Unit News

TVI Employees Federation
Advocates for a Professional WorkPlace

Unit News

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Full-Time Faculty Instructional Support Unit Part-Time Faculty Unit Security Officers

Do you have concerns that should be addressed in the next contract negotiation? Contact your department representative now.
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Part-Time Faculty

New Contract for 2004 Ratified by Part Time Unit union members
Pending Governing Board Approval on September 14, a new contract was ratified by members during meetings on August 25 and on August 28.

Highlights of the contract include:

SALARY: 6% raise. Level B, the top Ph.D. level, goes from $2,426 per course taught to $2,571 per course. There are nine levels of part time faculty pay. Multiply current level per course by 6% to find the new pay level. The printed contract will detail all the levels.

SICK PAY: The pilot program agreed to for sick pay is as follows:

	Only applies to veteran faculty
	Must teach minimum of two courses, 12 or 16 weeks long
	Receive 20 minutes of sick leave compensation per contact hour per week (e.g. someone teaching two 3hr courses would have 120 minutes; in A&S this comes to one class period per course per term. In other Departments it's a little less).
	There will be a voucher attached to the letter of appointment; faculty will be docked at the contract rate when they miss a class, but at the end of the term they will turn in the voucher and be reimbursed the docked pay.
	The program goes into effect in January, and will be reviewed by Faculty/Management at the end of the Spring term.

PAY SCHEDULE: Pay checks will essentially be an extra check (e.g. 9 rather than 8). If one teaches all three terms, there will be 26 pay checks, which will cover the inter-term periods, just like the full timers.

Thanks go to the negotiating team for such good work: Krys Douglas, krys@twrol.com; Larry Waldman, lwaldman@unm.edu; Ellen Mantell, emantell@tvi.edu; and Donna Swanson, djswanson@tvi.edu

(Non-members, the new raises and benefits are the results of collective bargaining. Isn't it time you support the union that continues to benefit you? Join today.)

2003 Contract ratified in Unit meeting

The PT Faculty contract was ratified during their February 7th meeting and the governing board ratified it during the 2-11 meeting.

click here to read new and changed provisions

Bargaining Update February 3, 2003
Part Time Instructors Negotiations - Tentative Agreement Reached

On Friday, the Institute and the union reached a tentative agreement for a new contract. The new agreement funds the step increases and gives a percentage increase to new instructors as well as to those already at Step B. It also addresses the issue of increased benefits for part time employees.

Watch for an announcement of a ratification meeting to be held very soon. This is a meeting for members to receive details of the tentative agreement and to vote on ratifying. Members or those who sign up for membership at the meeting may attend.

Please plan to attend!

Donna Swanson-Hurtado
President, TVI Employees Federation

Bargaining Update January 30, 2003

To All Part Time Instructors:

The team and the institute have agreed on all issues except economic and length of contract language. The difficulty has been funding the step increases (agreed to in past contracts) for those moving into A or B and having enough left over for raises for those not moving. Larry Waldman, from Arts and Sciences, has been crunching numbers and we believe we are very close to a settlement.

Donna Swanson-Hurtado

See the Latest News page for articles about efforts at both the state and national level to raise awareness of the concerns of adjunct faculty in many other places as well.

2002 Contract

Part Time Faculty members ratified a renewal contract unanimously at their meeting Jan. 6, 2002 following successful negotiations with TVI management.

From the letter from the negotiating team:
The part time faculty negotiating team has reached a tentative agreement with the institute. We are pleased with the results and want to share the highlights with our members. In order to give the payroll department enough time to enter new amounts into the “system” and to get you your raises ASAP, please review the following, bring questions and concerns to the ratification meeting, and be prepared to vote!

For more of the letter from the negotiating team, click here

Read the new contract on-line now - click here

Full-time Faculty

Negotiators for the 2004 Contract extension are polling members about how the contracted raise should be applied - all to base pay or in other ways. For more info, contact Secretary Ernest Garcia.

On October 14, 2003, the TVI Governing Board approved the contract ratified by a solid majority of members a week before. The 2-year contract renewal includes an historic Compensation/Work Load Option for faculty that can reduce the standard work 1oad by 1/3 over 5 years.

The contract gives those who prefer an immediate two-term contract that option. For others, the standard workload can be reduced by one summer course a year, without a reduction in current compensation, resulting in a two-term schedule in five years. (Specifics vary for each individual; see the explanatory e-mail sent to members before the ratification meetings, or request a copy from Federation secretary Ernest Garcia.

"Just do it," recommends President Donna Swanson-Hurtado. The "buy-out" for summer courses will remain at the same dollar level from this point forward, but base pay for FT faculty members will increase as raises are negotiated (4% this year; a minimum of 4% next year, etc.) The raise amount covers the cost of the buy-out of a summer course so that compensation does not reduce even as workload does. Anyone looking for a two-term teaching year can start now by buying out the first course this summer.

According to TVI's Loretta Montoya, Full-time faculty pay increases (4%) will be reflected on the pay check dated October 24, 2003. Retroactive pay to September 1st will also be included. The Earn Code, BK2, will identify the retro pay amount on the faculty member's pay slip or direct deposit advice.

Read the new contract here.

Member Meeting July 25, 2003

Thirty-two full time faculty members attended this information meeting and produced a productive discussion about what the goals should be for this year's bargaining sessions. Negotiations Committee members were selected and will meet August 1st to summarize and prioritize these goals.

Bargaining Update, November 1, 2002

Full time faculty ratified the new one-year collective bargaining agreement with 81% voting in favor. The contract provisions are effective retroactive to the beginning of the Fall term. Important provisions/changes include a 3% raise, the beginnings of a look at workload (a study committee in preparation for next year's negotiations), clarifications about handling personal leave requests, and no changes to Federation rights on campus. See your negotiators' comments here; see contract provisions here. Have questions or comments? Contact your department representative.

See all the bargaining updates for 2002 negotiations

Faculty List Negotiating Priorities, June 22, 2002
In a well-attended meeting, full-time faculty members identified eight top
priorities that their Negotiating Team will be asked to bargain for in the contract
renewal discussions in July. Officers reported the results of the recent survey and
included respondents' concerns in the prioritization. Concerned with the barriers to
professionalism inherent in current conditions, the group pinpointed changes that
would improve teachers' ability to work for a successful educational experience for
all students.

see recently settled AFT Higher Ed contracts (link appears at the bottom of the Higher Ed page on AFT's website )

Instructional Support Employees

Bargaining Update March 10, 2003 Unit members of the IT/Tutor/Reader Writer (Instructional Support) overwhelmingly approved their new contract for 2003. click here to read the contract
Bargaining Update March 5, 2003 Unit members of the IT/Tutor/Reader Writer (Instructional Support) met to discuss the new contract for 2003. To encourage all members to vote on its ratification, ballots were distributed by mail and will be counted March 8th. Watch for results here.
Bargaining Update February 21, 2003 The IT/Tutor/Reader Writer Contract will be up for ratification during a meeting to be held tentatively on March 8th. Watch for the announcement soon. The contract includes a 3% pay increase for everyone with language similar to the Part Time Instructor contract regarding benefits to part time employees. The institute is costing out the cost of benefits to all part time employees at the school for the next budget year. This means they are seriously considering providing benefits, particularly sick leave, to all pt employees at the school---a first in the school's history. click here to read the contract
Bargaining Update January 31, 2003 Hello IT bargaining unit - We have completed negotiations over non-economic items and have begun bargaining over economics. We've agreed to extend the contract for another week, through 2/7/03. Three sessions are scheduled for next week. Our proposals regarding non-economic items, as your surveys indicated, included issues around sufficient materials to do your jobs; availability of and changes in job descriptions; substitute assignments; work schedules. Whether or not negotiations result in new language, the bargaining process itself is a valuable venue to address concerns. Management presented several non-economic proposals in areas including federation rights, grievance process, drug/alcohol testing, non-discrimination, and part-time employment. As all agreements are tentative until the full contract is negotiated, we will provide specifics upon membership ratification. Economic issues include proposals for additional hours of work, additional paid leave (part and full time), and of course salary. Once we achieve agreement on the amount of funds available to meet our economic goals, your team will make the best decisions possible in maximizing distribution of these funds in an equitable manner. President Donna Swanson-Hurtado has joined us at the bargaining table. Your team will follow President Swanson-Hurtado's capable leadership as I will leave the team after next Monday's session in order to attend to responsibilities in my other locals. Many thanks for your support. Your membership is our strength at the negotiating table. In unity, Marlene Marlene K. Schwalje NMFEE Staff
Bargaining Update January 26, 2003 Greetings IT bargaining unit - My apologies for not sending an update last week; a bit under the weather. Although we are making substantial progress in negotiations, a target date of January 24th for contract settlement was overly optimistic. Therefore, we've agreed to a contract extension through the end of January. We've reached tentative agreement on almost all non-economic items presented by both sides, including expanding the scope of issues which can be brought before the Labor-Management Committee. As soon as we complete non-economic bargaining, our focus this week will shift to economic issues. Thank you for your continuing involvement. Your TVIEF membership supports the bargaining process. If you're not yet a TVIEF member, we welcome you to join us today. In unity, Marlene Marlene K. Schwalje NMFEE Staff

March 2002 Update

About 30 people showed up for a lively luncheon meeting in February (2002). They had the opportunity to voice concerns and to ask questions of Federation president Donna Swanson-Hurtado about the ways the union can address those concerns.

The unit includes instructional technicians, tutors, and some reader/writers (all but casual employees). Contract negotiations were successfully completed the end of September, 2001 for the first contract covering employment conditions for Instructional Technicians, Tutors, and Reader/writers. Unit members approved the contract in their vote October 3rd. Scheduled pay increases and improved benefits were addressed as well as the important issues of due process and equitable treatment. See letter from negotiators about the contract or click here to read the contract.

Security Officers

Current Contract represents significant improvements

	After a series of contract negotiations, Security employees now have training available
	can participate in the decisions affecting them
	can participate in the security decisions of TVI
	make more money
	have effective backup

Bargaining Update, October 23, 2002
Last Friday the negotiators for the Security Unit met with the college's team. After some very productive discussion, we agreed to a settlement offer to bring to the officers. We hope for a ratification vote very soon.

The college released the LEMAP* report. It is a lengthy, thorough document that critiques the Security Department and security needs on campus, and offers suggestions for improvement. During the discussion of the report, the college stated that a plan-of-action is in the works and will include the officers input as well as the LEMAP's.

Both parties agreed that there is indeed room for improvement and both parties agreed to work with the officers, supervisors, and management to create a better department with higher morale, improved training opportunities, and better communication among all involved. The union believes that this will translate into a safer campus for employees and students.

*Loaned Executive Management Assistance Program

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Bargaining Update, October 18, 2002
A negotiated agreement has been reached for the unit's contract renewal. Details to follow shortly.

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Bargaining Update, September 15, 2002
The Security Officers’ negotiating team met Friday the 13th (oh,oh!) with the federal mediator. We feel that we are a bit closer to a settlement than in any time in the past months. We will meet again on Monday the 16th and will keep you updated.

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Bargaining Update, August 10, 2002
A mediator met with Union and Administration representatives to work on moving out of the current impasse. Since copies of the results of a recent study of security department responsibilities were not yet available, the mediator suggested a recess until all parties had a chance to review those results.

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The Contract for the Security Officers unit ratified in 2001 resulted in a 7% raise. However, more work needs to be done to guarantee equitable process regarding overtime assignments and contract adherence. Negotiations are now underway for the 2002 contract renewal. Contact any TVI Employees Federation officer if you have questions or comments.

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