The spring 2017 membership meetings took place on February 6, on the Yamba Campus, and February 8, at the West Essex Campus (WEC). 

Highlights of the meetings included:

Joanna McAvoy, AFTNJ State Representative, reported cautious optimism with the latest developments in our negotiations with the Essex County College (ECC) Administration.  When a settlement is reached, the membership will have an opportunity to ratify the new agreement.

John Smith, Vice President and Grievance Chair, encouraged members to inform him or the other officers when they have a complaint or are experiencing difficulties.  He went on to clarify the differences between gripes and grievances. 

Mark Brodsky, Secretary/Treasurer, reported the last available number of Adjunct Faculty, 405, assigned in the fall 2016 semester. 

Our Accountant, Natalie Pitts, has relocated from Samuel Klein and Co. of Newark NJ to Aurora Non-Profit Solutions in Oradell, NJ.

He outlined our monthly per capita dues obligations to the AFT, AFTNJ, United Adjunct Faculty NJ, and AFL-CIO.

Two members were reimbursed by our optical benefit program. 
The reimbursement forms are available on this website.   

Lynne Peterson Cummins, President, reported on the AFT Adjunct/Contingent Faculty Caucus.  There is now a website:  www.aftacc.org.  New members are being recruited.  A primary goal of the Caucus is to focus national attention on Adjunct Faculty and Contingent Faculty challenges.    Bill Lipkin, President of the Caucus, discussed this at the WEC meeting.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) sent a letter to the individual state Departments of Labor, which attempts to clarify “reasonable assurance.”  “Reasonable assurance” is the vague term which prevents Adjunct Faculty from getting unemployment insurance.  AFT is trying to interpret “reasonable assurance” and clarify its impact on Adjunct Faculty, who are not assured of being assigned classes, especially from the spring to the following fall semester.  The USDOL letter is available on this website.

Lynne sent an email to ECC Adjunct Faculty on February 4, 2017 asking for accounts of their experiences while attempting to get unemployment insurance assistance.  The goal is to collect information to prepare a case to present to the state DOL.

The full 2016-2017 Legislative Session Report was made available for members to peruse. 

Scholarship opportunities for AFT members, ECC Adjunct Faculty, and ECC students were discussed.

Attached is the application and guidelines for the 2017 STA scholarship.

Complete and return to Allan Slote in room N6 by March 31, 2017.

Scholarship Application

Scholarship Guidelines

Please click on the following to download the latest Unemployment Information:

http://eccaff.nj.aft.org/files/u_i_letter.pdf

 Voting rights came at a high price in the South. Fannie Lou Hamer, a black activist not commonly known, worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to register black voters, regardless of the dangers.

2016 Tax Tips

This document also tells you where to find how much you paid in dues for 2016.

Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund, has been a champion of children all of her life. She believes that children need a strong, effective and independent voice since they cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves.

Governor Malloy gave his budget address to the General Assembly today.  Not surprisingly, his proposed budget is balanced on the backs of state employees.  His two year proposal reflects $700 million in "savings" from state employees in 2018 and an additional $860 million in "savings" in 2019.  While his speech provided no details of where these "savings" would come from, his reference to revisiting the SEBAC contract makes clear his intentions.  To put this in perspective, according to OPM Secretary Ben Barnes, in the first year, "savings" of $700 million could require a 10 percent reduction in the state workforce, or about 4,200 state employees.

Frustrated?  Contact your legislator and make your voice be heard.

• House Members email addresses
• Senate Members email addresses
• Find YOUR legislator

Meet legislators at the Regional Legislative Meetings sponsored by AFT (link).

• Text of the Governor's speech (link)
• Office of Legislative Management Budget Summary (link)
• PowerPoint of Governor's recommended budget (link) 

posted 2/8/2017

Lobbying isn't restricted to the lobbies of the capitol building.

AFT Connecticut sponsors regional legislative meetings throughout the state.  These meetings provide the opportunity for members to meet with legislators to discuss issues important to them.  Several regional meetings are scheduled in March and April.  We urge you to attend a session.  These are the people in Hartford voting on your future.  Let them here your voice.  Please attend one of these important meetings in your region.

List of 2017 Regional Legislative Meetings

For more information or to sign up contact Teri Merisotis at 860-257-9782 or tmerisotis@aftct.org

Posted 2/8/17

Everyone recognizes the names of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. They are always associated with the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Their sparks ignited a revolution.  But before their names were known, there were thousands of others, most of whom will remain anonymous to the history writers. One of those names is Emmett Till.

CHRO Attorney Charles Krich is the AFT-CT "spotlighted" employee for his work to protect and uphold civil rights in Connecticut.  Attorney Krich has been serving the State and protecting the rights of Connecticut residents since 1981 and is another A&R member we are proud to have honored.  Read the spotlight and view Charlie's youtube statements about his efforts.