San Joaquin Delta College Teacher's Association
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SJDCTA Election Main Page | SJDCTA Home | SJDC Home |
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The official ballot will be distributed on May 20, 2003. Ballots will be mailed to faculty who are "off contract" and to adjunct members. The ballot box will be in the Mail Room. Deposit your ballot on May 22 (7:30a-5:00p) or May 23 (7:30a-3:00p). Ballots to be tabulated on May 23, after 3:00pm. |
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Statements arranged by candidate's last names...
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Joe Gonzales (President): Dear Colleagues, Presently we are experiencing interesting and difficult times. The state is in a budget crisis and pressuring institutions to reduce and cut programs and course offerings. By some estimates, health care costs will rise 15.4 percent or higher, including prescriptions. Some districts are downsizing administrative, classified, and instructional staff. At Delta the previously mentioned issues that are affecting other districts will also affect us. In addition we need to settle a contract with effective collective bargaining language that will deal with these and other working condition issues. My goal as president of SJDCTA would be to maintain and improve the educational and professional conditions that we presently have. We have good working conditions, but they could be better. In times of budget shortfalls working conditions do not have to reach a low level. We need to do all that we can to maintain and improve conditions so that we can effectively offer our students a quality education. In addition to the SJDCTA being the official bargaining unit, I would also like to focus on the “Teachers Association” aspect of our name as a professional organization dedicated to promoting quality and effective teaching and instruction. The “Association” should attempt to seek resources, develop strategies, and advocate on behalf of its members’ professional needs and concerns. Informing and updating association members as to local, regional and state news and information can do this. Such communication would keep the membership informed and updated as to how others are responding and attempting to resolve problems and/or concerns. As president I would greatly welcome the above challenge and would personally shoulder the responsibility you would give me to ensure a quality and professional educational environment. for Joe Gonzales Membership • CTA member since 1980 • Sacramento City Teachers Association/CTA, 1980 - 1987 o Site Leader o Strike Leader • SJDCTA member, 1987 – Present SJDCTA Negotiation Team Member • Contract for July 1, 1995 – June 30, 1998 • Contract for July 1, 1999 – June 30, 2002 Governance Positions Leadership Positions: • Present Flex Coordinator – Academic Senate/Faculty Professional Growth Committee • New Faculty Orientation – Mentor /Academic Senate • Faculty Resource Center – Faculty Coordinator Committee Memberships: • Hiring Process Team • Matriculation • Information Competency • Program Review • Instructional Capital Outlay Rosalind Gottfried (2nd Vice President): Dear Faculty: I am running for the CTA 2nd Vice Presidency—Grievance Chairperson. I have been a full time community college teacher since 1988. I have been at Delta since 1996. I spent six years as an adjunct instructor (in Massachusetts and New Mexico) before joining the faculty at Albuquerque TVI (Technical Vocational Institute) to initiate their first AA degree in Liberal Arts. While at TVI, I became a charter member of our union (an AFT affiliate) when we won the right to collective bargaining in 1992. It took us three and a half years to gain a favorable union vote, and what an education that process was! I learned an unbelievable amount about the legal system and its uses and abuses. Since coming to Delta in 1996, to teach sociology, I have been observing the workings of the college under its various administrations. Interestingly, there are many similarities between community colleges because many of their problems are endemic to the institution. Some of you may know that I have had a grievance in process for two years. It recently has been settled to my satisfaction. Unfortunately, I often felt like the union was my adversary instead of my advocate, adding much distress to an already stressful situation. I doggedly held on to my position and fought for what I felt was right, even as the pressure mounted from the union, to give in. I pledge that I will uphold the fair and respectful treatment of every faculty member on this campus as obstinately as I pushed for my own rights. Every faculty member has the right not only to the terms guaranteed in our contract but to the professional respect and fair treatment warranted by the profession. I pledge to see that everyone is so treated. Please put your union to work for you. If elected I will do my very best to make sure that every person represented by our union has a voice! Clarence Louie (Treasurer): I believe I have previously served as SJDC Treasurer two full-terms and two interim terms and once on the CTA negotiation team. The CTA Executive Board requested me to serve in an interim position on two different occasions: Once when Tom Radin, who passed away while in office as CTA Treasurer, and second for Bob Montague when he had surgery. When I was in office, I provided monthly budget reports and reinvested our savings into accounts with higher interest rate returns. I also had to make the transition to file the Federal Form 990 and the State Franchise Tax Board because we had grown financially over the gross receipts under section 501(c). If elected, I will do my best to inform our members of our current CTA budget and expenditures. Harry Mersmann (1st Vice President): With the sweeping changes that are occuring on our campus, it is imperative that we have a vocal and assertive presence on the Policy and Procedures Committee. With tenure finally in hand, I am more than prepared to become a strong advocate for faculty concerns on this committee and in my other duties as First Vice-president. For the past three years, I have served as the Social Science Division Rep for CTA and I now seek to "kick it up a notch" as First Vice-president. I have a history of voting on the CTA board from a position of strong ethical principles ( I tend to ascribe to that old IWW motto: "An injury to one is an injury to all."), even when those votes have been unpopular and/or in the minority. The time has come for we, as faculty, to reclaim our power and I seek your assistance in that quest. Claudia Quinn (1st Vice President): I have previously been SJDCCTA President twice, on the CTA negotiations team three times, grievance chairperson, and Health Benefits Committee member. I have also previously served at least 4 times on the Policy and Procedures Committee. I believe this history would make me a valuable member of the Policy and Procedures Committee during my tenure of office as SJDCCTA Vice President. Mike Seelye (Treasurer): I would like to complete another terms for treasurer; not so much that I love this job, but because we are in a state of transition to an entirely new system. Agency fee law mandates we have a professional audit every year. Since our system earlier was not geared to this process, I have had to arrange with a CTA sponsored Auditor and work out the details. To date we are only half finished with the process. The auditor insisted we go back three years and come forward to comply with the new laws. I have attended workshops and consulted with CTA on this process. We completed the first phase in March 1003 and am now in the process of the second level. One last phase is to be completed next year and then our chapter will be in compliance. I would like to complete this and have the books and computer ready for the next person. To anyone interested in this position I would inform them that a considerable amount of time is required. This is beyond what we have had to do in the past. Please contact me and I would be happy to "enlighten" anyone disposed toward this office. |
