We hope to see as many of you there as possible – there’s always plenty of food and good discussion.
The IEA is conducting a one-day workshop on Friday, October 29 in Hoffman Estates covering important issues such as leadership styles, membership growth, bargaining, and legal issues. A detailed agenda and registration form is available below. If you are interested in going, RAFO has made a commitment to pay the registration for attendance at such sessions to help develop our organization and emerging activists. If you are interested, email info@rafo.org.
Conference Agenda and Registration Form (PDF)
Our book party event, originally scheduled for Monday, October 31 has been changed to Tuesday, November 1. The time (4:30 pm to 6:00 pm) is unchanged, as is the location (Auditorium Building, Room 244 – the old Faculty Lounge). We plan to have some nice snacks, as well as some beer and wine. Watch your campus mailbox for a flyer.
Our general membership meeting will be held on Saturday, November 12 at 1:00 pm in the Fifth Floor Lounge of the Gage building. Join us for discussions of policy changes at Roosevelt, updates on RAFO activities, and of course refreshments.
RAFO is seeking volunteers to run for election as our delegate to the Illinois Education Association’s Representative Assembly. This is a gathering of several hundred delegates from IEA locals that meets in early March. We need to choose our delegates in November. If you’re interested, send an email to info@rafo.org or show up at the semester general membership meeting on November 15.
This is a national series of events (actually international, since it includes events in Canada and Mexico) held every other year to publicize issues relating to "contingent labor" in academia. This includes adjunct faculty, permanent part-time, temporary full-time and other faculty not on the tenure-track.
At Roosevelt, there will be an event on Monday, October 31 from 4:30 pm to 6:00 in room 244 of the Auditorium building. It will be an open forum and book party to introduce newly published books, articles, fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry by Roosevelt adjuncts. Joe Berry will introduce his brand-new book on contingent academic labor and Elizabeth Marino is also scheduled to introduce a new book of poetry. Others interested in being included should contact info@rafo.org.
Our event is part of the broader movement across the country to highlight the conditions of contingent labor in academic institutions. There is a revamped website for the national coordinating committee at http://www.CampusEquityWeek.org. Check it out!
Last year, the Illinois legislature passed the Health Care Justice Act. Endorsed by over 100 diverse organizations, the Act creates a process to achieve affordable and accessible health care in Illinois. It instructs the General Assembly to enact a health care access plan by December 31, 2006 and to implement it by July 1, 2007. The first step in this process is to hold public hearings to solicit citizen input about what that plan should include.
The first of those hearings will be held Wednesday, October 5th from 4:00-7:00pm at Trinity United Church of Christ (400 W. 95th Street, Chicago). For more information, see the Campaign for Better Health Care’s website at http://www.cbhconline.org or the public hearing flyer at http://www.cbhconline.org/HCJC/HCJCmainblueflyer_Oct5.pdf
Those of you teaching on campus this semester should have received a copy of the newest RAFO newsletter in your campus mailbox. If you haven't, send an email to webmaster@rafo.org or follow the link below to see a PDF version of the Newsletter.
RAFO Newsletter, September 2005
The nearly 9000 delegates and officers gathered in Los Angeles to take action on resolutions, the yearly budget and the NEA Strategic Plan, all developed in committees during the year. I was on the representative assembly (RA) floor, participating in floor votes, three secret ballots, and Illinois caucus meetings.
Specific resolutions included:
It was my opportunity to ride shotgun at this July's National Education Association Regional Assembly (RA) over the July 4th weekend in Los Angeles as a 'guest-that is, not a full- fledged delegate.
First note for anyone wishing to attend one of these meetings: brush up your Robert's Rules of Order. I went to the RA expecting a convention full of workshops and training, only to learn that this is a legislature. The work of the RA is to debate and vote on resolutions and issues that relate to educational and broader societal issues. When voted on, the NEA can be said to be in support or opposition of said issue. Example: a resolution was passed early that led to the NEA's vocal opposition to expansion of Wal-Marts, in part because the Walton family are vocal supporters of public school voucher programs.
Guests are not allowed to be part of the regular delegation, either on the main floor of the RA or in the state caucuses that take place starting at 7 a.m. (these are school teachers!). Where guests can express their opinions are in the issue-oriented caucuses that take place before and between the regular sessions, such as the Peace and Justice Caucus, the Democratic Party Caucus (where, while waiting for a speech from one of the founders of DowningStreetMemo.com, I was privileged to see an unscheduled and inspired speech from Rep. Maxine Waters), and the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE)-the branch of the NEA that addresses issues specific to colleges and universities.
The hottest NCHE issue was the controversy over a drive by conservative activist David Horowitz to create a "Student's Bill of Rights." What this so-called Bill would do is to allow students who were uncomfortable with a particular lesson that students thought was too "political" would be allowed to demand equal time to express their "side" of the lesson - or to take action (read: sue?) against both the instructor and an opposing the student. Clearly, the fear was that this bill would lead to dangerous limitations of instructors' freedoms, and through the caucus a bill to be introduced to the NEA that, from my understanding, would have actually asked to "study" this bill led to the NEA essentially killing any official recognition of the Horowitz movement.
If that seemed confusing, it is because my Robert's Rules of Order was rusty. For those of you who never realized how a union works from the grass-roots level of membership with RAFO to the major workings of the national union (did you know the head of the NEA, Reg Weaver, holds a Masters' Degree in Education from Roosevelt?!), it is worth going to.
The NEA PAC fund (FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION) was also used to whip up support. The Illinois Education Association came in second, with a total contribution of $71,263, behind New Jersey ($116,655), but ahead of Michigan ($69,083). There was also strong support for voting and election oversight reforms, asking for the support of pro-education candidates on the national and local level, including school board elections.
The PEACE AND JUSTICE CAUCUS successfully pushed through an anti-war resolution that states: "The NEA calls on President Bush and Congress to:
THE HISPANIC CAUCUS focused on better understanding of the changing Hispanic demographics of school districts. The caucus offered a number of cross-training groups for teaching professionals at the RA and throughout the year, gathering links and ideas to present to NBA leadership, and also networking heavily with informational materials.
The WAKE UP WAL-MART campaign, against Wal-Mart and Sam's Club's was discussed because of their anti-union stance and tactics, resulting in the destruction of local small businesses. There was a push to counter the Walton Family PAC, which funds pro-voucher candidates. A separate call for a boycott was sent to committee.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.F.D.R., March 1, 1945