1. GETTING TO KNOW OUR CONTRACT
Denise Diamond, President
Jose Simo, Vice President, Secretary
Dustin Culhan, Treasurer
Maria de Santiago, Victoria Curry, Members at Large
Bargaining Team: Geoff Hagopian, Fred Sangiorgio, Dustin Culhan,

2. THE ROLE OF CODFA AND THE CONTRACT
CODFA is the exclusive bargaining representative for the full time faculty unit and negotiates with the District a contract for wages, benefits and working conditions.
Our contracts are usually 2 year contracts.
CODFA members vote to accept or reject our contract.

3. CONCERNS CODFA HAS ADDRESSED
Attending any meeting with the District to support faculty- Weingarten
Safety in the classroom
Student Complaints
Payroll issues
Accurate placement on the salary schedule
Grievances related to Tenure Evaluation
Grievances related to Health Benefits
Legal representation of Tenured Faculty
Personnel File issues
Supporting faculty Leave

4. NEW FACULTY AND TENURE REVIEW PROCESS
Article 20: Tenure Review Process is of immediate importance to both tenure track and temporary full time new employees.
Selecting a faculty member for your Tenure Review Committee, TRC, is one of the first tasks. Both you and your Dean select a member of your TRC. (Sec A.1)
How do I select a Faculty member, when I don’t know anyone?
It’s not always easy. Consider approaching a faculty member from your hiring committee. You will have a school and department meeting during Flex where you can meet colleagues. Remember you can approach someone in a field not directly related to your discipline- which is sometimes necessary when you are in a discipline with limited tenured faculty.

5. QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLE 20
Your TRC is chaired by the Dean, who can answer questions. Tenured faculty on your TRC can answer questions. Ask to see how the Collective Bargaining Agreement answers your questions.
As President of the Faculty Association, I (Denise Diamond) am available to answer questions regarding contract language. We also have a CTA staff person who has worked with us at COD for 10 years and knows the contract and Educational Code. The Bargaining Team (Geoff Hagopian, Fred Sangiorgio and Dustin Culhan) are available.
The District has argued that tenure track faculty can be dismissed without cause in the first two years. We disagree with this view and point to contract language and the role of the Tenure Review Committee.

6. WHERE DOES THE CONTRACT DISCUSS MONEY?
Faculty can earn money in addition to their contracted salary (Appendix A) in the following ways:
Participate in the matching 403b plan. This is up to $1,200 annual matching from the District. (Article 8 Sec. 8.9) for Tenure track faculty.
Overload pay. Lecture $ Lab $ (sec.8.5) not to exceed 40% unless approved. ( Article 12 sec.s 12.7) Faculty are not obligated to take overload nor more than 3 separate class preparations. (sec. 12.6)
Intersession and Summer School. Same pay as above.
Faculty Professional Advancement (Appendix B)

7. Options to being paid: Load Banking
The required full-time faculty load is 15 SIU, 5 Office Hours per week and “an average of 2 hours per week” for faculty and administrative committee assignments. Faculty sign Load Sheets, and you should carefully review them for accuracy. When faculty work beyond 15 SIU in the regular semester, they can either receive overload pay or they can load bank the SIUs for future use: either to reduce teaching load, or to load balance (Article 12.6) or for a semester’s leave (read the CBA for details).

8. ARTICLE 11: LEAVES
The contract and Ed. Code provide for the following types of Leave:
PAID:
Illness, (10 days/ academic year) Jury/Subpoena
Personal Necessity, (7 days/academic year)
Sabbatical
Bereavement, 3 to 5 days
UNPAID
Family Care, not to exceed 12 weeks
Pregnancy Disability Leave, 1 year or less

9. WHAT WE HOPE YOU’LL REMEMBER
Our contract is a mutually developed agreement between College of the Desert Faculty Association (CCA/CTA/NEA) representing faculty and the District. The contract is a living document that we have used for over 40 years. The contract and its enforcement are as articulate, comprehensive and useful as we make it. Questions, suggestions, comments are welcome and confidential.