
Threats to STRS: How the FA Is Fighting for Your Pension
Threat to Your State Pension This is a very real concern for full time faculty at MiraCosta and teachers across the state. Attorney Bob Bezemek, a statewide leader in community college labor law whose services are retained by the FA, brought this issue to our FA leadership's attention at the recent CCCI conference*. Bezemek writes that “a recent appellate decision opens the door to substantial reductions in faculty pension and retirement benefits.” This decision came from an


Canvas Conversion Compensation? FA Seeking Equity for Significant Additional Work
This year at the CCCI conference (California Community College Independents), attending FA members learned that many unions are successfully negotiating compensation for faculty to make the transition from existing online platforms like Blackboard to Canvas. For those who may not have heard, MiraCosta is among the many colleges who have adopted Canvas as a replacement for both Blackboard and Moodle. MiraCosta and others have done so because (a) Canvas is a good system and (b)


Meet Your Friend, Weingarten. Know Your Faculty Rights.
One of the roles of the Faculty Assembly, and in particular the Office of the Ombuds, is to ensure its members are educated on their rights and responsibilities as employees. While it is not pleasant to imagine the situation, as an employee, you may one day be called in by Administration for some sort of investigatory interview that may result in disciplinary action against you or another employee. Do you know you have rights to exercise before participating in such a discuss