In accordance with the Federation’s Constitution, we will be holding officer elections this term. The following positions are up: FT Vice President, PT Vice President, Treasurer, Chief Grievance Officer, and Organizing Officer. These are two year terms, with the exception of PT Vice President. The candidate statements and descriptions for each position are below.

Candidates

FT VP: Troy Moore

PT VP: Laila Dellapasqua

Treasurer: Ryan Turner, Robert Uphoff

Chief Grievance Officer: John Baranski

Organizing Officer: Constitutional amendment proposed to restructure position

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Notes on Constitutional Amendments:

1. Organizing Officer: Organizing position will be restructured as a co-chaired committee that works alongside the executive board.
2. Contract Writing Committee: The exclusivity of this committee is obsolete. Typical current practice is to consult faculty broadly and include specific, affected faculty groups in constructing concepts and contract language.
3. Nominations Committee: Secret online ballots have replaced secret mail ballots. The additional nomination period requirements already provide for more than the time to nominate outlined in our constitution.
4. The Executive Board recommends ratification of the proposed amendments.

Candidate Statements

Troy Moore (FT VP)

I started to get seriously involved with the work of the Federation in 2019 after realizing how much work needed to be done to engage our colleagues and to modernize our labor agreement to make it competitive and fair. I have spent most of the time since serving as the FT VP of the Federation and a leader within our bargaining teams for the last two contracts, the ongoing negotiations for compensation and PT healthcare in the last year of our current contract, and various other agreements with the District, including the reopener in our last contract that resulted in a fair 7.2% salary increase to all faculty wages.

Over the course of our last two contracts, to list a few examples, if you’ve taught an overload course, taken a sick day, pursued a sabbatical, utilized District-subsidized healthcare benefits, held a PT office hour, or received a paycheck from ECC, you’ve been a direct beneficiary of all of the focused work that we’ve done to improve our contract, our compensation, and our working conditions. The team most responsible for this work, which I’m lucky to help lead, is talented, hardworking, and not finished with our work. I’m asking for your vote so that I may continue to work with this exceptional team to do the work that improves our workplace, raises our voices in the workplace, and provides us with the material support we need for ourselves and our families to thrive.

Thanks for your support,
Troy Moore, Federation FT VP

Laila Dellapasqua (PT VP)

Serving as The Federation’s PT VP since May 2022, I have seen and experienced the issues that impact the part-time faculty labor force at ECC and in higher education.  During this time, I have advocated for respectable working conditions, wellness and benefits and compensation at the contract bargaining table.  Serving in this role has given me the opportunity to organize Campus Equity Week, a week-long series of events that highlights the inequities PT faculty face within the California Community College system.  During these events, I have met other PT faculty and maintain the unwavering belief that collectively the part-time voice and representation are stronger.  It is my hope that part-time faculty members unleash their agency and leadership skills in order to make change.  The part-time hustle is real, and I am part of it.  Together, we must continue to fight for the gains we – as part-time faculty – deserve.

Ryan Turner (Treasurer)

Since 2019, I have served on the ECC Federation executive board as treasurer. During my tenure, I have worked with the e-board to continually increase the financial solvency of the Federation. When I was first elected, for example, our accounts had been shrinking month to month and we were reaching a point where we could barely pay our bills. Now, we have a healthy savings account that is being used for important union work including hiring legal counsel to defend our contract during grievances and organizing membership during the recent contentious contract negotiations that saw a 17% increase to compensation. 

In the upcoming term, I wish to continue to enhance our ability to work for a fair contract by expanding our strike fund. This would give us the money necessary to support faculty should an eventual work stoppage be required to earn a fair contract. With the current e-board, I am also working to change the dues structure to be more equitable for all faculty.

I humbly ask for your vote to continue to do the good work of defending our contract as well as fighting for fair wages and working conditions for all.

Robert Uphoff (Treasurer)

Candidate has not yet provided a statement.

John Baranski (Chief Grievance Officer)

I started teaching history at El Camino College in 2015 and got involved in the Federation as a division representative several years after that. I have served the Federation as a grievance officer and as a bargaining team member for MOUs, reopeners, and full contract negotiations, including the last two contracts which improved our working conditions. I have helped faculty with grievances and questions and been involved in educating faculty about our rights through Federation Meet Ups across campus, department meetings, and workshops (grievance, evaluations, organizing). I am running for Chief Grievance Officer again. If elected by the members, I will do my best to serve the Federation with integrity and work with faculty to make our workplace a place where our work is valued and respected.

Officer Duties

The duties of Executive Vice President shall include:

• Performing all presidential duties in the absence of the President
• Carrying out such additional executive and administrative responsibilities on behalf of the Federation as may be determined by the Executive Board.
• Acting as co-signer on all financial accounts.
• Performing review of monthly reconciliations for all accounts.

The duties of Part-Time Faculty Vice President shall include:

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

The duties of the Treasurer shall include:

• Maintaining the complete financial records of the Federation.
• Acting as a co-signer on all financial accounts.
• Depositing all incomes in the name of the Federation and paying all affiliate PerCaps and paying all expenditures as authorized by the adopted Federation budget or by action of the Executive Board.
• Preparing all reports in a timely manner as required by government agencies as well as the AFT and CFT.
• Preparing monthly budget reports for the Executive Board.
• Preparing an annual financial report for the membership following the close of the Federation’s fiscal year.
• Calculating and reporting yearly changes in dues (including AFT, CFT, and LACFL PerCaps, associated insurance policy changes, etc.) to the membership and district payroll staff by June of each year.
• Preparing proposed operating budget at least one month prior to the close of the current Federation fiscal year for consideration and adoption by the Executive Board.
• Serving an additional three months as an ex-officio (non-voting) executive officer (“Past Treasurer”) after the conclusion of the elected term.

The duties of the Chief Grievance Officer shall include:

• Coordinating the enforcement of the contract.
• Coordinating grievance trainings for new and existing grievance officers who serve our members.
• Chairing, as needed, a committee to do the work of contract enforcement.
• Consulting and informing the Federation Executive Board committee about grievances.