Update: August 2006

Welcome to the first issue of ACT-UAW Update! This month there's info about a great ACT-UAW event coming in September, a message from our President, your first look at our newly elected Unit Chairs, and a link to a photo essay by Cate Fallon.

Have a story you'd like to share with your fellow teachers, or a question you'd like answered in a future issue? Email it to us at news@actuaw.org - Barry Greenhut, Editor

In this issue
Part-Time Faculty Convocation on September 15 President's message Unit Chair greetings Photo Essay: Constitutional Convention

ACT-UAW will host a Part-time Faculty Convocation on Friday September 15 from noon to 4pm, at 230 Thompson Street (the Judson Church). Meet your union leaders and share stories with your colleagues at this special ACT-UAW event. Speeches will be short and refreshments will be served, so stop by, even if only for a few minutes.

The www.actuaw.org home page now features a calendar of Coming Events - look for the yellow box on the home page. Have an event that would be of interest to your fellow teachers? Email us at news@actuaw.org and we'll do our best to spread the word!

The last academic year has been a momentous one for our local - our first contract at New School, the election of Unit Chairs and Joint Council members, attending our first UAW Convention as Local 7902, and supporting our sister local, GSOC, during its difficult strike.

Of all the accomplishments the one that is a special source of pride is the building of our local through the training of grievance handlers and activists: these are your local Stewards, Joint Council, and committee members. While our contracts at NYU and New School empower us with rights we would otherwise not have, lasting strength and dignity will best be achieved through the continued self-empowerment of our members.

This year we have continued this process, the statement you're reading an example of our Education Committee's work to keep the membership involved and informed. This task of getting people more involved in our union has also has lead to our Membership Committee's work on the planning of adjunct-specific events for the coming year. Our Joint Council - the representatives of the local union membership - has met twice now, and while the experience of running a local still seems new to everyone, it is something we are all proud to take part in. We have gotten our members involved in the handling of grievances to insure our rights are upheld, and will continue to offer grievance handling training so that there are representatives in as many departments as possible. We will continue our support of GSOC at NYU because there is strength in solidarity.

While the empowered adjunct might seem to some a contradiction in terms, we have achieved this. Now we must build on it through continuing to use our gains for greater self-respect and workplace dignity for all of us of Local 7902.

In Solidarity,
Joel Schlemowitz

Thank you for this opportunity to speak openly with you. This is a historic time for the New School University part time faculty. We have a terrific contract in place and we have begun to see it implemented. I want to give you some of the highlights that are happening right now, this summer.

As a union, we have filed and prevailed in important grievances under the job security clause of the contract. As a result, we have facilitated replacement classes for a number of faculty in amicable step one meetings with Department Chairs. We continue to push the University to establish their "look around process" and to find replacement courses from throughout the University. In other grievances, we have achieved payments for course development fees and enforcement of proper wages under the contract. By stepping forward, to assert your rights, you are playing a key roll in the contract enforcement.

Behind all of our efforts to monitor the correct interpretations and to enforce our contract, the bottom line is a strong union. Another opportunity for strength is the fact that the University and Actuaw agreed to a union shop. We are calling and making visits to make sure that everyone has signed a dues authorization card. We are all very busy in the complexity of our lives but the smartest move right now is to step forward and volunteer some time to sign up new members. We are the union and because of our efforts we are where we are today.

We have a momentous opportunity to build on the recent achievements. As Unit Chair, I have spoken to one faculty after another and the conversation always leads to how dedicated we are to our teaching. We have made all the right moves to begin the process of empowerment; a lot is riding on what we do next. Our contract is a springboard for self-empowerment but the strength of our union will determine our real success. I look forward to working with you to meet all of these challenges and to make our union even stronger.

In Solidarity,
Marie Dormuth

Greetings ACT-UAW Members!

First I want to say that it is a privilege to have been elected to serve as NYU Unit Chair. I am joining a very dedicated and hard-working (over worked, really) staff who have been doing a terrific job running our union. Thanks to Joel Schlemowitz, Cate Fallon, Susan Hambleton, Bob Apter, Roger Brown, Kathy Bishop, Sylvia Gonzalez, all the members of the Executive Board and our newly elected Joint Council members for all their hard work.

It will be a pleasure to work with them and entire UAW team in the future and I am grateful for the opportunity to help them as they help us all - for we are ACT-UAW! There is much work to do and I ask each of you to consider helping out in any way you can, even for just a short time. Call, email or stop by the office to ask what you can do.

Second, I want to welcome you to the Fall 2006 semester, no matter whether you are new to NYU or have been teaching here many years.

I look forward to meeting you soon, perhaps at our upcoming Part-Time Faculty Convocation (details above). In the meantime, feel free to contact me at chris.rzonca@gmail.com to say hello, ask a question, volunteer to help, or report a grievance.

There is more information about grievances and how to recognize them on our website (click on "FAQs" and read "What is a grievance?" and "What are my rights?"), but basically a grievance is when the NYU administration violates the contract in some way. This is where you come in - if you don't report possible violations, we don't know about them. So far, there have been many grievances over the key issues of reappointment, health benefits eligibility and termination pay. We have helped many members get what they deserve under the contract. Grievance settlement is an important part of what your union is doing for you everyday.

Watch these updates to find out all the other things your union is doing for you.

Have a great semester!

In Solidarity,
Chris Rzonca

Have a story you'd like to share with your fellow teachers, or a question you'd like answered in a future issue? Email it to us at news@actuaw.org.