Hi All,

First, I know you all are working hard to finish the semester. Thank you for all your work for our faculty, students, campuses, and community.

Second, our Executive Board (Eboard) voted to support the Board of Trustees members Nichelle Henderson, Andra Hoffman, Kelsey Iino, and David Vela in their upcoming reelection races. Months before the Senate’s vote of “No Confidence,” our COPE committee interviewed all four candidates and voted to recommend support to our EBoard. As I stated in the previous Wednesday Win, I spoke at the Senate meeting, thanking them for their work and informing them that the EBoard would have to consider the entirety of the Board Members’ records.

Our EBoard was aware of the Senate vote and considered their input. The EBoard also asked to review the approved Trustee scorecards that COPE produced, which included significant issues for our members. Some of these issues our EBoard had to consider included support and advocacy for adjunct healthcare, no increase to the cost of healthcare benefits (even though there would be a 30% increase to the District), our contract, which included our 10.22% raise, and more.

Although this Board of Trustees has made mistakes, they have been open to listening to us and rectifying issues. Many of us feel this has been the most supportive and progressive Board of Trustees we have had. They have been receptive and responsive to our guild and sided with us on most issues of interest to the union. We will need a Board of Trustees that supports our students and faculty in the upcoming years as hold harmless comes to an end and we face an uncertain state budget. This Board has demonstrated a commitment to maintaining and growing courses for our students and creative solutions to budget issues.

We will continue to pressure the Board to implement the Senate’s recommendations and address the issues harming our students, faculty, and staff. We must also recognize that this Board supported and advocated for many of our gains in the last two years, and we will continue to advocate for our members.

Together, we can accomplish incredible things. We will not always agree, but let us always be open to listen, consider, and render our decisions based on our best judgment. Let us be generous with each other and respect each other’s right to disagree. If we can create a more open union inviting dialogue, we can continue to grow and become more respectful, effective, and responsive. With a supportive Board of Trustees, we can guarantee wins in the future. Thank you for everything you do.

In Unity,

A. James Mckeever PhD

AFT 1521 Faculty Guild President