Council Delegates Share and Build Knowledge & Skills at AFT Spring 2015 Conferences

College Council membership was well represented in two national AFT conferences which took place this March. Members from throughout the Council, along with Council staff, gave presentations, led panel discussions and engaged in workshops during AFT’s Collective Bargaining Conference in Atlantic City and at the AFT/NEA’s Joint Higher Ed. Conference in Orlando, Florida.

From March 2 through March 4, AFT members from throughout the nation converged at Bally’s in Atlantic City for a three day Collective Bargaining Conference focused on sharing and honing the strategies, tactics and skills necessary to make gains at the bargaining table. Workshop themes included an emphasis on solution driven unionism, community building and bargaining for the common good. Council Executive Director Steve Young presented research results to a well attended session concerning the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on collective bargaining. Steve’s research focused particularly on the impact of the ACA on Council membership’s adjunct faculty teaching credit hours and on the differences between IRS and State of New Jersey Division of Pension & Benefits guidelines for working hours calculations as related to the ACA. AFT NJ president Donna Chiera addressed the broader State Federation’s efforts to advance professionalism through collective bargaining, member engagement and community outreach.

Council leaders and staff continued their skill building and sharing in Orlando at Equality ’15, AFT/NEA’s joint higher education conference, held March 12 through March 15. The joint conference’s overarching theme of advancing equality on and off campus was championed by a diverse assembly of higher ed. labor, student and community activist keynote speakers. Council President Tim Haresign moderated a panel on student-faculty collaboration efforts aimed at creating a vision of higher education that serves the public good. MSU Local 1904 President Rich Wolfson contributed to a panel discussion on teacher education and the growing concern over punitive teacher accountability measures being touted across the nation.

Attending the Collective Bargaining Conference on behalf of the Council and their respective locals were Council President Tim Haresign; MSU Local 1904 President Rich Wolfson; Local 1904 Vice President of Negotiations Ken Brook; and Council Staff Representatives Debra Davis and Bruce Howard. Also present at Higher Education Equality ’15 were KFT Local 2187 President James Castiglione; MSU Local 1904 Treasurer Mike Heller; MSU Adjunct Local 6025’s President Bob Noonan and First VP & Council Adjunct Representative Mary Wallace; NJCU Local 1839’s President Bill Calathes; Professional Staff & Librarians VP Queen Gibson; Adjunct Faculty VP Debra Jenks; Full-Time/Part-Time Faculty VP Rubina Vohra; Rowan Local 2373 President Joe Basso; Negotiation Chair Gerald Hough and First VP Manny Pontes; WPUNJ Local 1796 President & AFTNJ Vice President Sue Tardi; Ramapo Local 2274 President Martha Ecker; Council Executive Director Steve Young and Staff Representative Bruce Howard.