You Have Spoken

Over one thousand of you voted in our statewide officer election. At today’s Delegate Assembly meeting, the election results were certified. The specific numbers will be up on the 4C’s website in a few days.

We are pleased to announce that all six New Leadership Slate candidates won their respective races. The term for our officers-elect begins on May 11th.

We pledge to be worthy of the confidence the majority of you have placed in us. We also pledge to work diligently to earn the faith and trust of those of you who voted for our opponents.

We thank our opponents for their long years of service. We wish them well.

Now we turn to the tasks ahead. We have much to do. We’ll keep you informed, involved and empowered.

Our refrain remains the same: working together, we’ll do better.

The End of the Beginning

After almost a month of New Leadership Slate blog entries, we reach the end of our story.

We have tried to inform you about the contract inequities 4C’s members endure on merged campuses. We have tried to articulate our vision for the future of our union—a future we want you to help shape. We have tried to give you sufficient reasons to vote for us.

Now, we will wait to learn the judgment you must render.

We hope you will vote for the New Leadership Slate, so this entry will represent the end of an old era, and the beginning of a new one. In the new era we hope to see, your participation in all union conversations will be welcomed and encouraged.

Our union belongs to no single group or individual. It is all of us working together.

Working together, we’ll do better.

The Choice is Yours

The current 4C’s leaders have run our union for decades. In this election, you can return them to office for another two years. If so, you are guaranteed to see our union remain as it has been. Alternately, you can vote for change in the form of the New Leadership Slate.

If you like the way our union operates, and if you like the contract language you work under, clearly you should vote for the incumbents.

However, if you like what we propose to do to make our union more transparent, to encourage member involvement, to empower members, to work with our allies, to make our union stronger, and to fight for better contract language, then we ask you to vote for the New Leadership Slate.

Continuing as second-class employees in our own system is a choice. Trying to do better is a choice. Now, the choice is yours.

NEXT: The End of the Beginning

The Sad Truth

The current union leaders have been touting a new three-year agreement with management not to impose the fifth course on 4C’s faculty. Yet, this “agreement” is not on the 4C’s website. AFT President Bogusky asked the system’s Director of Employee Relations, Marjorie London, about this agreement. The text of their email conversation follows, and it speaks for itself:

Sent: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 6:04 AM
Subject: RE: BOT contract proposals

There is no such agreement to provide. Sorry.

************************************************************
Marjorie A. London
Director of Labor Relations/Counsel
Board of Trustees of Community-Technical Colleges
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105
Telephone: (860) 244-7624
Facsimile: (860) 727-8735

From: DJBSR88@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:39 AM
To: London, Marjorie A
Subject: Re: BOT contract proposals

Marjorie,
The current 4c's Leadership claims that a deal regarding the fifth course
has been agreed to. The deal would prevent management from scheduling
a fifth course for three years, (duration of the new agreement) Can you
confirm and provide copies of the agreement.
Dennis

NEXT: The Choice is Yours