AFT 1493 E-News – September 11, 2006
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Below is
news on three items: the outcome of the contract ratification vote, an update
on the health and safety situation at
Contract Approved by 95%
In the
September 6-7 ratification vote on the new contract, district faculty approved
the contract by a vote of 190 yes to 8 no. (There were 2 spoiled
ballots.) 95% of the faculty who voted supported the new agreement.
The leadership of AFT Local 1493 would like to, again, thank faculty members
for their support. The agreement now goes to the Board of Trustees for
their approval this evening. After the Board approves the contract
tonight, the new salary schedules will be available tomorrow on the AFT website
(http://AFT1493.org)
and on the District website (under Human Resources – Downloads.)
Update on the Health and Safety Investigation at
Following
up on our previous message about health and safety issues at CSM and
Mike
Williamson, Skyline Dean of Math, Science and Technology, sent the following
update to his Division faculty on actions being taken to investigate three
cases of brain tumors in the Division within the last eight years:
1. An
epidemiologist has been retained from the
2. An
Industrial Hygienist with a specific background in occupational health has been
retained. Their focus will be to look at the larger picture of workplace safety
in the areas of the building that faculty have expressed concern. Air quality testing
will begin very early in the morning Tuesday, September 12th. A number of 8
hour summa canisters will be placed that can be analyzed for 62 organic
chemicals using EPA standards. Dosimeters will be used to check for formalin.
In addition, the mechanical rooms will be tested for biological growth and the
chemical and biological storage areas will be inspected for potential issues.
3. At the
completion of this inquiry the results will be presented to faculty and staff.
This will be our opportunity to discuss issues and evaluate the study results.
This should occur in the next couple of weeks. It does take a week or two for
all the testing to be completed.
Invitation to a Special
Event for Faculty
At our recent AFT 1493 retreat, your Union Executive
Committee decided to institute a new series of social events for SMCCD faculty
and their families. These events will be scheduled on a periodic basis. The
focus of these activities will be fun and fellowship.
I am pleased to announce the first event in this new
series. AFT is making available group discounted tickets for the wonderful
Teatro Campesino holiday
production of La Virgen del Tepeyac on December 3. Details are provided
below. This classic theater production is held at the Mission San Juan
Bautista in the town of
For more information about the Teatro
Campesino please visit their website at: http://www.elteatrocampesino.com.
For a review of the show (from a past
performance) see: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/12.06.00/elteatro-0049.html
Tickets are limited so don't miss out on this
wonderful opportunity to share a holiday experience with fellow faculty and
their families. We apologize for the short timeline for this event. This
production is very popular and generally sells out early. The Teatro Campesino box office has
informed us that they need to receive our order complete with payment by
September 22. So if you would like to attend please be sure to order your
tickets and submit payment to the Union office by Wednesday, September 20.
San Juan Bautista is a wonderful historic town. There are a
number of antique shops ideal for holiday shopping. For those who are
interested a pay your own way lunch is planned at 12 noon
at an excellent Mexican restaurant. For more information or to purchase tickets
and make lunch reservations please contact the AFT office (X6491). This
day trip event is guaranteed to brighten your holiday season!
In Unity,
Ernie
Rodriguez, President, AFT 1493
AFT 1493
Presents
A SPECIAL HOLIDAY FAMILY EVENT
EL TEATRO CAMPESINO’S PRODUCTION
OF
LA VIRGEN DEL TEPEYAC
COME JOIN FELLOW FACULTY FOR
THE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 4 PM PRESENTATION
OF THIS CLASSIC
WHERE: MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA
A LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT A
SPECIAL GROUP DISCOUNT PRICE
ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS
General Adult Admission $20.00
Senior (55+)/student $16.00
Children 12 & under $12.00
Orders must be received and paid for by Wednesday, September 20
(send checks made out to: AFT
Local 1493 to the AFT office,
CSM Bldg. 15, Rm 131)
If you would like, join fellow faculty for a
pre-show, pay-your-own-way lunch at 12 noon
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REQUEST LUNCH
RESERVATIONS, CONTACT THE UNION OFFICE (x6491)