SB 1960 LEVELS PLAYING FIELD

Stacey Burks

Gray Davis recently signed into law SB 1960, the "fair share" mandate that, beginning January 1, 2001, requires all faculty who are represented by a union to pay their fair share union dues. Currently, PFA allows those who object to paying their fair share to write a letter requesting that union dues not be taken from their pay check. With the passing of this new law, this will no longer be an option. To say that this bill has caused some controversy would be an understatement. There will no doubt be some court cases challenging its intentions. We've heard that some Districts are even questioning whether CC's were meant to be included in this mandate (according to David Hawkins, FACCC

representative, SB 1960 (author,John Burton) was written specifically with CC's in mind). In speaking with Doug Houston, our Personnel Director, Butte does not plan to contest the bill. However, Butte still needs to determine under law who may qualify for exception to the law ( for example, one's religion may expressly prohibit belonging to or paying into a non religious organization). For those who are exempt, the school will also have to determine where their fair share fees will be directed. PFA has recommended that such fees be directed to a student scholorship fund and we think that that is being explored as a possibility since we have a Foundation that can easily set this up.

There will be faculty angered when SB 1960 takes effect, but speaking as the Union President, I am definitely not going to be one of them. Too few of us do enormous amounts of work on behalf of all part time faculty and all we've ever really asked in return is that those inactive at least pay their fair share. To date, not ONE faculty member has EVER turned down any of the many, many pay raises we've negotiated or turned back his/her Holiday pay or given up seniority points in protest of PFA. No winner of our Excellence in Academics award (and many have been non-members) has EVER said "No thank you...I don't want the union to publicly honour me or give me a golden apple." In short, those who have never paid into our efforts have ever demonstrated their anti-union sentiments by actually refusing any of the gains WE, the union, made happen. I must add that the sacrifices PFA's Governing Board makes to keep PFA progressive and effective is practically heroic. So...I'm probably not the one you're going to want to call if having to pay your fair share bothers you. Like any other organization, we need dues to keep on keeping on. Golden apples, book scholarships, grievances, negotiations, maintaining seniority lists, attending conferences, putting out a newspaper...all these things and more cost money. SB 1960 will help level the playing field and help PFA's Governing Board continue to do good works on behalf of part time faculty without having to worry quite so much how we're going to pay for the things that need to be done.

For more information about Part-Time Issues,
click on the following links.

California Part-time Faculty Association (CPFA)

Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC)

If you have any questions or concerns about PFA feel free to contact the PFA Governance Board: E-Mail PFA

Always remember: "United We Bargain, Divided We Beg."

Dave Bush,
Union Activist, PFA Unit

"I consider it important, indeed urgently necessary, for intellectual workers to get together, both to protect their own economic status and, also generally speaking, to secure their influence in the political field."
Albert Einstein (commenting on why he joined the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO)

Union Activist Dave Bush at work.
This picture was taken at the 5-17-99 "Lobby Day."

Click on the image to make your voice heard