• Reminders

  • HCAFA Executive Committee monthly meetings to be held on campus.  All meeting times are 4:30 to 5:45 in room F-315 on Harper's campus. All HCAFA members are invited to join the sessions:

    • January 18th
    • Others TBA

  • For information, contact HCAFA President Robert Allare at hcafapresident@gmail.com Unfortunately, our local Illinois Education Association office in Palatine is closed due to the pandemic, but messages (847.359.0300) are forwarded to us. For an emergency situation, you may contact the HCAFA President via email (hcafapresident@gmail.com) or IEA's central office in Springfield at https://ieanea.org/ieaconnect/ for telephone and live chat during their limited weekday hours as well as the email option. 

Delegates Elected to IEA’s Representative Assembly

Posted on December 15, 2018 by hcafawebmaster
Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association members have elected President Charmian Tashjian and Vice-president/Grievance chair Taimi Wilk to attend next spring’s Illinois Education Association’s Representative Assembly in Chicago.
The RA is composed of delegates from around the state who set the group’s policies and programs for the next year and beyond.

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December Issue of The Harper Adjunct Advocate is now available

Posted on December 5, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

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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Vote! Vote! Vote!

Posted on November 5, 2018 by hcafawebmaster
EdVotes
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. 
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Education Votes

Posted on September 21, 2018 by hcafawebmaster
EdVotes
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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The Importance of Voting in the Next Election

Posted on September 20, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

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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Adjunct Advocate: On Being a Union Member

Posted on August 30, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

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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Now Is the Time to Become a Member of HCAFA!

Posted on July 10, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

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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“Fair Share” Members Need to Support HCAFA to Retain the Gains Adjuncts at Harper Have Made

Posted on July 6, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

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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Supreme Court Turns Its Back on Educators

Posted on June 27, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

We won’t give up advocating for our students

In a narrow decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today turned its back on the educators, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and public servants who make our communities strong and safe.

In Janus v. AFSCME, the court overturned common sense jurisprudence that was established more than 40 years ago. By overturning Abood, the court ruled non-members no longer have to pay fair share fees, but unions are still required by law to represent them. Allowing some to opt out of paying will make it harder for all public employees to provide the services that everyone depends on; it will be harder for our educators to advocate for our students and public education; and it will be harder for workers to join together in strong unions.

The key word here is harder, not impossible.
Let’s be clear, the goal of the people who supported this legal case, including Governor Rauner, is to try to silence IEA, NEA, local associations and other public employee unions. They want to stop us from using our collective voice to advocate for our students, for ourselves and for public education.

They will fail.

It has never been more vital that those of us who believe in fair contracts use our collective voice to make sure that all students have access to a high-quality public education. We will continue to spread the truth about the importance of union membership to all of our brothers and sisters working in schools.
We are aware that the Illinois Policy Institute is currently making plans for at least one campaign to try to get IEA members in fair share locals to cancel their membership. This campaign will likely try to convince you – by a letter sent to your home — that you can save your dues dollars each year by simply sending one pre-paid mailing to your school district to tell them to stop your payroll deduction and a second to your local to cancel your membership. The Policy Institute wants to make it very easy for you to do this because they know that fewer members in your local association means less power at the bargaining table – and that’s their goal. If you’re wondering, here’s a list of other things you would also lose if you cancel your membership.

But this won’t be the last you hear from the Policy Institute, or other entities, trying to get you to drop your membership. Their goal is to take power away from educators and our students.

This fight is just beginning. We won’t let them stop us. We will use their attacks to build a stronger IEA and we will move forward together because we know we are STRONGER UNITED.

In solidarity,

Kathi Griffin,
IEA President

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What Will the Upcoming Supreme Court Decision Mean to You?

Posted on June 13, 2018 by hcafawebmaster

Dear HCAFA bargaining unit members,

You have heard from us and the media about the “Janus case” which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case – which began here in Illinois and supported by Governor Rauner – centers on the question if those who benefit from the protections of and benefits negotiated by a union must contribute to to the expenses of doing so.

A decision in that case is expected by June 30. The new composition of the Court leads to the fear that it might well cancel those “fair share” provisions.

Should that happen, there are potentially dire results for us at Harper. If membership – full or “fair share” – falls below 50% + 1 of eligible persons, the College might 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, and all those contractual items are 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.

Full members as well as “fee payers” have our collective futures in their hands should the Supreme Court rule against public sector employees in this case. 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 an HCAFA Executive Committee member before you do that.

Thanks for all you do for our students, the College, and your colleagues throughout the year. It’s going to be a decisive summer in this realm.

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  • Welcome

    Welcome to the HCAFA website! HCAFA is the Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association at Harper College in Palatine, IL.

    From the DOCUMENTS tab above, you can access:
    1. The Teaching Adjuncts Agreement with the College
    2. The Librarians and Counselors Agreement
    3. Weingarten Rights--Union Representation
    4. Many forms from the Harper website: absence, availability, professional development and evaluation..

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