August 29, 2012

Dear AFT Member:

Subject: Proposed Changes to the RVCC Support Staff Federation Constitution/September AFT Meetings

As the Fall 2012 semester at Raritan Valley Community College begins, the AFT Support Staff Federation executive team would like to thank you for all that you do, especially at this busy time of the school year, to keep RVCC running smoothly and help students successfully adapt to college life and activities. You are the glue that holds RVCC together, often behind the scenes, and we want you to know how much we appreciate each of you and value your contribution to the RVCC community.

There have been many changes at the college over the past few months; partly in response to these we have closely examined the Classified Staff Constitution and proposed a number of changes to update it.

On Wednesday, September 5, from 12:30 to 1 pm and 1 to 1:30 pm in the Atrium there will be a Classified Support Staff membership meeting to discuss the changes to the constitution. Then on Tuesday, September 11, again from 12:30 to 1 pm and 1 to 1:30 pm in Conference Center Room 101 there will be a second membership meeting when we will vote on the constitution, introduce the Chair of the Elections Committee, and open the
floor to nominations for officers. On a date TBA (probably the following week) results of the constitution vote will be announced and a secret election of officers will be held in accordance with the RVCC AFT Classified Support Staff constitutional guidelines.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Donna Gero or Allison Gill. Once again, thank you for your hard work on the behalf of the RVCC community, and we wish you a very happy Labor Day!

Sincerely,

Donna Gero, Acting President, and Allison Gill, Secretary – AFT Classified Support Staff Union

Please click on the Title above to download the Proposed Changes to The Constitution.

Hi All,

If you haven't done so already, please call your legislators immediately and ask them to oppose the Governor's pension bill. The body of this story has a letter from Dolores Sanchez with the legislator's phone number link in it. Click to see it. The bill will be voted on as early as today and no later than Friday, so call right now.

Members of the La Joya and McAllen Federation of Teachers gathered for a press conference on August 9, 2012, to learn about a new initiative from the American Federation of Teachers called, "Share My Lesson." It is a website where all teachers can register to upload/download effective lessons and strategies they think might be helpful to other teachers around the world. Speaking at the press conference was Louis Malfaro, Texas AFT Secretary-Treasurer; Ruth Skow, McAllen AFT President; Greg Barrerra, La Joya AFT President; Barbara Gonzalez, McAllen AFT Member/Kindergarten Teacher; and Torchy Champion, McAllen AFT Member/Teacher

(Baton Rouge – August 24, 2010) In touting the product of a researcher nationally recognized for studies biased in favor of school vouchers, Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White continues down the path of rhetoric and partisan politics at the expense of taxpayers and school children, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

The History of the Yonkers Federation of Teachers is now available.

As a union, we feel it is vitally important that Building Representatives be the first avenue of defense and that issues should be resolved at the building level when possible. It is difficult for Building Representatives to be effective if they are not kept abreast of the issues within their building.

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What LFT General Counsel Larry Samuel says about Act 1: "...this is another example of a total and utter disregard of the opinions of the persons who are in the best position to suggest changes that are in the students’ best interest: the educators who work with our students each day in the classroom. This is yet another example of laws being forced from above, without so much as asking for your input. It is time for this lack of dignity and this disrespect to end."