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CODAA Union FAQ's:
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to questions that we've been asked about the election and the union. If you have a question not on the list, by all means, please let us know and we'll add it to the list.
- Q. I've been working here for years, and yet I am not eligible. Why can't I vote, and why can't I join the union ?
- A. We share your concern, and your frustration - of the current total of over 1,300 adjuncts, less than 10% have been deemed eligible to participate in the union. Clearly, this number is exceedingly low.
The current eligibility threshold is, in our estimation, unduly restrictive. There are many adjuncts who have been consistently employed who have been found to be ineligible.
The rules of certain divisions, because of the way in which they tally hours taught, may render others ineligible. Lab aides and others with non-teaching hours, are counted under another system. We have found several divisions whose adjuncts are woefully under-represented, or not represented at all, under the current restriction threshold.
We will be working in future to bring the three year requirement to a more reasonable level. Also please note that the negotiations to bring us to this point have been long and difficult.
- Q. If I'm not eligible for the bargaining unit, but am a member of CODAA, will I need to pay dues ?
- A. No. Only bargaining unit members pay dues.
- Q. I'm not eligible for the bargaining unit, so what's this I hear about non-eligible adjuncts paying dues ? What's that all about ?
- A. Again, let us emphasize - this payment is strictly voluntary. If you do choose to do so, you will be entitled to bargaining unit benefits such as health coverage, legal resources, and all union benefits EXCEPT those conditions negotiated between the school and the bargaining unit ( such as pay raise and other benefits ). Once again, this choice is up to you. You may well find that the cost of dues are more than offset by the benefits offered.
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- Q. I'm a member of CODAA but have been found ineligible to join the union. What then is the point of remaining a member ?
- A. The benefits are twofold:
- Maintaining membership shows the administration, the Labor Board, skeptical politicians, and any other party, that there are many more adjuncts here that are concerned about equity issues, than those in the bargaining unit. It confirms that the current eligibility requirement needs to be expanded.
It also shows legislative bodies that a large contingent of long-term workers exists without recourse to representation, completely disenfranchised, building a stronger case for action on pro-adjunct legislation.
- Membership maintains our information division - newsletters, Website - so that we can get updated information to you.
- Q. Why is the eligibility requirement ( minimum of 18 hours for the past three three consecutive years ) so stringent - couldn't you have done better ?
- A. This is indeed harsh and restrictive, but the administration's lawyers initially wanted a requirement that was even more restrictive. Interpreting the Harper decision in the most narrow way possible, they wanted the unit restricted to those who teach a minimum of 9 hours per quarter, for five years ! That would have yielded a bargaining unit of only fifteen people !
We most certainly are not happy with the current situation, but 122 initial members is much better than fifteen. From the experience of other schools that have successfully organized, we've seen that the initial membership is generally low, but later expands. You can rest assured that we will do our part to work for the abolition of the
3-year restriction.
Another hard-won item of contention for us regards continuing eligibility in the unit. The school wanted a clause that stipulated an adjunct would automatically be dismissed from the unit if their credit hours taught fell below the six-hour mark for any quarter. We got them to agree to extending this to TWO consecutive quarters, so that one quarter below the threshold due to class cancellation or other factors, won't be the death knell for eligibility.
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- Q. What can members of the bargaining unit expect to gain ?
- A. The bargaining unit must negotiate with the school on issues that concern it. Pay equity, benefits, seniority rights, academic freedom, are among many issues that concern all of us. Once the unit is established, representatives will need to begin negotiations with the school.
- Q. What about dues ?
- A. Dues will not be collected until the spring quarter. Note that there are no dues during summer quarter, nor are there any initiation fees assessments or other costs for members. Dues are collected from September-June, but not in July or August. If we organize, members will not pay dues prior to spring quarter (2002). Dues will be $30 for the spring quarter.
- Q. What do we get for our dues ?
- A. A few of the major benefits are:
- Full legal services for job-related problems
- $1,000,000 liability insurance protection
- Professional assistance with negotiations
- Grievance/arbitration assistance
- Training programs
- $50,000 accidental death/dismemberment insurance
- Individual: assistance and advice when you need help
- Attorney referral program including an hour of free consultation for non job-related business.
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- Q. Will part-timers be included in the same bargaining unit as the full timers?
- A. Because they are full-time and we are part-time, we would be separate entitites, though of course we share many of the same concerns.
- Q. Whom will we affiliate with ?
- A. The IEA / NEA.
- Q. Will an adjuncts union provide grievance procedures for those part-timers who
are fired or disciplined ?
- A. A part-time union is created in part, to address injustices and abuses in a system. Certainly, any system in which a group of employees is denied legal rights and protections, is open to the abuse of those employees. And just as certainly, any union must demand to have strong protections against such abuses and an enforceable grievance procedure in place.
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- Q. In general, what are the benefits of organizing a union ?
- A.
- A collective voice in the decision-making process
- The rights and protections of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA)
- A contract with employees rights clearly defined and a grievance clause ending in binding arbitration to resolve disputes
- Credibility: being taken seriously when you raise concerns with your employer
- The resources, expertise and assistance of the IEA-NEA
- Fair treatment
- Q. What rights and protections do we have if we organize under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act ( IELRA ) ?
- A.
Currently, the College has exclusive authority to hire, fire, set wages, hours and benefits and to make other decisions related to our employment. Unorganized employees have very few rights or protections unless they have obtained collective bargaining recognition under the IELRA.
The IELRA dramatically limits the employer's rights to make decisions unilaterally. Under the Act, the employer is required to bargain in good faith and in a timely manner all decisions regarding wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions with your democratically elected representatives.
- Q. If we organize, does the IELRA protect us from retaliation ?
- A.
We are fully protected in the exercise of your rights to organize. Acts of harassment, coercion and intimidation are violations of state law, constituting an Unfair Labor Practice. The IEA will provide you the legal services necessary to ensure that this law is followed.
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- Q. What kind of union will we have ?
- A.
We will be chartered as an autonomous local association CODAA affiliated with IEA-NEA. We will maintain a local treasury. All policies regarding the direction of our local will be determined in a democratic manner. IEA will provide our local with professional and legal resources needed to be an effective organization, but we will decide policies and goals for our local.
Currently, we act alone in matters dealing with COD. Organizing means that we become a legal entity recognized under state law and banded together in mutual support in dealing with the College. When individual concerns arise, we will have our organization to assist us.
- Q. Are relations between IEA locals and the administration necessarily adversarial ?
- A. When collective bargaining first began to take hold in Illinois public schools, its relationship between the schools were often adversarial, but, over the years, collective bargaining has become the norm throughout the state.
On many campuses, IEA locals have used a collaborative, interest-based approach to bargaining (sometimes referred to as Win-Win). Today strikes are rare and relationships are generally professional if not harmonious between the union and the employer.
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- Q. What college adjunct faculty are unionized in Illinois ?
- A.
- Roosevelt University
- Columbia College
- Sauk Valley Community College
- Oakton Community College
- Elgin Community College
- John A. Logan Community College
- Parkland Community College,
and several others.
- Q. Will everyone be required to join the union ?
- A. Membership is always voluntary. However, since the union must represent members and non-members alike, the union can bargain a Fair Share clause in the contract, which requires non-members to pay a substantial portion of the cost of representation. Fair Share is not automatic. It must be agreed upon in negotiations and ratified by both sides.
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Election Questions
Some of the most common FAQ's regarding the consent election held on December 4-5th, 2001, to establish an adjunct union:
- Q. What does "consent election" mean ?
- A. Adjuncts eligible for the bargaining unit, take a yes/no vote to determine whether the majority of the members want to legally organize.
- Q. Do I have to be a member of CODAA to vote ?
- A. No, the requirements for voting are:
- You are teaching in this current term
- You have taught a minimum of 18 hours per school year ( fall, winter, spring - summer is excluded ), for the past THREE years. There can be no gaps in the last three years; i.e., you must have been employed each quarter, not 9-0-9, for example.
- Q. Will we be electing officers ?
- A. No, this vote will be held solely to determine whether the adjuncts deemed eligible to participate, want to have a union. Electing officers will entail another vote, sometime in Winter quarter.
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- Q. I am sure that I should be eligible, but the school tells me I am not. What should I do ?
- A. Several things:
- As soon as possible but no later than November 18th: Contact CODAA, and describe your situation. We can forward your name to Human Resources so they can verify.
- As soon as possible but no later than November 18th: You can go to Human Resources and ask to see your employment file. Every term that you have taught, and the amount of credit hours taught, should be listed.
- If you are certain of your eligibility, but have been told otherwise, then vote. Your vote will be held until it has been verified that you are eligible. If your eligibility is confirmed, then your vote will be counted.
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