FAQs

Dues are divided up between the 4 different entities that provide union support and resources for members. See the first question above for an explanation of each of the groups. 

Full-time faculty annual dues: 

• CTA $816

• NEA $213

• CCA $99

• HCFA $200

• Total annual dues: $1328 paid in 10 monthly payroll deductions of $132.80

Part-time faculty annual dues

• CTA $99.60

• NEA $70.75

• CCA $49.50

• HCFA $50

• Total annual dues: $269.85 paid in 10 monthly payroll deductions of $26.99

Each amount goes to the organization listed, with the HCFA portion of the dues being held locally and used for our local HCFA business. 

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While all faculty are covered by the rights in contract and are eligible for representation in those issues, HCFA members have additional rights. HCFA members can:

• Vote for officers and Rep Council members

• Vote on contract ratification

• Run for office or Rep Council at-large member and serve on in the HCFA leadership

• Attend Rep Council meetings (although some parts of the meeting might be in closed session)

• Participate in the CTA Group Legal Services  Program (GLSP)

  • The GLSP provides high quality employment-related legal services to CTA members and chapters to ensure that their contractual, statutory, and constitutional rights are protected.

• Utilize coverage for legal defense costs in lawsuits arising out of education employment activities

  • The Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Insurance policy provides up to $1,000,000 coverage for legal defense costs in civil suits (except civil rights cases) arising out of educational employment activities; up to $35,000 reimbursement of attorney fees and costs to defend employment-related criminal proceedings; up to $1,000 of bail bond premiums; and up to $500 for damage to personal property when caused by an assault in the course of employment.

• Earn college credit for attending CTA conferences.

• Take advantage of many financial services, travel discounts, leadership development opportunities, insurance discounts, and other tools and resources.

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To find out if you are a current member contact Treasurer Kelly Locke (klocke@hartnell.edu or rwkmlocke@gmail.com). Your pay stub may also be able to tell you whether you are a member. If you have a line item under payroll deductions that says "Dues," you are paying union dues and you are a member. If you think you are a member, but don't see any payroll deductions, please get in touch using the email above so we can troubleshoot and get your membership status corrected. 

If you aren't a member yet, join here!

When you become a member, you become a member of all these affiliated organizations. Hartnell College Faculty Association (HCFA) is our local union chapter. It operates under our local constitution with an executive board and Representative Council or your colleagues as its leadership. The CTA is the California Teachers Association representing over 1100 local chapters and school districts like ours and over 310,000 educators statewide. CTA includes community college and K-12 school districts. The Community College Association (CCA) is the statewide affiliate of CTA representing members in community colleges. Finally, the National Education Association (NEA) is the national organization with whom HCFA, CTA, and CCA are affiliated. It includes 3 million educators and allies working to advance justice and excellence in public education.

A portion of your union dues goes to each of these groups so that they can provide the support and benefits that union members are eligible for. 

The current HCFA President for 2024-2026 term is Nancy Schur-Beymer. To contact her, email HCFAcommunications@gmail.com or nschur@hartnell.edu  or if a personal nature use NSBeymer@gmail.com. 

A grievance is defined as formal written allegation by a grievant that the grievant has been adversely affected by violation of a specific article, section, or provision of the contract. There are very specific timelines for filing and completing the steps of a grievance. The contract says, "A grievant who fails to comply with the established time limits at any step shall forfeit all rights to the further application of the grievance procedure...." So it is very important to get in touch with HCFA right away if you think the contract has been violated. If you have a complaint but are unsure if it meets the definition of a grievance it is also a good idea to contact HCFA. The President or the Grievance Officer can help you determine the next steps to take. Email HCFAcommunications@gmail.com or ladams@hartnell.edu as soon as possible after the contract violation occurs. Keep details from your personal email, and wait until Larry shares his personal email with you to provide details. 

Detailed information about the timelines and processes for a grievance are in Article 15 of the contract. The form Statement of Grievance is Appendix B of the contract. 

The current contract or Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) can be found on the HR website. Here is a quick link to the contract. Here is a quick link to the salary schedules. There are differing salary schedules for different faculty situations, so be sure to select the one that applies to you.

The HCFA and the Academic Senate both represent faculty interests, but they have different roles and (sometimes) different interests. There are also some areas of overlap in the purviews of the two groups. The HCFA role is defined by EERA §3543.2 and covers items that can be described as protecting faculty working conditions. These include 

• wages

• benefits

• safety

• leaves

• class size

• terms and conditions of employment

• evaluation and tenure review procedures

• professional development

The Academic Senate role is defined by Education Code §70902(b)(7) and Title 5 §53200. The role of the Academic Senate is to be the voice of faculty on what are called "academic and professional matters." These include 

• • curriculum

  • degrees and certificates

  • student preparation and success

  • grading

  • faculty hiring and equivalency procedures

  • evaluation and tenure review procedures

  • policies for: program review, institutional planning, budgeting, and professional development

In the lists above, you can see a few areas of overlap. Here are some areas where the both groups have a role to play:

• evaluation and tenure review procedures

• professional development

• program viability and discontinuance

• academic freedom

In these areas of overlapping responsibility it is important for the HCFA and Academic Senate to communicate and work together to ensure the best outcomes for faculty and students. For more information on this see this ASCCC Rostrum Article

There are elections for Rep Council and some officer positions every year in spring. An email will go out from the Elections Committee and if you are a union member you can nominate yourself to run for a position. 

There will also be opportunities this year to participate in a variety of work groups: for example we will need members for the Communications Team, Membership Team,  and Elections Committee. Contact HCFAcommunications@gmail.com to let us know that you want to help!

In addition to serving on Rep Council or work groups, you can get involved by attending HCFA events. An engaged and participating membership shows that the faculty are united and the union is strong. A strong showing of faculty unity helps our negotiating team at the bargaining table. 

According to AP 7165, all full-time faculty of the Hartnell Community College District, and part-time faculty that qualify for re-employment preference, are eligible to be considered for the Employee Scholars Program.

The course of study must be directly related to the employee’s present/future position, or a degree requirement for a position to which the employee may transfer or progress towards within the District.

The forms for approval of the course of study are in Appendix A of the above linked AP. The forms for reimbursement are in Appendix B of the above linked AP.

You are protected by something called Weingarten rights.  These rights allow you to request to have a representative present during the meeting. The representative can be the HCFA president or other officer, the HCFA grievance chair, or a fellow employee* of your choice. The college isn't required to notify you of this right, so it is your responsibility to assert it if you feel that it is needed. Here is some sample language provided by a CTA Pamphlet about your rights: "If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present." 

*If you use a fellow employee who is not part of the union leadership, please notify the HCFA president of the meeting so that you can be advised of all the remedies that may be available to you. Use email HCFACommunications@gmail.com. 

The Rep Council for 2024-26 will be meeting on 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 3-5 pm. Details about rooms dates and Zoom links can be found on the Your Rep Council page. 

You can expect full HCFA membership meetings at least once per semester.  They are usually scheduled at the main campus and will include an option for remote participation. Meetings are called by the HCFA President and will be announced via email (both work and non-work emails) and on the Events section of this website. This is a negotiation year so there may be a need to meet more frequently. 

The general membership can call for a meeting by presenting a petition signed by 20% of the members to the HCFA President. If such a petition is presented, there must be a membership meeting held within 5 regular school days.