In accordance with the Federation’s Constitution, we will be holding officer elections this term. The following positions are up: President, PT Vice President, Secretary, and the Chief Grievance, Communications, and Organizing officers. These are two year terms. The descriptions are below, though if you have questions about a particular position you can contact the Federation. Please send your candidate form and statement to eccfederation@gmail.com

Election Results

The following candidates were elected to their respective offices during the SP21 election with voting period from May 24-June 6, 2021:

President: Kelsey Iino

PT VP: Elizabeth Russell / Juliann Wolfgram

Secretary: Laura Saldarriaga

Chief Grievance Officer: John Baranski

Communications Officer: Jessica Padilla

Organizing Officer: Hong Herrera Thomas

If you are interested in viewing precise results, they can be accessed by clicking through your original ballot link, sent to your email inbox, and clicking on the “View election results” link. If you need assistance, please contact us at eccfederation@gmail.com.

Candidates

President: Kelsey Iino

PT VP: Elizabeth Russell / Juliann Wolfgram

Secretary: Laura Saldarriaga

Chief Grievance Officer: John Baranski

Communications Officer: Jessica Padilla

Organizing Officer: Hong Herrera Thomas

Candidate Statements

I believe that all our colleagues have a voice deserving of an ear, that they should feel empowered to use it. I desire a campus culture at El Camino that respects and values all faculty and staff, one that strives for an equitable and sustainable balance of influence. I believe we accomplish this with a spirit of solidarity that reaches across discipline and position, a spirit that lifts up our identities as educators, as community members, and as workers. All, of course, with the ultimate goal of serving our students, empowering their collective voices.

-Elizabeth Russell (PT VP)

Hello, Federation members! I am Juli Wolfgram, and I am a part-Time faculty member teaching
Art History at El Camino College since 2009. I have been serving on the Federation board for the
past two years as COPE Chair, however I am running as a joint candidate with Elizabeth Russell
for the position of Second Vice President representing Part-Time Faculty at ECC.

Even though we did make gains in clarifying contract language for the Rehire Preference List, in
receiving pay for two office hours per semester, in receiving pay for professional development,
and in a $75 per semester stipend for health care benefits, there is so much more we need to
accomplish for Part Time Faculty! I will work together with Elizabeth to move toward parity, gain
broader health benefits, and ensure job security to name a few.

I do understand the financial, emotional, and mental burden that the transition to remote learning
has brought upon all of us. I still split my time between four different campuses, albeit through
Zoom meetings and class sessions. But I see this as an advantage. I can share experiences with
what works and what doesn’t work within each district.

I want to work with all members of our union, with Academic senate, and with the district. Our
college should be the model for regional community colleges, and so we need to continue
addressing issues of equity and social justice for all faculty, both Part-Time and Full-Time, at El
Camino College.

I will continue to represent you at the State level through the CFT Part Time Committee, and I will
continue to advocate for you through other faculty organizations such as FACCC and ASCCC
and CPFA.

As we move into another semester of remote learning and virtual classrooms, I will also continue
to work hard to ensure that our part timers will not be adversely affected in the changing
employment climate. I am very appreciative of your support, as I cannot do this without your help!
Through political action and collective bargaining, I believe we can collaborate and improve the
working condition of all our Federation members!

In unity,

– Juli Wolfgram (PT VP)

I have been at ECC for 6 years now and I have served as your secretary for the last 3 years.  I am running once again for this position because I would like to continue serving you in this capacity. I enjoy being part of such an amazing group of people who are committed to improve our working conditions. I hope to have your support once again.  

-Laura Saldarriaga (Secretary)

This is my sixth year in the History Dept at El Camino College. I have been doing union work for more than 25 years. For almost two years, I have served as the Federation’s Chief Organizing Officer and handled grievances large and small. I am willing to serve again. In addition to resolving grievances, my vision for this position is to train colleagues to handle grievances in the most strategic ways possible. If you have questions about this position, please see the position description or write me at jbaranski@elcamino.edu

-John Baranski (Chief Grievance Officer)

Since 2003 I have served as a full-time faculty member in the Life Science Department. During the last contract negotiations I was an involved AFT1388 member The Federation’s executive board is comprised of a dynamic group of faculty members, and when asked to with chair a committee I accepted.  In March 2021 I was appointed to chair the Communications Committee. Since it is new, there are many aspects of this position that I am still developing.  I enjoy the work and look forward to continuing it if elected.

-Jessica Padilla (Communications Officer)

My name is Hong Herrera Thomas and I teach in the history department. I started my career at El Camino College in 2013 as a part-time faculty member and was hired full-time in 2015. I am running for the position of Organizing Chair because I feel that the culture and relationship of the faculty and district needs to change. I hope to build a partnership with my colleagues by educating, empowering, and unifying members of the college campus. I hope I am given the opportunity to serve the Federation and to open communication and promote transparency at El Camino College. I believe the time is now to build a better ECC and we must be organized to do so.

-Hong Herrera Thomas (Organizing Officer)

Officer Duties

The duties of the President shall include:
a. Presiding at meetings of the Federation, including the Executive Board.
b. Serving as an ex-officio member of all Federation committees.
c. Signing all necessary papers and documents.
d. Representing the Federation when and where necessary.
e. Working in a collegial manner with other groups representing faculty interests.
f. Reporting to the membership at least once a year summarizing the accomplishments of the Federation and outlining plans for the future.
g. Acting as co-signer on all financial accounts.
h. Pre-approve budgeted expenditures before being paid by the Treasurer.
i. Serving an additional six months as an ex-officio (non-voting) executive officer (“Past President”) after the conclusion of the elected term.
j. The president position can be held by co-presidents if elected by the membership. k. The President will have final oversight of the COPE.

The duties of Part-Time Faculty Vice President shall include:
a. Performing all presidential duties in the absence of the President and Executive Vice President.
b. Serving in a liaison capacity as one of the primary communication links representing part-time faculty interests and concerns within the Federation leadership.
c. Carrying out such additional executive and administrative responsibilities on behalf of the Federation as may be determined by the Executive Board.
d. Attend conferences that address part-time related issues.
e. Chair Part-Time Faculty Committee

The duties of the Secretary shall include:
a. Recording the minutes of all general membership and Executive Board meetings.
b. Issuing all notices and answering all correspondence at the direction of the President and the Executive Board.
c. Acting as the custodian of the seal and the charter of the Federation.

The duties of the Chief Grievance officer shall include:
a. Coordinating the enforcement of the contract.
b. Coordinating grievance trainings for new and existing grievance officers who serve our members.
c. Chairing as needed a committee to do the work of contract enforcement.
d. Consulting and informing the Federation Executive Board committee about grievances.

The duties of the Communications officer shall include:
a. Coordinating the work of consistent communications with members through the Federation’s website, digital and paper publications, and social media platforms.
b. Coordinating consistent communications with the campus community and the communities we serve.
c. Chairing, as needed, a committee to do the communications work of the union.
d. Attending meetings and delivering reports as directed by the Executive Board (e.g. BOT, Senate, College Council, COPE, etc.)

The duties of the Organizing officer shall include:
a. Coordinating the outreach and organizing of members and nonmembers.
b. Maintaining the membership rolls of the Federation, including submitting monthly membership updates to the district payroll staff (e.g. addition of new Federation members and removal of members who drop membership or retire).
c. Reporting the faculty unit size to the Treasurer each term.
d. Chairing the organizing committee to do the member organizing and outreach of the union.