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Krystal Wolston: Everyday Hero
Krystal is a semifinalist for AFT National's Everyday Hero Award
AFT Local 1904's own Krystal Woolston is one of the semifinalists for
AFT's Everyday Heroes 2014 Award in the Higher Education Category. This is an affirmationof the outstanding work Krystal has done both on campus with our students, in our community in the aftermath
of Hurricane Sandy, in the Gulf after Hurricane Katrina and recently
in Haiti working with kids in schools. She gives freely of her time and this recognition is the least we can do as a community to pay her back.
You can read more about why helping others is more than just a job for Krystal on AFT's website. Please vote now for Krystal Woolston and tell your family and friends to vote for her as well. Let's let her know how much we appreciate what she does and who she is.
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Officer and Delegate Elections
Nomination Process
Any full dues paying member wishing to have their name on the ballot for any of the officer positions, as well as council delegate, is required to complete a Nominating Petition with ten (10) signatures of full-dues-paying members, which is then delivered to Paul Martinez, chair of AFT Local 1904's Elections Committee via interoffice mail or directly in his mailbox in the Technical Services area in the Library, which is behind the Reference Desk to the left.
Any nominations received before the April 9th General Union Meeting will be included on a sample ballot to be shown at that meeting. Additionally, at that April 9th meeting, nominations for office will be accepted from the floor. All nominations for officers and delegates are due by April 14th.
Note that only full members may nominate someone to run for an office. Members can nominate themselves with the required Nomination Petition.
The election will be conducted the week of April 28th through May 2nd. Only full dues paying members are eligible to vote in the election. To confirm your membership status, contact the Local's office at ext. 4453 or via email at union@mail.montclair.edu.
Questions? Contact Paul Martinez via email at paul.martinez@montclair.edu.
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Ratification of Tentative Agreements
First Reading at April 9th General Union Meeting
AFT Local 1904 is pleased to announce that tentative agreements have been reached with the University on a variety of items. The only items requiring ratification are those which have never been voted on by the membership and are not implementations of the Statewide Agreement. The agreements are available on the Contracts Tab of AFT Local 1904's website (http://www.aftlocal1904.org). Please review each item, especially those items that require ratification by the membership.
The tentative agreements requiring ratification are:
Reappointment,Tenure and Appointment Procedures
The items which implement the Statewide Agreement and are not subject to ratification are: The ratification process will proceed as follows:
a. First reading: The April 9th General Union Meeting will serve as a first reading and discussion of each item. b. Ratification: The ratification vote will occur at the May 7th meeting. All of the items will be presented as a package for an up or down vote by the members attending.
c. Voting: Voting will be done in person by attendees at the May 7th General Union meeting. Only those in attendance who are full members can vote.
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Faculty Tenure Workshop
Tips for Faculty, DPAC members & Department Chairs
If you are a faculty member going up for tenure, a member of the DPAC, or department chair, you won't want to miss this workshop on May 6th from 12-2:00 p.m. in University Hall 1120. AFT Local 1904 Faculty Coordinator Vanessa Domine will facilitate a strategic session with colleagues from across the university on crafting the faculty dossier towards tenure. Refresh your understanding of contractual rights while gaining a deeper understanding of issues surrounding peer-review, scholarly impact, and the personnel action process. Light refreshments will be served. Note that this is the third in a series of three workshops that were offered this academic year on the reappointment, promotion and tenure processes. Please RSVP to Linda Turano at ext. 4453 or via email @ union@mail.montclair.edu no later than May 1st.
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Last Call: Scholarships Available
For High School Seniors
The Essex-West Hudson Labor Council's scholarship award for high school seniors is now accepting applications. Eligible applicants must be accepted at an accredited college or post-high school education program.
Children of full dues paying members AFT Local 1904 who meet the above stated criteria are eligible to apply. The application deadline is April 17, 2014. For additional information, please click here.
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Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter
Your help is still needed
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Current Events
Links to Recent Articles of Interest
- Are public schools for sale? Watch Bill Moyers' interview with Diane Ravitch to find out more.
- To learn more about how the Koch brothers' political influence and the organizations they fund, click here.
- Gov. Christie retroactively cut state pension payments. Find out how by reading NJ Spotlight.
- Foreign enrollment at colleges and universities reaches a new high, while continuing to increase. Read more about it in The Record.
- MSU's Focus On: Denise Rodak. Read more here about #WorkThatMatters.
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 | Richard Wolfson, President
AFT Local 1904 |
President's Corner
In the evening of April 4, 2014, I sat down to write this at the end of a very interesting and productive day. This afternoon I participated in a conference titled Workplace Bullying: Seeking Solutions sponsored by the National Workplace Bullying Coalition and co-chaired by our own Beverly Peterson from the School of Communications and Media. I was surprised at the variety of panelists and perspectives, from Debra Davis from the Council speaking on contract language and investigating claims to Senator Linda Greenstein describing new legislation called The Healthy Workplace Act (S280). I was equally impressed by the variety of participants who came from the public and private sectors: lawyers, union leaders and staff, bullied employees, consultants, and at least two judges. We were reminded that bullies come in all shapes and sizes and that bullying can be physical or psychological. And that the fallout from being bullied can ruin a person's career as well as their psychological well-being, or even end their lives. It got me thinking about situations our Local has worked to solve over the years, and wondering how many members out there may have chosen to just not speak up. I want you to know that the Local cares and can help. But you have to let us know. And you will be in control of what course of action is taken, if any.
I ended my day at the memorial service for Robert McCormick. Robert was an accomplished academic, a tenacious advocate for children, a colleague and a friend. The University has named the Robert D. McCormick Center for Child Advocacy in his honor. It was heartwarming to hear his friends, colleagues and family reminiscing about their time with Robert and tell their stories. The University will miss him. His colleagues will miss him. I will miss him. But his work will live on through the Center that now bears his name.
That's it for now. I'll see you at the next General Union meeting this Wednesday.
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Upcoming Events
General Union Meetings:
Time: 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Where: SC 419
When:
Apr. 9, 2014
May 7, 2014
Faculty Tenure Workshop:
Time: 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Where: UN 1120
When: Tues., May 6th (designated as a Fri.)
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Newark Mayoral Election
The Essex-West Hudson Labor Council, AFL-CIO, has endorsed Ras Baraka, mayoral candidate in Newark; Ed Osborne, candidate for City Council Member-at-Large; Luis Quintana, candidate for City Council Member-at-Large; and Mildred Crump, candidate for City Council Member-at-Large. These four individuals have stood with Labor and now it is time for Labor to stand with them.
Volunteer activities in support of these candidates include phone banking and Labor-to-Labor Walks. Phone banking will occur from now until May 12th, Mondays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Labor-to-Labor Walks will be held every Saturday, through May 10th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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AFTNJ
AFT Local 1904 is affiliated with American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ), which is the state federation of AF T locals in New Jersey. AFTNJ represents 30,000 Pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 and higher education workers throughout the state.
Want to know more about AFTNJ? Sign up for their news feed by clicking here.
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