The HCAFA Executive Committee wishes you a very happy, healthy holiday season. In this season of thanksgiving, we want to thank you for supporting us and your fellow adjuncts. We hope to see you soon at one of our Executive Committee meetings.
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In 2012, the Illinois legislature passed the Return to Work law. This law made employers liable for SURS penalties if they rehired a SURS annuitant and paid that annuitant 40 percent, or more, of their highest paid salary prior to retirement. As a result of this new law, higher ed (HE) institutions started limiting how much work would be assigned to a rehired annuitant and some institutions refused to hire any annuitants to avoid a possible SURS penalty.
Due to the negative impact on IEA HE members, the HE council, with the help of Gaye Harper-Larison (IEA Government Relations) worked with Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, to draft SB2887 which waives any penalty to institutions that hire annuitants with an annuity of less than $10,000. The Senate passed SB2887 in spring 2013, but the bill was not sent to committee until Nov. 18. SB2887 was sponsored by Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Buffalo Grove, in the house and was presented to the House Executive Committee by Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago. IEA testified before the executive committee in favor of SB2887 on Nov. 18. SB2887 was passed by the House on Nov. 19, and will now go to the governor’s desk to be signed into law
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From: Roth, Mitch
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 4:17 PM
Subject: Pension Lawsuit Decision to Issue Tomorrow at 2
Today, a hearing was held in Sangamon County Circuit Court in the Pension lawsuit on our motion that the State constitution’s pension clause does not permit the State to impair or diminish pension benefits under any circumstances. The judge will issue his written decision tomorrow at 2. If the judge rules in our favor, he will be deciding that SB 1 is unconstitutional. Even if he rules against our motion, it won’t mean that he is ruling that SB 1 is constitutional. It will only mean that he wants to hear evidence on the State’s claim that in severe financial circumstances, it can diminish pension rights. Once he hears that evidence, he could very well still decide that the law is unconstitutional because the State hasn’t made the case that the situation is so dire that it can abrogate pension benefits. We will keep you posted.
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HCAFA members: Please join us for some pre-holiday cheer and our meeting on Friday, Nov. 21 from 2:00-4:30 p.m.at Harper in L-223. There will be plenty of adjunct camaraderie, food, giveaways, and voting for our representatives to the Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly in the spring. We hope to see you there! If you cannot make it, however, the Executive Committee of HCAFA hopes that the rest of this fall semester is productive and wish you all the best in the coming holidays. Yours in unity, The HCAFA Executive Committee
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After publishing several issues of the Harper Adjunct Advocate electronically only, HCAFA has decided to return to having a print version as well. Members told us that they like to have a copy that they can peruse at their leisure. We aim to please!
Your print copy of the Advocate should be in your mailbox by Monday, Oct. 13.
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We have a great opportunity to meet the new president.
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Mike Bates, Associate Dean of CAFE, sent out this notice to all adjuncts. HCAFA urges adjuncts to volunteer to be peer instructors.
This semester CAFE is piloting an alternative evaluation process that provides adjunct faculty with the option to choose from three methods of evaluation. One of these methods, Reverse Peer Observation, involves the adjunct faculty member attending one hour of a peer instructor’s class and reflecting on what could potentially be implemented in his or her own class. Continue reading
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The Executive Committee of HCAFA is excited about piloting two possible alternatives to the traditional way adjuncts are evaluated. For the fall 2014 semester, the traditional way in addition to the two alternative plans will satisfy the evaluation requirement outlined in our contract. The two alternative plans are only open to those adjuncts that have been evaluated in the traditional way for at least two semesters. In all three plans, the adjunct will either meet with a CAFÉ evaluator before or after the activity. Continue reading
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The Executive Committee meets monthly. We usually meet on Fridays in the afternoon as that is the time that most adjuncts are available. Please feel free to join us for as many meetings as you can.
We value and need your input.
Meeting dates are listed to the left of this blog.
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Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association 