Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association

Read the latest edition of the Harper Adjunct Advocate to be reminded of the importance of unions in general and your union in particular.  Read about the latest benefit afforded adjuncts,  the Level Two Program.  In addition, find out about the resolution of the substitute pay issue.

Adjunct Advocate -December 2018

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HCAFA Member, This election is going to come down to voter turnout. We imagine you’re probably planning to vote—but do you know for sure that all your friends and family will? As one of our most active election activists, we’re asking you to help us test a new Facebook Messenger tool to get out the vote. Research shows that one of the most powerful ways to get people to vote is by having someone they know and trust encourage them to vote. YOU could be that someone. We’ve partnered with our friends at ParentsTogether to test a new tool that uses Facebook Messenger to easily encourage people to vote. Here’s how it works. With just a single tap, you send a personalized reminder that includes your photo to a bunch of your Facebook friends. They’ll get your message asking them if they’re going to vote on Facebook Messenger. They can then send a similar message to THEIR friends, and so on. It’s super easy. Check out our new Facebook Messenger tool today and encourage your friends to vote >> This tool is still in Beta mode so we’d love your feedback. Was it easy to use? Do you think it was effective? What would make it better?  Simply reply to this email and let us know your thoughts. Thanks, The Education Votes Team P.S. Looking for the public education champions on your ballot? Check out this great resource at edvotes.org.  A Project of the National Education Association 1201 16th Street NW Washington, DC 20036-3290 This email was sent to arlenebub@sbcglobal.net. A portion of this email is paid for by the NEA Advocacy Fund (nea.org) and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Home    |    Contact Us    |    Unsubscribe     |    Privacy Policy   |    Forward to a Friend © 2018

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friend, When you step into the voting booth this November, you’ll be making a choice that will affect students across America for years to come. But how will you decide? At Education Votes, our mission is to ensure that every student, regardless of zip code, gets the best education that our great nation can provide. But we will never reach this goal without holding politicians accountable at the ballot box. To truly address the issues that matter most to the students in our communities, we need to hear from you. What issues matter most to you? How can we ensure your elected officials are held accountable? Education funding, vouchers, healthcare, voting rights, college affordability? These issues and more affect students across the country every day. And that’s why we want to hear from you. Take our brief issues survey > As a public education activist, you’re in the know about the local issues that matter most to students, parents, and voters. And that’s what makes your answers so important. With your help, we can identify the topics that will help ensure a first-class public education for every student and hold politicians accountable for their progress. Parents and educators across the country are standing up for their students, but without public education champions in office, there’s only so much we can accomplish. Please, take a moment to fill out our brief survey and let us know what issues are most important to public education activists in your community. Our nation’s students will thank you. In Solidarity, Carrie Pugh NEA Political Director

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All citizens of the U.S. should consider voting their right and their obligation.  Teachers are extremely aware of the importance of voting and have to make sure to pay particular attention to those candidates that support public education.  HCAFA and IEA will be notifying you of their recommendations.

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The latest edition of the Harper Adjunct Advocate will be in your Harper mailbox soon.  If you’d like to read it online before then, please click on the link below.

Adjunct Advocate September 2018

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If you currently are a fair share member, now is the time to change your status to full membership so that you can protect the rights and benefits that HCAFA has gotten for you.

The membership process cannot be completed on line, but it is a simple one.  You will find the attached form here as well as on the JOIN page and the DOCUMENTS page.  The JOIN page on this website will explain  how to fill the form in.

Enrollment Form 2018

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Dear HCAFA bargaining unit members,

You have heard from us and the media about the “Janus case” which was ruled on Wednesday by the U.S. Supreme Court. The case – which began here in Illinois and supported by Governor Rauner – centered on the question if those who benefit from the protections of and benefits negotiated by a union must contribute to the expenses of doing so. “Fair share” members’ dues were reduced to reflect that portion of expenses in the political realm. It is another attack on working people.

A decision in that case was made against public sector unions such as ours. The new conservative composition of the Court caused a 5-4 ruling that cancels those “fair share” provisions. Another blow was the retirement announcement of Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy which opens the door for the Koch Brothers and their ilk to select another arch-conservative to fill that lifelong seat. All in all, Thursday was a dark day for the middle class, long the backbone of our society.

There are potentially dire results for us at Harper. If local unit membership falls below 50% + 1 of eligible persons, the College can move to decertify HCAFA as representatives of eligible adjuncts. If that is successful, at that moment all provisions of our contract vanish! Our salary schedule, workplace protections, paid leave days, and all those contractual items would be at the whim of the College.

We have to look only to nearby Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan to witness what happens when union representations are no longer available. These “right to work” states are actually “right to work for less” and “right to work the way we tell you to” states. Organized voices tend to be listened to rather than those of individuals.

Full members now have our collective futures in their hands. Please consider if you will see your membership as an investment in our local’s ability to represent you and provide a professional voice on local, state, and national levels.

It would not be unexpected if individuals or invested groups might contact you immediately and ask you to formally renounce your HCAFA membership. Please contact a HCAFA Executive Committee member before you would do that. Please look at your membership as an investment rather than an expense. Stick with us!

Thanks for all you do for our students, the College, and your colleagues throughout the year.

In unity,

The HCAFA Executive Committee

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