How I Joined the Union, Part III—OR Red Emma and the Temple of Doom

How I Joined the Union, Part III

—OR 

Red Emma and the Temple of Doom

See PART II
See PART I

By Red Emma

DISSENT 6 - April 27, 1998

Regular Dissent readers might assume editor Big Bill's [Roy Bauer's] colorful illustrations and animated journalistic style represent editorial vox hyperbolas. This is satire, right? Exaggerated, if necessary, fun-poking at people in power? Is it possible, for instance, that proceedings of F.A. representative council meetings, occur as recorded by B.B.?

Red Emma reports that, Big's creative powers notwithstanding, he is not applying them to accounts of the union's monthly organizational trysts appearing in this journal.

Brothers and sisters, Emma testifies to the verity of past reports, at least if last week's meeting is any indication.

Newly elected by the Adjunct Organizing Group (AOG) as your adjunct union rep (in fact, the only dues paying local member), Red attended the Monday meeting prepared to be seated and ask three questions: (1) What are my duties and privileges? (2) Why isn't the union actively recruiting part-timers? (3) How will much-touted (by Ray Chandos) part-time contract gains (interview guarantees and health benefits) be facilitated?

Introducing myself to Madame Chair [Sherry M-W?], I was informed that I was not in fact the union rep and that, contrary to advice offered by Chandos via another adjunct (Chandos will not call the Red line), election of adjunct union reps would in fact occur along with everybody else--nominations deadline Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Mr. Kopfstein

Eager to oblige, Red Emma dutifully wrote a letter nominating himself. When Elections Chair Bob Kopfstein arrived about forty minutes into the meeting, it was handed him with a flourish and, with the arrival of R. Chandos, the elections agenda item proceeded. I complained politely that my campus union rep wouldn't call me back and asked how election of part-timers might occur absent protocol or notification. Chandos repeated misinformation about a separate election. This time, both Madame Chair and Prof. Kopfstein interrupted, informing the meeting simultaneously that "one" and "two" positions would be filled by votes of dues paying members. After discussion about old by-laws (which suggest unwieldy and frighteningly democratic proportional representation) and the profound absence of any new bylaws, M. Chair and B. Kopfstein seemed to disagree to disagree, leaving all unclear whether one or two positions would be filled for over 700 adjunct faculty at two colleges.

I am not making this up. Red Emma swears on the graves of the Homestead martyrs and his jar of cheese Ragu.

Red then invited someone, anyone, of the twenty assembled union members to speak to part-timers at our next AOG meeting on Friday, May 8, 12:30 pm--an invitation met with silence.

Finally, I asked how part-timers applying for district jobs could know if their now contractually mandated "automatic" job interview (subject to mysterious and undefined requirements) would be granted by SOCCCD Personnel and hiring committees.

"What," I asked Madame Chair, "would you do if you'd worked as a part-timer for five years and now applied for a job with the district? Would you include that info in a cover letter or otherwise notify them of your conviction that you met the requirements?"

My mere mention of Personnel was met with much rolling of eyes and giggling. But when I asked what the union would do to intervene on behalf of this particular segment of its constituency, the answer came that the contract did not kick in till July 1, conveniently past deadlines for many current openings and perhaps full-time positions for quite awhile.

Red attempted to raise related issues, but had apparently exceeded his time, despite the singular precedent-smashing attendance of a part-timer faculty rep. Red's final, desperate plea for a union emissary to the AOG meeting this time was answered in the person of Prof. Ken Woodward of Saddleback.

Red Emma, in the flesh

At the meeting's conclusion, Red approached Prof. Woodward to thank him and confirm his attendance at the May 8 meeting. Woodward again agreed to attend, but candidly offered that "you should form your own unit because most full-timers are not concerned with part-time issues," a sentiment echoed by Madame Chair, who joined us briefly in what was for me, the afternoon's apogee. The honesty of these two union leaders seemed a welcome, if confusing, respite from the obfuscation and bafflement (to me) of the meeting itself.

Analysis: Part-timers have not been recruited, it seems, because they were not welcome. Despite being represented and bargained on behalf of, they were not the concern of a local dominated by full-timers.

There you have it. Almost. Two days later, Red Emma received a call from Elections Chair Kopfstein, who found no record of Red's membership, a fact which, if true, would correctly disqualify Red from running for anything. "Your name does not appear on my list," he said.

Red Emma supplied Prof. Kopfstein the necessary assurances and he apologized for any confusion. Red asked how many candidates there were for the job. He replied, "one." "Nobody from Saddleback?" asked Red. "Yes, one from Saddleback. One from IVC."

As Elections Chair, it seems Kopfstein bravely elected to arrange for two positions (recall the disagreement with Madame Chair). The ballot offers one candidate (me) for one position at IVC and the election involves exactly one qualified voter (also me) to elect him. Ain't democracy grand?

Meantime, Diane Fernandes-Lisi, CTA Staff Consultant, offered to help part-timers work to secure their own separate dues-paying bargaining unit (again, me). Red Emma assumes Prof. Woodward will advise on May 8 how to remove ourselves from his unit, even as Red Emma appears to be on the verge of an astounding elections victory finally guaranteeing adjunct faculty representation in same.

Lesson: Join the union!

* * *

Finally: It's backlash time. The opposition, such as it is, is summoning all of its modest energy toward pulling down student protest fliers, distributing their own giddily oblivious circulars and, contrary to their man Mathur's saucy memo, talking campus politics (yikes!) in class!

That's predictable and, in fact, welcome. What's alarming is that some part-timers, now apparently disturbed by any political "disturbance" (where have they been for 18 months?), seem to have taken Mathur's thoughtfully intimidating memo to heart and further distanced themselves from students and their teacherly responsibility to act, to speak, to teach. Instead of seeing this injustice for what it is, they seem to blame those trying to fight it. Folks, Red Emma reminds you that this is not only an IVC issue. The ghettoization of adjunct faculty, the corporatization of the academy and the "temp"-ization of labor is a trend, along with "downsizing" and the exoticization of technology. This is not going away. Who's going to fight it? Who's going to organize? If not part-time teachers, who? If not now, when?


The union leadership does not want to explain to the membership why it is revising the bylaws only a year after the last (so-called) revision. (You will recall that Dissent has raised this issue in the past.) During the last Rep. Council meeting, however, faced with a direct question, Sherry at last provided a clear explanation: it is being forced to make changes by the CTA, for the CTA has judged that our so-called bylaws contain many illegal elements, a point that critics of the leadership have made repeatedly to no avail.

The ratification election is rapidly approaching. Predictably, the leadership has decided not to provide copies of the current bylaws to members (in preparation for that event). Further, it has decided not to hold a meeting to explain the revisions to the membership. Finally, for now, it won’t show anyone the revisions.

No problem; WE’LL do it.... –RE