Welfare Committee

Faculty Member COD Phone Office E-mail
Shamili Ajgaonkar, Interim Chair Spring 2017 2123 HSC 1333 sandifor@cod.edu
Mark Pearson, Interim Vice Chair Spring 2017 2763 TEC 1050 pearson@cod.edu
David Goldberg, Grievance Chair 3722 BIC 2604a goldberg@cod.edu
Nancy Feulner, Grievance Vice Chair 2124 HSC 2207R feulner@cod.edu
Denise Cote 2092 SRC 3133 cotede@cod.edu
Jocelyn Harney 3325 SSC 3226 harney@cod.edu
Larinda Dixon 3363 HS2207d dixonl@cod.edu
Matt Shanahan 3080 TEC 1056/td>

shanan@cod.edu
Theo Darden 2989 HEC 1016/td>

darden@cod.edu
Jackie McGrath, Ex Officio. Vice President CODFA 2709 BIC 2615g mcgrathj@cod.edu

Term of Appointments — Beginning January or June

Documents
Welfare Updates (Requires Discussion Board login)
Archived Welfare Notes

Welfare Subcommittees

Committee Policies and Procedures

Definition of the Committee

The Welfare Committee is a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate responsible for monitoring College compliance with the Contractual Agreement. The Grievance, Negotiations, and Emerging Technology Committees are subcommittees of Welfare. The 2003-2007 Contractual Agreement calls for the establishment of other specific temporary Negotiation committees that are also Welfare Committee Subcommittees.

Purpose of the Committee

Any full-time faculty member may contact any Welfare Committee member with concerns about College compliance with the Contractual Agreement or individual concerns about faculty Welfare issues. Concerns will be addressed by the Welfare Committee as a whole, where appropriate, or the Grievance subcommittee, where appropriate. The Welfare Committee also serves as a consultant to the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Leadership on contractual matters.

From the CODFA By-Laws:

  1. Welfare Committee
    1. Membership:
      1. Membership of Welfare is determined by the following:
      2. Committee on Committees will solicit volunteers from tenured full share members.
      3. Welfare will comment on each volunteer to the Welfare Chair who communicates recommendations to the Chair of Committee on Committees. The Welfare Committee and Committee on Committees will reach consensus on a list of finalists.
      4. Committee on Committees will recommend finalists to the Senate for approval.
    2. Composition and DutiesThe Welfare Committee will:
      1. Consist of ten full share tenured faculty members including a Chair and a Vice Chair of Welfare and a Chair and a Vice Chair of Grievance. Each member of Welfare will serve for four years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The Welfare Committee may expand temporarily as needed during the negotiation process.
      2. Regularly rotate its membership. During even numbered years, three Welfare members will rotate off the committee, and during odd numbered years, two Welfare members will rotate off. No member of Welfare will rotate off during Negotiations.
      3. Make a good faith effort to have a Welfare member from each of the academic divisions and one member from the nine month faculty.
      4. Serve as the exclusive representative of the faculty in dealing with the Board and the administration of the College on issues concerning labor relations and contract issues.
      5. Research questions related to labor relations and contract issues
      6. onduct constituent information sessions.
      7. Monitor compliance for all faculty with the Contractual Agreement.
      8. Monitor College compliance with past practice
      9. Assist in grievances and appeals and, if necessary, join in support of the grievance/appeal.
      10. Report at the appropriate meeting of the Senate on grievances to be considered for arbitration.
      11. Work to insure and preserve academic freedoms and intellectual property rights.
      12. Have subcommittees including but not limited to Negotiations and Grievance.
    3. Chairpersons of Welfare
      1. The Welfare Chair will serve on the Negotiation subcommittee. The Welfare Vice-Chair will not serve on the Negotiation subcommittee, but will be in charge of the routine business of Welfare during the negotiation period. The Welfare Vice-Chair will become the Welfare Chair upon the Faculty ratification and Board approval of the new Contractual Agreement.
      2. To retain continuity of the Welfare Committee and its sub-committees, it is recommended that the out going chair of Welfare remain on Welfare for at least one year after the ratification of a new contract.
    4. Negotiation Sub-Committee
      1. The Welfare Committee will decide which of its standing members will serve on the Negotiation Sub-Committee.
      2. The Negotiation Sub-Committee may select advisory ad-hoc full-share members to assist them and will inform the Senate of these names.
    5. Grievance Sub-Committee
      1. The purpose of the Grievance Sub-Committee is to address misinterpretations or misapplications of the Contractual Agreement.
      2. The Grievance Sub-Committee will discuss, investigate, evaluate, and prepare responses in regard to grievances or potential grievances
      3. The Grievance Committee will consist of Welfare members, including outgoing Chair of Grievance, Chair and Vice Chair of Grievance and one other member.
      4. The Grievance Chair will serve for the length of the contract. The Grievance Chair will be responsible for all the necessary processing and filing of grievance matters.
      5. In order to conduct the ordinary business of Grievance during the negotiation process, one of the Grievance chairpersons will not serve on the Negotiation subcommittee.
      6. The Vice-Chair will become the Grievance Chair upon Faculty ratification and Board Approval of the new Contractual Agreement. The new chair of Grievance will serve for the length of the Contractual Agreement

Composition of the Committee

To best fulfill its obligations, the Welfare Committee requires members who are full share members of the Association, who are tenured, and when possible, are on E range. In the spirit of the Bylaws, the Welfare Committee attempts to have membership from all divisions, and also seeks to include members who encompass a broad range of skill sets and experiences at the college and elsewhere.

Welfare Committee Membership

Welfare Committee members are selected by a collaborative process including the Welfare Committee, Committee on Committees, and the Faculty Senate. The President-Elect of the Faculty Association is an ex officio member of the Welfare Committee.

The Welfare Committee elects its own Chair and Vice Chair. The position of Vice Chair of Welfare exists only in the last year of the Contractual Agreement, during the period of preparation for negotiations.

Terms of Office of Welfare Members

Terms of office for Welfare Committee members are for the length of the Contractual Agreement except in the case of resignations and the special case of Welfare Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair is strongly encouraged to remain on the Committee for at least a year during the tenure of the next chair, or for the length of the next contractual agreement. The Vice Chair of Welfare becomes the Chair for the next contractual period. All other members have completed their terms at the end of the contract. Former members may elect to reapply for another term on the Welfare Committee. New Welfare Committees are selected by a collaborative process between the Welfare Chair, the Committee on Committees, and the Faculty Senate. Optimally, the new Committee should include some members of the former Committee well versed in the new Contractual Agreement as well as new members.

Membership on the Welfare Committee carries serious responsibilities. If a Welfare Committee member fails to attend three meetings during an academic term without a valid excuse, the Chair of the Welfare Committee will declare that position vacant, and request the Chair of Committee on Committees to institute a call for members.

With the consent of the Faculty Senate, when negotiations continue past the expiration of a Contractual Agreement, the sitting Welfare Committee remains until Negotiations have been completed, and post-negotiation business has been wrapped up.

Welfare Committee Meetings

The Welfare Committee meets twice a month during the academic year, usually alternating weeks with Faculty Senate Meetings. The Welfare Committee meets at least twice each summer. The Welfare Committee also meets on an as needed basis, and virtually. Welfare Committee meetings are confidential in nature. Visitors are admitted by invitation.

The Welfare Committee secretary takes minutes and sends approved minutes to the President and President-Elect of the Faculty Association as well as the Secretary of the Faculty Association. Minutes are be general in nature so as not to violate the confidentially of many aspects of the Welfare Committee role.

The Rule of Two

The Chair of the Welfare Committee and/or the Chair of the Negotiations Subcommittee and/or the Chair of the Grievance Subcommittee and other Welfare members may sometimes be asked to attend meetings with members of the Administration or the Board of Trustees. In all such cases, where Welfare Committee Chairs or members are representing the Committee as a whole or the Faculty Association, they will observe the “rule of two,” by bringing to the meeting another member of the Welfare Committee. In this way the Association and the Welfare Chairs/Members have a witness to what transpired at these meetings.

Welfare Subcommittees

The Welfare Committee selects from its membership the Grievance Subcommittee and the Grievance Subcommittee Chair.

The Negotiations Committee is a subcommittee of the Welfare Committee which is composed of part or all of the Welfare Committee. The Negotiations Subcommittee Chair is selected by the Welfare Committee as a whole. The Welfare Committee may elect to have non-Welfare members participate in the Negotiation Subcommittee. All members of the Negotiations Subcommittee are temporary de facto members of the Welfare Committee.

The Emerging Technology Committee is a subcommittee of Welfare whose function is defined in the Contractual Agreement, see section F 11 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY FORMATS STUDY AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE. The faculty members of this subcommittee are selected by Committee on Committees and Senate. The Emerging Technology Committee reports to the Welfare Committee, and ultimately to the Faculty Senate.

Grievance Subcommittee

The Grievance Subcommittee meets as needed. It consists of a Chair, and two members. During the last year of the Contractual Agreement the Welfare Committee will select a Vice Chair of Grievance . Any member of the Welfare Committee may serve as an observer during the grievance process.

Responsibilities of the Chair of the Grievance Subcommittee include:

  • Leading and coordinating the overall effort to educate and inform the members of the Faculty Association about the nature of the grievance process
  • Providing members of the Faculty Association with advice and guidance when they file or consider filing a grievance
  • Providing members of the Welfare Committee, and the Grievance Subcommittee, with information on both the status of individual grievances and the overall pattern of grievances:
  • Serving as Liaison to UniServe Representatives.

Grievance Subcommittee members work with the Welfare Committee Chair, the Grievance Committee Chair, and the members of the College of DuPage Faculty Association to accomplish the following goals:

  • Informing and educating the faculty about the grievance process,
  • Supporting and advising faculty members who have filed or are considering filing a grievance,
  • Insuring the integrity of the Grievance Process, and recommending actions and resolutions to the Faculty Senate.

Association Grievances

In all cases where the Grievance Subcommittee judges that there is a pattern of noncompliance with a contractual section, or in the case where a single instance of noncompliance has the potential to have an impact on broader range of faculty members, the Chair of the Grievance Subcommittee may recommend that the Welfare Committee file an Association Grievance. In this case the Chair of the Grievance Subcommittee is responsible for writing the Grievance and a member of the Welfare Committee will take on the role of Grievant, as a representative of the faculty as a whole.

Arbitrations

In the case of Arbitration, the Chair of the Grievance Subcommittee or designee appointed by the Welfare Committee is empowered, by the Faculty Senate to:

  • Provide the day to day oversight of the arbitration and any pre-arbitration hearing settlement efforts
  • Determine who will engage in efforts to reach a settlement prior to the arbitration hearing
  • Determine who will present the Association’s case at the arbitration hearing.