Greetings from the Executive Committee of the ACCCEA. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m John Stratton, President of the “Umbrella Group,” the executive committee in which the four bargaining units work together. This is where I will post updates on the progress of the unified negotiation team as we move through the process. My first official announcement is that the first meeting between the Administration and the ACCCEA team will occur on Friday, February 19th. At the first meeting, we usually set ground rules, a meeting schedule, etc.

At the outset, one can never predict the path that negotiations will take. We always hope for a straight-forward process that is conducted with mutual respect. One thing is certain: the negotiation process depends on YOU. In the past, we have enjoyed your unwavering support. We are known around the state for how unified we are, and the team does not take this for granted. It is your unity and support that sets the tone for the entire process. I look forward to the next few months as we all move through this process together.

Due to the winter storm and hazardous road conditions, the ACCCEA Holiday Party has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 20th from 5pm to 9pm. We apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause you during this hectic holiday season. We hope to still see you there!

If you know anyone who was planning on attending the Holiday Party but does not have Internet access, it would be greatly appreciated if you could pass this information on.

Thanks!

Your ACCCEA Holiday Party Committee

The ACCCEA Holiday Party is still “ON” despite the upcoming winter storm. If the party is cancelled for any reason, we will post that information here. Please be sure to check the ACCCEA Web site prior to the party.

Happy Holidays!

The Administrative bargaining unit at Camden County College is at impasse over the College’s demand that employees pay for health benefits. So far no community college unit has given in to this demand. The Council of County Colleges apparently is behind this push. CCC tried what they thought was a weak unit to get their foot in the door of “cost sharing”. The Board is demanding this even though they are saving many thousands of dollars with the new State health benefits plan. In addition, college employees are paying for their benefits by accepting salaries that are less than what they would get in the private sector. If the Camden County College Board is successful, we will see this at the next negotiations. The CCC employees and other community colleges will be rallying at the Camden County Board meeting Tuesday, March 4, 7:00 pm at the Blackwood campus. ACCCEA people who care about their health benefits should help pack that board meeting. Mark your calendar. Will Parsons, ACCCEA Secretary

I checked my personnel file today as I said I would. The procedure is easy. Go upstairs in J building to Human Resources, and ask one of the clerks to see your file. I asked Charita McClain. Charita gave me the file and directed me to the small round table just outside the office. She also gave me a small pad of yellow stickies to put on pages I wanted copied. I thumbed through the file and ten minutes later handed it back. Human Resources could ask that you look through the file under supervision. There was an incident many years ago where some documentation was removed by the employee. So check your file soon and then yearly. If you get into a situation that you think could result in a law suit or in arbitration, check it right away.

Wilfred Parsons, ACCCEA Secretary, Faculty Association President