Minutes from chapter’s Executive Committee Meeting – 11/3/17

• Reflections on Oct DA & coordination at future DAs – 25 min
  • EC member asked Marc why GAs & adjuncts took up so much of the discussion
    • Luke wasn’t able to set up mtg w/ GA advisory group b/f DA because BT hasn’t discussed what BT members can reportback to their constituencies & what they can’t → Luke couldn’t tell us what the discussions in BT looked like so naturally we had many Qs & suggestions
  • The Q is how much energy we should spend on process vs organizing/building
  • A better procedure for the future would be to release demands early & then allow formal submission of amendments so everyone can review leading up to DA → will prevent frantic environment & more productive discussion
    • Can we do something substantive with this demand? Create a resolution?
  • DA failed to give ppl sense of ownership of the demands
  • All PSC-EC members should coordinate our resolutions & amendments w/ the rest of the team
  • Also share organizing reports at DA more than just amendments
• Goals for the GC Chapter Meeting on 11/13 & advice for the planning team – 15 min
  • Choose certain demands & focus there? Mapping of couple issues (targets, allies)
  • Cross-title sharing of top demands–line up ppl to give short testimonies
  • Small group discussions of why a certain demand is important or to do mapping
  • Mobilize for contract campaign rally on 12/4 (day of BoT mtg at Baruch) → have sign-up sheet, get ppl to turn out colleagues & reportback on google form
  • Discussion Q of what the GC’s intervention should be in the contract campaign
  • Post & announce report on community mtg or participatory budgeting & bring in info about mtg w/in strategy discussion
  • Report on WAC grievance
  • Announcement on campus actions around 7k
• Sexual harassment procedures among PSC – 5 min
  • In light of recent high-profile sexual harassment casts in Hollywood & labor movement, we should explore some options for dealing with this among our activist ranks
  • PSC staff has procedures w/in framework of contract & applies to POs
  • Anh will talk to Deirdre for ideas on what’s been done & existing policies
• Agency fee payers update – 10 min
  • Our beginning of semester push has died down
  • We still have roughly 60 FT fee-payers → contributes a large chunk of PSC budget
  • FTers on our EC has been working on converting fee payers
  • Still 300 GA fee payers → what’s our plan?
    • Sam and Maya just did mapping across depts
    • Hard sciences have moved from red (low membership coverage) to green (high membership coverage)
    • We haven’t FoIL’ed yet for department info on new students
    • Business is still red
  • How to build stewards structure?
    • Last stewards mtg: stewards will find a steward in an uncovered dept
    • Depts w/ stewards have high coverage & the people who haven’t already signed up will likely not sign up
    • How to find stewards in uncovered depts?
      • Assign depts for EC members to recruit a steward
      • EC member could team up w/ steward
    • Leverage ppl’s presence at chapter meeting; use sign-in sheets to ID potential stewards
• Items for Labor Management on 11/28 & strategies for follow-up – 10 min
  • Stuff to f/u on from last LM: 5-1-1, raise GA work cap, financial aid letters, Social Welfare students
  • Stuff to add to next mtg: reimbursements for students who spend out of pocket, request Provost presence at every LM mtg, names of GAs for whom we don’t have adequate dept data (to avoid FoIL process)
  • Strategies to hold mgmt accountable:
    • Marc will maintain spreadsheet of items we’ve raised so we can follow up
    • Public shaming at chapter mtgs, community mtgs
  • Talk to DC 37 about NTAs & part-time titles
• Solidarity w/ Georgette Fleischer – 5 mins
  • We sent letter requesting reinstatement to Barnard, but this was ignored
    • Many institutions have sent letters after we did
  • Now in grievance
    • 1st arbitrator on list not available until Apr; next 2 are available immediately; but Barnard not moving down the list
    • Boston College AAUP’s letter calls on Barnard to move down the list → do we send a similar letter?
    • Will send to PSC beforehand as courtesy
• Mutual aid proposal – 5 mins
  • One of our members has serious health issues & NYSHIP health insurance doesn’t cover → can we have a mutual aid solidarity fund? But issues w/ criteria, admin, ethics
  • Chapter meeting pass the hat on ad hoc basis better  
  • Or pass these issues onto DSC
• Approach toward 7k organizing and turnout for contract rally – 15 min
  • Stewards have been informed about options for adjunct organizing
  • Adjunct Project held event this past week
  • Promoting on social media is fine for most issues
  • Mobilize to whatever PSC 7k stuff is happening, but to the extent that that’s not happening, we can roll w/ the 7k coalition if they come to chapter EC w/ specific asks