August Newsletter

Text Box: President Elaine Bobrove Elbob5@comcast.net Treasurer Ernie Kiesel EKiesel4@comcast.net Secretary Sharon Goldstein sharongoldst@comcast.net Vice-Pres/Blackwood Sharon Goldstein sharongoldst@comcast.net Vice-Pres/Rohrer Larry DeVaro ljdevaro@aol.com Vice-Pres/Camden James Lawson JLConcept@aol.com Membership Chairs Karen Feldman kfeldman@camdencc.edu Martha Bachman mystic4664@worldnet.att.net Editor Irene Schiller irene@northlab.com

Camden County College Adjunct Faculty Federation

AFT 4965

www.ccc-aft.org

Text Box: Every new full member of AFT is entitled to a free $12,000 life insurance policy.

Text Box: CCCAFF CUTS DUES CCCAFF President Bobrove announced that the Executive Board unanimously voted to reduce the union dues beginning Fall 2006. Full-member dues are reduced from 2% to 1.75%. Agency Fee payers also will have their dues reduced proportionately. Treasurer Ernest Kiesel said that dues had been raised several years ago because, despite cost cutting measures, the local was running in the red. “Through careful management,” Treasurer Kiesel said, “we have been able to balance our budget and to reserve some funds to meet emergencies. It is,” Kiesel continued, “these reserve funds that enabled us to pay for legal representation in our recent negotiations with the College on the Contract extension, the Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policies.” In concert with cutting the dues, the CCCAFF is launching a campaign to increase full membership. If this is successful, the union hopes to make the dues reduction permanent. Kiesel cautioned that both state and local dues to the AFT in the past year had been raised, increasing the local’s expenses. Nonetheless, dues based on the newly negotiated salary raises should provide enough money to meet these demands. The salary for a three-credit course for Fall 2006 is $1725.

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New-Member Offer

Membership co-chairs, Karen Feldman ( kfeldman@camdencc.edu) and Martha Bachman ( mystic4664@worldnet.att.net ), announced a special offer for upgrading from agency fee to full-member status. Agency Fee Payers who upgrade to full membership by September 30, 2006 will receive a thank you gift of a $20 debit card.

Adjuncts automatically become agency fee payers at the beginning of their second consecutive semester at the College. They are assessed 85 percent of full member dues as a representation fee; the CCCAFF represents these adjuncts in collective bargaining negotiations and in potentially punitive dealings with the College.

Agency fee dues is legislated both by the NJ Legislature by law, and negotiation in the collective bargaining contract. Agency status does not entitle adjuncts to either a voting say in the union or to any of the benefits of AFT membership. Membership Co-Chair Karen Feldman said, “this is an especially good time to upgrade to full-member status. The new dues reduction means that adjuncts who upgrade will be paying approximately the same amount they paid previously. The debit card sweetens the deal.”

To upgrade membership, adjuncts must submit an authorization form before the Sept.30 deadline; it can be obtained from either of the membership co-chairs.