KVCC Board of Trustees approves first contract with part-time faculty union

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Michigan Live

By Linda S. Mah

KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo Valley Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday ratified a three-year contract with the KVCC Federation of Teachers, which represents the part-time faculty at the college.

It is the first contract for the KVCCFT, which was formed in 2012.

The contract provides a 5.75 percent pay increase over the three-and-a-half year life of the contract. Union members have not seen a pay increase for the last three years. The contract also provides an expectation of continued employment; provides fairer processes for class assignments, grievances and evaluation of teaching performance; and grants paid personal leave from a half day up to three days, depending on the number of credit hours one teaches. It goes into effect January 2015 and runs through July 2018.

KVCCFT President Carol Weatherford, an English instructor said, in a statement at the time of ratification, that the contract took almost two years of negotiations to complete and the bargaining units went through more than 20 versions before reaching the final document.

FULL story at link.



(MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette File)


Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/11/kvcc_board_of_trustees_approve_2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+michigan-news+(Michigan+News%2C+Updates%2C+Photos%2C+Videos+and+Opinions+-+MLive.com)

[mopinko]

1. the community college system is a true asset to this country.

i spent my first 2 years of college at a great little institution in the early days of the system. my son, who is now working on a phd, spent 2 years in a city college.
the rule in the family was- do your first 2 years in city colleges, prove yourself to us, then you can go wherever we can afford to send you. one kid got a full boat to a university, and another went to a cheaper, but great university, then went to a community college when she moved. she took the remaining core that she needed there. she is working now to save up some money.

community colleges here, and elsewhere i presume, are required to meet the same standards as the state university system.
i had great teachers. and there were quite a few in the occupational side that would never have been hired by a university, but had the life experiences necessary for their subjects.

glad these guys got a union and a contract. they are worth their weight in gold.

[grahamhgreen]

2. Kick

[hay rick]

3. K&R

[TBF]

4. Wish our community colleges

and state colleges could be free for qualified residents.