What can Labor do for itself? The answer is not difficult. Labor can organize, it can unify; it can consolidate its forces. This done, it can demand and command.
— Eugene V. Debs, American labor leader
So why become active in the Community College Association? Here are a few responses from CCA members at the recent Winter Conference.
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Lisa Ellis |
Lisa Ellis, Victor Valley College Education Association, history instructor
“I came from the steel valley in Ohio. I was with the UAW (United Auto Workers) and worked for GM. My family was very pro-union. Everyone was. You just didn’t think twice about it.
You have to join the union! There’s safety in numbers. One voice gets lost, but when you have an organization behind you, you affect change.”
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Andre Sims |
Andre Sims, Sierra College Faculty Association, part-time instructor, physical education
“This is why I’m here – to find out. The biggest thing I’m learning is what kind of rights are available to me, and I’m also learning how much more work is ahead of us. I’m very motivated to see that we have more and better resources for part-time faculty. I’m very happy to be teaching part time, but at the same time, if I’m teaching the same class as a full-time instructor, shouldn’t I receive the same pay?”
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Fola Odenbunmi |
Fola Odenbunmi, United Faculty North Orange Co. Community College District, economics instructor
“Although I received my degrees in the United State, I taught in West Africa in the university for 22 years. There you see the disparity more glaringly between classes. We must be a voice for those who are treated unfairly. Here, I can hook up with people of similar ideas.
I am a strong unionist. Back in Nigeria, unionism is like fireworks. They try to stamp it out. We must carry that fire and the energy. I know the potential if we can work together.”
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Jeanna Fox |
Jeanna Fox, San Joaquin Delta College Teachers Association, part-time English instructor, Academy graduate
“I’ve learned so much about the union through the academy – policies, grievances. But the best thing has been the opportunity to network with a lot of people. It’s something you aren’t always able to do when you’re on campus teaching classes.”
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Fergus Currie |
Fergus Currie, College of the Desert Adjunct Faculty, part-time Communications instructor
“I came to College of the Desert as a parttime instructor three years ago, after having retired for some years. I knew salaries were pretty bad, but I didn’t realize all the crazy rules that exist. I became incensed, and now I’m on the board (of the local association). It’s not just the benefits we get shafted on, but the academic decisions that are made without input form part-timers. One of my jobs in the past was to organize performers at DisneyWorld — so unionism is in my blood. I find working on behalf of the parttime faculty is very invigorating and challenging. Already, I can see the growth that has happened in the group. I look forward to being involved.”
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Dorothy Reina |
Dorothy Reina, part-time history instructor, Riverside City College
"It's a matter of being informed. I've always been involved in crusades. I enjoy being part of the solution."