Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association

If you want an assignment next spring, you must submit the form before that date. The form should be submitted to your division office. If you have already submitted your availability form, disregard this notice.

Even if you are not completely sure you want to teach in the spring, we recommend you submit the form.

You can access the HIP (Harper Intranet Portal) page from this website by clicking on the Document tab at the top.  Then click on Availability Form.  You will need to sign in to the Harper portal.  Then scroll down on that page to Most Requested Forms.  Teaching faculty should click on Teaching Adjunct Availability Form.   Librarians and Counselors should click on Adjunct Faculty Counselor and Librarian Schedule Availability Form.

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We look forward to seeing you at the Welcome Reception for all adjuncts on Monday, August 18, from 4:00 to 4:50 p.m., in Building L, Room 202.
Our get-together is only 50 minutes long, but it’s long enough to get acquainted or reacquainted with some of your fellow adjuncts, have a light dinner, and learn about HCAFA, your union.

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Bill informed us:

There is a lot of good news:
• In recent health insurance litigation, the courts voted in favor of employees who stated that their pensions would be diminished if the state were to enact Pension Reform.

• It is likely that the courts will find the Pension Reform plan to be unconstitutional. (Unfortunately however, the battle will continue.)

• It is unlikely that the Pension Reform issue will be decided in the next 2 years. (There will be plenty of lead time to decide about whether or not the time is right for you to retire.)

• SURS investments are doing well. SURS has had 3 outstanding years.

• For the past 3 years, the state has been meeting its responsibility with regard to making its retirement payments. (Before then, it had skipped payments in order to subsidize state programs.)

• SURS financial state is improving by leaps and bounds now that the state has been meeting its obligation.

There are still some dangers:
• The state may not continue to make regular payments. It may use the argument that because of the state’s poor financial condition, it needs to diminish benefits.

• Beneficiaries may exceed the number of active workers in the future.

• Employees have been and may continue to retire too early because of unwarranted fear of Pension Reform. (There were 2500 applications for retirement in May and June compared to only 500 in those months in previous years.)

There is something you can do.
• Urge your legislators to pay their bills. It is the right thing to do. Legislators may say that pension plans are unsustainable; that is false.

• Remind them that pension plans are designed as poverty insurance for poverty prevention.

• Stay informed!

(The notes provided here may not accurately reflect today’s meeting. For up to the minute accurate information, go to the SURS website, http://www.surs.org.)

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Summer provides the best opportunity to catch up with your union. You can find information about all of our meetings in the left column on this site.

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We hope you’ll join us at the Welcome Reception for all adjuncts on Monday, August 18, from 4:00 to 4:50 p.m., in Building L, Room 202.
Our get-together is only 50 minutes long, but it’s long enough to get acquainted or reacquainted with some of your fellow adjuncts, have a light dinner, and learn about HCAFA, your union.

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Colleagues:
Illinois’ new pension law will NOT go into effect starting June 1 after a judge today granted the members of the We Are One Illinois coalition, of which the Illinois Education Association is a member, a stay in the case.

Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Belz heard from all sides on the issue today and granted a temporary restraining order, meaning none of the law is to be implemented until he rules on the entire case. Continue reading →

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We are forwarding the update below from SUAA.  They suggest it may not be necessary to retire now in order to avoid losing significant pension benefits.

The HCAFA Executive Committee

*To the SUAA Membership and Friends!

Continue reading →

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The latest edition of the HCAFA newsletter has been sent electronically to all members who have provided us with their email addresses.

There are 3 major issues discussed in the newsletter:

• Pension Reform and the Urgency of Knowing Your Options regarding SURS If You Are Eligible to Retire
• The Approaching Deadline for Applying for Professional Development Money to Use in the Summer
• HCAFA’s New Release Time Grant from NEA

Click on the link below to read The Harper Adjunct Advocate.  As in all issues, there is executive committee contact information, an explanation of your Weingarten Rights, and information about contacting Taimi Wilk, our grievance chair. We know you will find this issue informative.

Harper Adjunct Advocate – April 2014

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We hope you’ll join us on Friday, April 25, from 2:30 – 5:00 for our next executive committee meeting.

This meeting is the perfect place to learn about what HCAFA does for you–all while having lunch with your fellow adjuncts.

The meeting is at the IEA Office, 553 N. North Court in Palatine. If you can join us, please call the IEA office, 847 359-0300, and let Sonja or Amy know that you plan to join us.

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