No More Secrecy

Did Larson really say that OCC has the premier faculty in the state and that, if it were up to him, he'd give everyone a raise?! What a phony! The Evil Triumvirate has been attempting to dismantle any and all faculty rights over the last 6 years plus. Why is he attempting to make nice now?

I will reiterate what another blogger posted earlier. Why do we need a "Management Rights" clause in a new MOA if, in fact, the administration is able to implement all of the things listed anyway? I do not believe that they are able to implement all of those changes without the new language in the MOA.

Did we just win a PERC decision? Why hasn't this been advertised by the leadership of the FAOCC? It was the grievance filed about sick time for Wednesdays. We WON IT, however, if we had voted for the last MOA that was presented it would have wiped out what we won.

Is it me or does it seem as though the current FAOCC leadership is operating in secrecy? Why wasn't the PERC victory announced to the entire membership?

 

Comments

[BlueStateBlues]

Can I get a witness?!

[Crushed Peanut Gallery]

And say, AMEN.

[Bebop]

Happy Thanksgiving, Brothers and Sisters of OCC.

We have much to give thanks for this holiday season:

--We have faculty colleagues whose impending termination has no relation to their exemplary performance reviews.

--We have a college president who marks the assault on tenure with a holiday social event celebrating "fellowship" and "collegiality."

--We have academic administrators whose incompetence competes fiercely to outpace career ambition.

Blessings to all on this national day of familial piety and cross-cultural camaraderie.

[Crushed Peanut Gallery]

Onom: You are right in questioning OCC's standards for adjuncts; when one is hired without required credentials experience and degree-wise,it's conveniently chalked up to an "emergency hire." Obviously the college is moving toward a faculty of adjuncts and 12 month positions at the expense of quality of education. I cannot speak for everyone but I admit that I am nervous every day I come in wondering who is next to be axed or what new policies and injustices will be forced upon us. It's a climate of fear and hopelessness. I never thought it could get worse than last December or that the college which used to be a great and collegial place to work would come to this.

[onomatopoeia]

I agree bebop. They were wonderful teachers and colleagues who will be missed by both their students and co-workers. Perhaps now life will be better for them without having to wonder if every move they make is going to get them fired.

If only the administration judged their adjuncts with the same set of standards. Oops, I forgot, it's not really about the students, collegiality, or civility, it is about busting unions!

[Bebop]

Hard to take the cruelty, if you ask me.

[onomatopoeia]

Isn't it amazing that I predicted back when the 12 month sociology positions were posted that they current full-timers would get denied tenure. Well for those of your who thought me wrong, sadly I was correct. Both full-time sociologists are not being recommended for tenure by the the VPAA. In fact, one of them was recommended by both their dean and the committee, I have yet to know about the other. That's a good way to destroy an entire discipline that these women.....hmmmmm women....have built up the past 5 years.

[Crushed Peanut Gallery]

Right on, D&D. I would urge (though somehow I doubt that is even necessary) that all of us who care for our colleagues and this college show a united front and compassion for our non tenured colleagues by boycotting this celebration at the gym. Even though our hearts are heavy, it would be nice to get together at another venue to support one another in an atmosphere of solidarity and true collegiality.

[disgusted & dismayed]

@ CPG~ They laughed because they thought they were part of an institution that cared. Unfortunately, the joke is on them, and all the faculty. OCC is slowly being dismantled by a bunch of megalomaniacs with the biggest one at the helm, steering the ship into the iceberg. I won't be running out to supply myself for the BYOB holiday party in the gym to hang out with a bunch of hypocrites. I will however, join together with *my friends*, many of whom work at this insane asylum and toast to a brighter future. Never in my wildest dreams could the morale be any lower than last fall. Apparently my dreams have been too tame. Freud, are you listening?

[Crushed Peanut Gallery]

D&D:I think I speak for all of us who are truly sickened by this latest news of unwarranted firings. On the same day inviting faculty to join together in a spirit of collegiality for a holiday party is the height of hypocrisy and meanspiritedness. I heard that those running today's faculty meeting were having a good old time smiling and laughing.Were any of these poor souls made aware over the past four 1/2 years that they were in jeopardy of being denied tenure? Is there any recourse for them or is it being chalked up to a convenient budget crisis or management perogative? The bullies win again.

[disgusted & dismayed]

How is it possible to continue to work with a smile on our faces when our non-tenureds are being fired left and right. Nothing like ruining the ability for these academics to find future employment when they have now been branded with this scarlet letter. Dean Dick and King Jon really had to wait until the last year of their employment to decide they were not excellent enough to continue being employed @ OCC?!? And yet the bully of the year, Mike Zahler, gets to continue his incivility and brash behavior and get rewarded with continued employment. OCC is a farce of an institution and is slowly being destroyed by Jon Larson and his cronies.

[Buzzin By]

Now, BB, I take it that is said in good humor and jest!!

[Bebop]

I support your application for a grant, BB, to fund the clinical study necessary to validate your hypothesis.

[Buzzin' By]

Yes, and the "disorder" manifests itself with PA behaviors, narcissism, and heaven knows what else.

[Bebop]

Medterms.com
____________

Psychosis: "a thought disorder in which reality testing is grossly impaired."

[Buzzin' By]

BeBop: I like the grouping selection you did! What hypocrisy. To me, the timing and verbiage of the invite seems almost designed for intended transparency which is pretty sick if you ask me. Passive aggressive?

[Bebop]

Jon Larson to non-tenured faculty:
If it were up to me, there would be no tenure.

Jon Larson to Colloquium audience:
The paradigm of the 15-hour faculty work week is not sustainable.

The highest-salaried NJ two-year college president to faculty bargaining unit:
0%, 1.99%, 1.99%--take it or leave it.
_______________________________________

Jon Larson to college community on Holiday Social Event: ". . . unite for an evening celebration of fellowship, renewing bonds of collegiality . . . ."

[Buzzin By]

I'd like to think it's a nice gesture by JL inviting everyone to pahr-tay together in a spirit of collegiality and sing holiday ditties. But really, anyone out there in the mood to celebrate with administration given what is going on around campus between the contract fiasco, legal actions and assorted directives? Are they going to take attendance?! I think I could count on two hands which a-kissing faculty members will be going. If that many.

[BlueStateBlues]

What's up with the effort to limit the full-time faculty's overload? The MOA was NOT approved that limits us. I guess that's why they are chapped?

There, apparently, is a list of FT faculty who earn over $100K. Now there is an effort to deliberately suppress our earnings. I guess that the only OCC employees who are allowed to earn $100K or more are administrators?

dick: you make nearly $200K per year yet you begrudge the faculty making half that much. YOU are a complete disgrace. Shameless piece of garbage.

[BlueStateBlues]

I was not suggesting a coup d'etat, Bebop, just hoping that you would consider a run in April.

[Bebop]

The FAOCC membership elected a leadership team in April 2011. We stand with those leaders through these challenging times. As active participants, we contribute to the general wisdom in any way possible and at every constructive opportunity.

[BlueStateBlues]

Bebop, why aren't you our president?

[Bebop]

Circumstances validate your skepticism, BSB.

In recommending for approval the Tentative Master Agreement the membership rejected on 9/7, the FAOCC leadership revealed just how out-of-touch it was with the interests and mood of the membership. The leadership issued no apology for its gross misjudgment, nor any reform measures to ensure a more accurate barometric reading of the membership. Instead, the leadership met with Larson, five days after the rejection of the Tentative Agreement, positioned to negotiate and presuming still to represent the will of the faculty.

Also since the rejection of the Tentative Master Agreement, following the resignation of some members of the negotiations team, the leadership called for volunteers, interviewed those who stepped forward, and at the October meeting issued a weak and incoherent statement on why there is no rush to fill the vacancies (despite the Fact Finding meeting scheduled soon thereafter for 10/14). Since the rejection of the Tentative Agreement, moreover, the leadership, on 9/15, called for volunteers for an Action Committee, yet, six weeks on, the leadership has failed to convene the committee.

Negotiations workshops are useful for members of the Negotiations Committee, whenever it becomes fully staffed. They are the ones most in need of inoculation against belligerence and intransigence. The rest of the membership deserves solidarity training and action organizing.

The December 3 general membership meeting holds promise for a purposive event, therefore, only as a forum for reaching consensus on acceptable minimum terms of a contract and for establishing a viable strategy for seeing us through to that point.

[BlueStateBlues]

I'm not trying to be cynical, but is this FAOCC sponsored event on December 3 involving the current climate in negotiations supposed to soften us so that we will accept the garbage that was proposed in the last MOA? I am finding it hard to trust that this current leadership will do what is best for the membership and not what is best for the administration. Are these workshops designed to make everyone aware of what negotiations is like in NJ and nationwide? Is there going to be some underlying theme that the administration did us a favor with the last MOA and we had better get used to give-backs?

[Peanut Gallery]

That's one way to see it, I suppose.I admire you for your wise insights and spin, and hope that reform is coming. Thanks for your succinct uplifting aphorisms, BeBop!