Whew, we have almost made it through the first week of completely remote teaching!
Did You Know: PFF and our parent Union, CFT, have been playing an important role in helping Palomar’s faculty, staff and students deal with pandemic-related changes over the past few weeks:
Facts:
PFF negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the District that allowed for all faculty members to have the week of March 16th as paid hours to transition classes, and created language that would keep all faculty financially whole despite the changes that were made to their current courses.
PFF has to date donated $5000 to the Palomar College Foundation in order to provide computers for our students.
PFF has helped seven faculty members who reached out for emergency funds in the last two weeks. And we directed several faculty members to further financial assistance through the San Diego Labor Council, a countywide union organization of which PFF is a member.
PFF obtained and distributed a case of Clorox wipes to its members to keep their classroom and office spaces safe before the campuses were officially closed. We have also ordered personal hand sanitizers to distribute for the fall term.
PFF leadership continues to participate in numerous weekly online conferences and phone calls with CFT to receive the most up to date information on budgeting and negotiations language to reflect changes and updates from the state.
PFF set up a system of one-to-one help with transitioning face-to-face classrooms to online instruction, where experienced PFF executive board members answer questions and provide individual guidance to fellow faculty members who reach out to us.
The PFF Ombuds (Bill Jahnel, Perri Gelman, and Anastasia Zavodny) as well as the PFF Co-Presidents (Barabara Baer and Teresa Laughlin) are available to assist faculty with questions or concerns during this difficult time.
CFT led the state effort to get Governor Newsom and the Chancellor’s Office to issue rulings, orders, and guidance to help our community colleges through this tough time.
PFF continues to reach out to our faculty and answer questions, and advocate for faculty when difficulties arise. We have answered hundreds of emails and made dozens of calls, and will continue to do so. Please reach out if you have any needs or concerns!
Bottom Line: A difficult situation is when it matters most to find yourself supported by your colleagues in the form of an organized Union. We are all working people standing together and PFF is here to protect your job, working conditions, and compensation. Please let us know if there is any way we can support you at this time. We miss seeing you in person, but still want to stay connected.