Guild News
Zohara G. Kaye
Guild President
75th CFT Convention Highlights
The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) held its 75th Convention in Sacramento this year, March 31 - April 2. We had six delegates represent GCC at the convention. Our campus newsletter, Chaparral, won a Communications Award - second place in “Best Online Newsletter” category. The theme of the convention was “Organize. Resist” and workshops focused on organizing members, and issues of economic and social justice, such as climate change, racial equity, sanctuary campuses, and more.
Guild members voted in their 2017-18 elected officers:
President - Roger Bowerman
1st Vice President - Troy Davis
2nd Vice President - Brian Reff
Grievance Officer - Paul Vera Operations Officer - David Hassett
Public Information Officer - Wendy Fonarow
Secretary - Rosemarie Shamieh
Garfield Campus Steward - Harriet Cohen
Caroline DePiro (Chief Negotiator) and Moe Taghdis (Budget Rep) will continue as our appointed officers, and I will continue serving on the Guild Executive Committee as Past President.
Negotiations Update
We surveyed our members on suggested re-openers to our collective bargaining agreement, and we got a record number of responses! After the survey was tallied, Guild officers and negotiators met jointly to select four re-openers we will be negotiating in the next round. In addition, salaries and academic calendar are automatic re-openers every year.
Union Power
We are continuing our efforts to increase our union strength by signing up new faculty to join our union, and improving our database with “New Blue” reapplications of current members. Goals for this semester:
Current Member Reapps = 100%
Total Membership (new members) = 95%
Together we stand stronger. Improving salaries, compensation, and working conditions, as well as standing up for issues of social justice that improve people’s lives is at the core of what unions contribute to our society. Unions equalize us (regardless of race, sex or gender) where inequities should not exist to begin with. Unions help protect the ever diminishing middle class… Reasons are many, and while I am stepping down as the Guild President, I remain proud of being a union member.
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