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COMPENSATION |
Legislative-approved bonuses on the horizon |
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NSHE Interim Chancellor Patty Charlton |
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Good news came our way when the TMCC HR Department shared a memo from Interim Chancellor Patty Charlton about the quarterly $250 bonuses for all but the highest paid full-time faculty. According to the memo, the next quarterly payment should occur in October. Employees can expect subsequent payments in January, April, and June.
The bonuses were established when the Nevada Legislature approved AB522. Unfortunately, the memo did not give us an update on the more substantial Continuity of Service bonuses that were also approved in the bill (page 39). |
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As provided in the bill, these semi-annual bonuses escalate with each year of a state employee's continuous service starting with a $100 bonus for employees in their 8th year plus $25 for each year of service for the 9th through 14th year, $50 for each year of the 15th through 24th, and $75 for each year between 25 and 30. According to the TMCC HR Department, the first of these payments will be processed in the December 1 payroll and the second on June 1. |
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SALARY SCHEDULES |
Deciphering the "shadow" schedule |
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At two recent meetings, President Hilgersom described the use of a "shadow" salary schedule for the placement of new professional employees at the College to mitigate inflation and remain competitive. The steps are probably necessary because community college faculty and university professors were the only two employee classifications to receive no adjustments to their salary structure following adoption of a July 2022 recommendation for adjustments by a compensation expert commissioned by NSHE.
The "shadow" schedule is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, and we commend the TMCC administration. But it only treats the symptom, not the underlying problem. The community college salary schedule has not been adjusted at all since 2013 when the previous step system was abandoned for the current streamlined grade ranges. The "shadow" schedule helps, but NSHE policy still places a ceiling on how high placements can go.
The Nevada Board of Regents will consider revisions to the policy that governs salary schedules at a special meeting on September 28. |
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UPDATES |
Canvas access remains a thorny issue |
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Although the Faculty Senate's Web College Committee believed they had resolved the issue of anonymous unfettered access into Canvas class shells given to the deans through an agreement with Web College staff on August 15, their work was set aside by the Planning Council on August 18. Instead, the Council formed a subcommittee consisting of Mark Maynard, Julie Ellsworth, Cheryl Jones, and a representative selected by Faculty Senate. It is charged with discussing the issue and, apparently, bringing recommendations back to the Council.
At issue are settings referred to as account-level and sub-account-level permissions in Canvas which allows unfettered and undocumented access for those to whom it is assigned. It is appropriate for the staff in Web College who must troubleshoot technical issues that may be occurring, but it is also granted to deans, apparently at their request, and perhaps, other administrators. We also recently learned department chairs are given sub-account access to courses in their departments.
As reflected in Mark Maynard's notes from the Council meeting (see next article), deans claimed there are urgent situations that require their immediate attention and there are circumstances where they cannot wait for Web College to respond to their request for access. It is unclear what situations could possibly justify such urgency in the asynchronous environment of Canvas. In examples given by the deans during, they completely ignored the presence of the instructor who does have immediate access, or other means of contacting students such as the contact information in PeopleSoft.
Despite proclamations from Vice President Alexander and Dean Flesher that, as participants in the recent negotiations, they can confirm the access complies with the contract. because administrators must notify TMCC-NFA of any unscheduled visit to a class. TMCC-NFA adamantly disagrees.
We have no desire to prevent unscheduled visits under extraordinary circumstances, but untraceable access nullifies the intent of section 12.5 of the contract. It borders on breach.
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TMCC-NFA rep shares Planning Council notes |
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The following statement appears near the top of the TMCC Planning Council webpage: "Planning Council members are responsible for sharing information from the Council to their constituents and for soliciting input from their constituents to share with the Planning Council."
In this spirit, TMCC-NFA's representative on the Planning Council, Mark Maynard, provided his detailed notes from the Council's September meeting last week for chapter members. We wonder, however, why a representative from the President's office asked council members to submit their notes to him at the conclusion of the meeting. |
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2023-24 TMCC-NFA goals |
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During the August 25 chapter meeting, members voted to establish three goals for TMCC-NFA in the 2023-24 academic year.
Bylaws - Although our bylaws have proven durable, they have not been modified since the mid-90s. As an official union local through our affiliation with AFT, the bylaws are now outdated and must be revised to maintain compliance with AFT standards. This is the chapter's top priority for the year.
Recruitment - The academic year got off to a quick start. Membership grew by 18% during the first week of the semester, and the chapter has now doubled in size from this time last year. Reaching 30% growth may be a stretch, but with your help, it can happen.
Engagement - A greater presence of NFA members in shared governance meetings such as Planning Council and Faculty Senate as well as activities, such as the planned social events, will be a major push. We've made progress with robust attendance at the chapter meeting, solid TMCC-NFA representation at the state NFA happy hour, and faculty presence at Planning Council Meetings. But this work never stops. Please join your NFA colleagues when opportunities to be seen and heard arise. |
Labor v Management |
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There will always be an oppositional relationship between organized labor and management. That's just nature. Recent administrative reactions to TMCC-NFA activities, however, have been more than oppositional. They are becoming increasingly contentious, adversarial, and unwelcoming, ranging from taking issue with our presence during campus activities to borderline breaches of the NFA contract.
Learn more by reading We must be doing something right >>. |
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TMCC-NFA Officers Jim New, President Amy Cavanaugh, Vice President Julia Hammett, Secretary Lars Jensen, Treasurer Cheryl Cardoza, Past President |
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