What's Really Happening
Columbus State Education Association Newsletter of February 24, 2003
NEGOTIATION NEWS
CSEA's negotiators and the Board's negotiating team met with a State Employment Relations Board mediator throughout the day on Friday, February 21. Talks lasted into early evening, and the exchanges opened areas we want to explore further. The negotiating teams will all meet with the mediator again on Tuesday, February 25, for continuing discussions.
CAREER & TECHNICAL PROGRAM COORDINATORS WITHDRAW FROM SPRING QUARTER WORK
Program coordinators from two Career and Technical Programs departments have notified their chairs that faculty will turn down the voluntary coordinator roles effective Spring Quarter unless the administration reaches a contract agreement with the CSEA.
Faculty in Construction Management have stated unanimously that they will withdraw their services. They have been joined by faculty in Computer Science, who overwhelmingly agreed to turn down lead instructor/program coordinator roles. These departments joined faculty in the Biological and Physical Sciences, Communication Skills/Technical Communications, and Mathematics departments, who in the past two weeks have issued notices that their lead instructors have overwhelmingly agreed to similar action.
Faculty from each department said that they will teach in the classroom rather than accept reassigned time from teaching duties and the additional responsibilities that come with lead instructor/program coordinator roles. These faculty said they are working to support junior faculty to discourage them from taking on the roles until a contract agreement is concluded.
Withdrawing the work of program coordinators and lead instructors is one of several steps faculty can take to demonstrate their commitment to fruitful negotiations. We want to exhaust all other options before we endorse a strike action. On one hand, the Board offers the lowest pay increases in recent history while enrollment, revenues, and annual budget surpluses are at record levels. On the other hand, it wants faculty to continue to be loyal team players who save the College considerable costs by accepting managerial functions and bringing added value to their contractual duties. The Board can't expect to have it both ways.
Faculty in several other departments in each division report that they are considering similar action.
NO CONFIDENCE?
In addition to its repeated errors in projecting costs of its own expenses, the administration seems unaware of any costs that can't be counted. The pattern of misleading claims and occasional outright lies that have marked negotiations have cost the administration its credibility and much of the loyalty its employees (faculty, staff and, yes, administrators). More than a few faculty-several of them non-members-have requested that CSEA conduct a vote to indicate confidence or no confidence in the current leadership of the College. A subcommittee has begun to consider this option.
KEEPING INFORMED
For continuing updates and other interesting information, check out www.cseaohio.org, our website that is under construction.
What's Really Happening is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association. We welcome your comments, news, and insights.
Steve Abbott, President / x5096
Karl Rieppel, Vice President / x2500
Amy Brubaker, Secretary and Association Representative / x5068
Greg Goodhart, Treasurer / x5431
Darrell Minor, Parliamentarian / x5310
Bill Mundy, Association Representative / x5176
Dr. Jane McDowell, Association Representative / x2656
Dave Busch, Association Representative / x5079
Dr. Charlie Gallucci, Association Representative / x5499
Leslie Smith, Association Representative / x5302
Dr. Wendy McCullen-Vermillion, Association Representative / x2693
Lisa Schneider, Association Representative / x5124