April 13, 1999

Dear Colleague,

Recently you received a memo from WCTC President, Dr. Anderson, urging you to vote against representation for the purposes of collective bargaining. This is not surprising. Few college administrators like to see faculty vote for representation. Why? Because it changes the existing system in which Part-time Faculty are left out of decision-making to a new system in which Part-time Faculty have a voice in decision-making.

As President of the Waukesha County Technical Educators Association, I would like to invite your consideration of the advantages of having representation in negotiations and all other matters relating to your work. Without representation, Part-time Faculty issues and problems that the college administration has disregarded will continue to exist. With WCTEA representation, you and your Part-time Faculty colleagues will have a vehicle for resolving these issues and problems.

It was not unexpected to see the college administration assert their position by means of partial truths in their recent pre-election memo. I would like to use this opportunity to set the record straight on several points:

• Full-time WCTEA Faculty support full representation of Part-time and Full-time Faculty because it will lead to increased job security for all of us. When the WCTEA speaks for all faculty, we can meaningfully address issues. Neither the Full-time Faculty alone nor the Part-time Faculty alone can do that, as long as we remain divided into represented and unrepresented groups.
• More than 20 years ago the WCTEA agreed that qualifications are an important aspect of assigning work, and the parties have operated that way for Full-time Faculty assignments. The union believes that qualified Part-time Faculty should be able to maintain classes they have been hired to teach from one semester to the next.
• Through union representation, Part-time Faculty at MATC-Madison recently received retroactive pay increases of 11% and 7% and gained paid holidays, paid sick leave, and employer payment into the Wisconsin Retirement System.
• Through union representation, Part-time Faculty at MATC-Milwaukee are now compensated using the same salary schedule and work load system as used for full-time faculty and have gained access to MATC’s health and dental insurance programs.
• In the last two years, close to 200 Part-time Faculty have started teaching at WCTC while a comparable number have left, a very high turnover rate. MATC-Milwaukee experienced a similar high turnover rate before representation. Since representation, the turnover rate among Part-time Faculty at MATC has decreased dramatically.
• Currently the college has no contractual obligation to maintain the rate it pays unrepresented faculty. A successful union representation vote will ensure that Part-time Faculty pay and benefits will be negotiated into a legally binding contract.

Enclosed is a brochure containing thoughts we would like to share with you. Please feel free to contact Jeannie Lehmann (414-251-1756) or me if you have any questions or need more information about the union representation election.

Your vote is important. If you have not already voted, I urge you to return your ballot in this important election. If you have already voted, thank you.

Respectfully,

Ellen Mei

WCTEA President

414-691-5171

The WCTEA welcomes the prospect of representing all WCTC Part-time Faculty along with Full-time Faculty.

Together we will provide a united voice for all WCTC’s faculty professionals.