtado, represents UNM Staff in successful contract negotiations. |
2005 Governing Board election for Districts 1,3,5, and 7 in February produce no upsets. All winning candidates were endorsed by TVI Employees Federation. Security Officers contract negotiations conclude successfully. Contract negotiations for Part-Time Faculty continue to emphasize equalizing the compensation, benefits, and job security for seasoned employees teaching 3 or more sections each term, the class of employee particularly important to TVI scheduling. Limited provisions of Full-Time Faculty contract are also negotiated. |
back to top