This has been an interesting year for the AFA. We have fought and won some major battles with the administration. The most significant of which was the ELI grievance. The administration has failed to get away with a raid on the jurisdiction of the AFA. A final determination of the future of the ELI program, and the damages to be paid to the AFA and to its members awaits the decision of the arbitration panel.

            During the course of the arbitration, all of the administration’s arguments proved fruitless. The basic premise for their position was that no contract should interfere with the privileges academe confers on college administrations. The AFA’s position was more basic. We believe collective bargaining agreement are sacrosanct and cannot be honored or discarded at will;   and we will not tolerate violations of our contract. That’s simple, straight forward, and should be easy to understand.

            On the positive side, the union has also been able to increase the release time provided under the contract. This has helped to increase the effectiveness of our organization.

            We have also seen the AFA bargaining unit increase to more than 3200 members. This is due in part to the ending of “waivers” that had allowed the 8/18 caps to be pierced. Waivers are a thing of the past and will not be seen again. The loss of waivers came in the wake of massive abuses.

            We have also moved the college to provide an accumulated leave statement which soon should be in the hands our membership. Please look at this document carefully and make sure it is accurate.

            The union also settled a grievance concerning the rights of department representatives and the meaning of “priority  appointment.” It is now clear the priority appointment means that the department representative has

 the choice of the course(s) he or she wishes to teach.

            The union is still working to get a clear definition of the qualifications of the TAs in the various departments around the college. This has been a thorn in our side for some time. Without this statement of qualifications, an administrator can simply assert that a faculty member is unqualified for a particular assignment and block his or her assignment. This situation must be resolved. We may have to lodge a class action grievance to achieve compliance.

            In other areas, this year has been unique. The AFA is proud to call attention to the selection of Jerelyn  Hanrahan as the recipient of the NCC Faculty Distinguished  Achievement Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding scholarship and professional accomplishment. Professor Hanrahan is an internationally recognized scholar and educator with an extensive and impressive resume. The AFA is fortunate to number her in its ranks.

            This year has also been sad in the losses that the AFA has sustained. During this year we lost Warren Hittleman, Walton Multer, Robert McGowan and Robert Blake. We   mourn their passing and will miss them  deeply.

            Finally, the Administration is now prepared to move ahead with the adoption of the on-line availability form. For the fall semester teaching faculty will be asked to fill out the usual paper form as well as the on-line form. Instructions will accompany the mailing. Please note that the paper form will be the official availability form for the fall. The on-line form must also be filled out so the college can assure that the on-line system works.