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Bargaining Update #1 (June 22, 2003)

"Back to the Table"

Dear Colleagues,

On Tuesday, June 24, APC will return to the bargaining table with the CSU to start negotiations for a new contract for all of us in Unit 4.

As you know from the most recent issue of The APC Advocate, a dozen APC representatives from throughout the CSU made a presentation of our Union's initial bargaining proposals directly to the CSU Trustees' Committee on Collective Bargaining. This was a first in anyone's memory in CSU labor relations, and our presentation appeared to be well received by the Trustees. Of course, what, if anything, that translates into at the bargaining table remains to be seen.

While APC is pleased that we have been able to make significant progress in our contract during the last several rounds of negotiations, there still remain (as you, more than anyone, well know) many important areas in which additional improvement is sorely needed and long overdue. We sincerely hope that the CSU will approach this round of bargaining with a more collaborative spirit than in the past. We certainly would welcome such a change from the University. But while we always remain open to such a development--and will return to the bargaining table ourselves, as we always do, with a positive, collaborative and optimistic perspective--we must prepare for what history has taught us is likely to be the University's approach. While we certainly don't seek it and will do everything appropriate that we can to avoid it, we must be prepared for a difficult round of negotiations.

As in the past, we'll be providing regular bargaining updates by email throughout the negotiations to everyone in Unit 4. And this year, we'll also be posting all of the updates on the APC website (which opened last week), so that you'll easily be able to review any of these you may wish to. We'll also be providing additional bargaining-related information on the website. As always, we want all of you--our bargaining unit colleagues--to be as informed as possible. That's our primary goal in providing all of this information. But beyond being informed, we want and need you to let us know your thoughts about this round of contract negotiations as it unfolds. And so we've set up an email account specifically for our bargaining team, and we encourage you to email us at bargainingteam@apc1002.org.

We all know that the state of California's budget, and therefore that of the CSU, is dismal...to say the very least. It's therefore pretty predictable that this isn't likely to be the year in which we see major increases in our salaries. But as important as salary always is, we all know that there are other very important issues, such as benefits, workload, appropriate classification, and due process rights, to name but a few. And precisely because there's little, if any, money over which to bargain, the CSU hopefully will recognize quickly that it needs to make movement in a number of those other, non-salary areas in order to reach a contract settlement with APC.

Thank you to so many of you for your unwavering support of APC's bargaining efforts over the years. Your support truly has been the foundation of the contractual improvements we've been able to achieve, and that support has never been more important than it will be during this coming round of negotiations. And thank you to the large numbers of you who've recently decided to support your Union by becoming members. Your support continues to build the collective strength that's so crucial to our effectiveness. As your bargaining team, we look forward to continuing APC's commitment to representing everyone in Unit 4 with integrity.

Thanks again. We're very proud to be representing and bargaining on behalf of such a tremendous and dedicated group of professional educators.

In union,

Your APC Bargaining Team
     Charles Goetzl (Hayward)
     Christine McCarthy (Fullerton)
     Barbara Petersen (Sacramento)
     Edward Purcell (APC Business Manager)
     John Sousa (San Bernardino)
     Beverly Staples (Chico)                 

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