News archive, Jan. thru Mar. 2002

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*First local dues increase since 1999

Dear Fellow Union Members,

Can you remember the excitement of our last three-year contract? It was 1999 and your bargaining team came back with an almost 22 percent increase in pay for the membership. The team also came back with an agreement that allowed full-time faculty to take summers off. The two combined mean we are at average statewide salary levels by working two terms. I have enjoyed real quality time with my mid-school daughter for the last two summers!

Of course it took the efforts of many to accomplish this victory. Some volunteer their time to handle day-to-day matters, some work on Governing Board elections, some bargain, and we all contribute with our monthly dues. The dues rates have not increased since 1999. The portion that we contribute to National and State increases every year. We must at last include those increases in our dues.

Your Union has paid all its bills and reduced its outstanding loans by 80 percent. This dues adjustment will allow us to continue. In addition, we will be able for the first time to purchase a one-course reduction for our chief negotiator and President, DonnaSwanson-Hurtado. This is a proud moment for us and another milestone as a labor organization.

Please feel free to contact me should you have questions or concerns about this matter. You will see the dues adjustment in the first paycheck of April 2002.

In Solidarity,
Scott Henriksen
Treasurer, TVI Employees Federation

click here to get contact info for Scott and other leaders of your local

Dues Amounts ( Per pay period for 24 pay periods per year ) 
         ___ Earning starting full time faculty salary or more:  $ 18.94
         ___ Earning $10,000 a year to starting full time faculty salary:  $ 9.72
         ___ Earning less than $10,000 a year:  $ 6.02

Nearly 800 people representing building trades, education, and other unions showed up in support of New Mexico educators on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Capitol in Santa Fe. Speaker of the House Lujan and Senate President Pro Tem Romero joined labor leaders and other elected representatives in welcoming the throng to the Roundhouse rotunda and promising their support of measures to fund teacher compensation increases.

The rally followed a march up Cerrillos Street with participants carrying signs and banners in support of unions and educators.  A delegation from the TVI Employees Federation, identified by a hand-penned placard,  joined the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, United Staff of UNM, Los Lunas teachers, Rio Rancho Education Employees, and other education locals in swelling the crowd, many of whom represented the supportive Building Trades members who hosted lunch for all before the march.

The effort got media attention and public vows of support from legislators, and with the continued efforts of union members across the state during the balance of this year's  Legislative session, may well make the difference between no increase in compensation and a respectable pay raise that recognizes the effort and commitment of New Mexico educators.                               see pictures (patience needed; they load slowly)

Christine Trujillo, a 20-year veteran of classroom teaching, has been elected as the new state AFL-CIO president. The executive board of the New Mexico Federation of Labor elected her Tuesday.

She succeeded Joe Chavez as head of the federation of 202 local union affiliates scattered across New Mexico. The federation represents 30,000 AFL-CIO members in public and private jobs.

Trujillo, a member of the state Board of Education, also is president of the New Mexico Federation of Educational Employees and leads the school employees' lobbying team.

AFT PLUS is pleased to announce our newest member benefit--the highly acclaimed union bookstore--Powell's.  And, a percentage of each AFT purchase made online will be credited to the AFT Recovery Fund for the victims and families of the Sept. 11 attacks. Just get to Powell's by clicking on the icon to the left (below the Navigation buttons on each page). Powell's began as a used bookstore in 1970. The company has continued to grow and today has an inventory of more than a million titles of used and new books.

Instructional Support Unit Ratifies New Contract
October 3, 2001

At the successful conclusion of many weeks of negotiations, TVI and the TVI Faculty Federation negotiating team agreed to a contract covering employment conditions for instructional technicians, tutors, and reader/writers.  Unit members approved the contract in their vote October 3rd. Scheduled pay increases and  improved benefits were addressed as well as the important issues of due process and equitable treatment. 

The Instructional Support Unit overwhelmingly approved the Federation's representation in their election at the end of 2000 joining full time faculty, part time faculty, and security officers at TVI. Their Collective Bargaining Agreement (C.B.A.) extends to January of 2003.

read contract (2 minutes to load over 28kbps connection)     

TVIFF NEWSLETTER, From TVIFF President DonnaSwanson-Hurtado
July 16, 2001

HEY! What About My Raise!

Dear Colleagues, 

Please accept my apologies for the lack of communication with everyone. I am on full release this summer to work on the contracts for the Security Officers, Part-time Faculty, and our new unit, the Educational Support Employees (Instructional Techs, Tutors, and Reader Writers). Time has certainly flown by for me. 

Let me get to the point -- raises for the Full-time Faculty unit. I need to back up and give an overview of the previous two years and our raises and/or opportunity for relief of our summer workload. 

    1. During the Summer of 1999 negotiations for our second contract, it was agreed that the new contract would offer enough money over a three year period for relief from summer classes or a raise or a combination of both. Unlike past offers from the Institute, the funding was not dependent on lowering the wages of part-time instructors or increasing the workload of Adult Education and A&S Science instructors. You have had the option each year of keeping the raises in your base pay or purchasing classes off in the summer.

    2. The contract covers three years, from September of 1999 through August of 2002. 

    3. Each year, the Institute calculates the average instructor's pay on May 15. Instructors are given a raise of 7% of this average added to their base pay. 

    4. In September of 1999, we received the first of three raises, $2900, added to our base pay for the school year 1999-2000.

Now, The Explanation Gets Tricky, So Pay Attention!!

    5. On page 36 of the contract, there is an Appendix A that lists a replacement cost per contact hour for buying classes off in the summer with your raise, dependant on how many weekly contact hours instructors work. The cost per hour is adjusted as your contact hour load increases or decreases; this results in the cost of purchasing courses off in the summer being the same for all instructors, regardless of course load. 

    6. Your negotiating team wanted to make certain that you could purchase two courses off with the raise without significantly lowering your 1998-1999 salary. In order to accomplish this, the Institute issued you a check for $1068 in June 2000, a �loan� from your 2nd raise in September 2000. The $1068 was not added to your base pay in September 2000.

    7.  In September 2000, the 2nd raise was added to your base pay -- $3045 minus the $1068 you already received in June, equaling $5945 to keep or to purchase up to the equivalent of three classes off in the Summer of 2001 without realizing much of a reduction from your 1998-1999 pay for 15 classes. Phew!

Now, the most recent raises and the additions to your base pay for 
September 2001:

On September 1, 2001, you will receive a raise of $3,230. Remember, this is 7% of the average instructor�s salary on May 15^th. This will be added to your base as well as the $1068. that you received in a lump sum, totaling $4408. The total package for the three-year contract is $9175!

Again, the raises are added to your base pay. This means each year you have had the option of either using the raises to buy classes off or keep the raises and pay off some bills!  This year, you have the same decision to make. By August 1^{st *}, you must let your dean know what your plans are for next summer and how many classes you intend to teach. As soon as the requests go through, adjustments will be made in your paychecks.

^*August 1^st is the �deadline� but our experience has been that deans have been honoring requests whenever they come in. The earlier you let them know the easier it is to accommodate your request. Also, the amount taken from your paycheck is less when there are more paychecks to deduct the amount from.

One more time -- $9.175 is almost the entire amount needed to buy all classes off in the summer without realizing a big hit in your pay from the 1998-1999 school year. You can make almost the same amount teaching 10 classes next year as you made in 1999 teaching 15.  Many instructors are buying three classes, having about $5928. taken from their base pay over 26 pay periods and keeping $3247 in remaining raises. This provides much-needed time with kids or rest or ????? I highly recommend taking some if not all of next summer off.

WHAT�S NEXT?

Many members continue to keep governing board members informed of our goals and activities for the year. Others work with deans on Institute committees and still others serve on the Faculty Senate. Your union on your behalf has realized great accomplishments and the future looks even brighter. I hope those of you who are still �waiting to see what the union can do for me� take a good look. We have an ever-improving relationship with the governing board and with the administration. In August, Alan Pope, Chairman of the Faculty Senate, and I will be attending a workshop with TVI administrators in Dallas focusing on improving TVI for the benefit of the community, the students, and the employees. Now THIS is progress!

The Faculty/Management Committee has been working smoothly, focusing on difficult issues before they become grievances. Next on the agenda is faculty vs student rights � how does the Institute insure our safety? We will keep you updated.

Look for the unveiling of our new website!  All units will be represented, contracts will be online, and news will be continually updated. Links to state and national sites will be included.

 Fall membership drive � be ready to commit. No more excuses.

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TVIFF officers elected

Officers of the Federation were elected in April 2001 for two-year terms starting June 1:
    DonnaSwanson-Hurtado (DADE), President
    Bill Kuipers (A&S), Exec. Vice President
    Ernest Garcia (A&S), Secretary
    Scott Henriksen (Trades), Treasurer
    Glenn Bugge (Trades), Full Time Faculty Vice President
    Karen Bradley (A&S), Part Time Faculty Vice President
    John Crawford (Security), Security Employees Vice President

TVIFF officer appointed to national AFT committee

    DonnaSwanson-Hurtado, TVIFF President, has been appointed to the Policy Committee of the American Federation of Teachers.  One of 21 members, Donna brings to the committee valuable experience as an active faculty member and Federation negotiator at one of the largest community colleges in the Southwest.