Panel: Achieving Pay Parity for Part-Time Faculty in Community Colleges
Panel Description
The Peralta Federation of Teachers signed an agreement with the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) in September 2020 that secured pay parity for part-time faculty as compared to their full-time counterparts. This agreement was signed after two years of community organizing and campaigning and represents the first full parity agreement in the state. Presenters will talk about the need for pay parity, the organizing campaign required to achieve it, and the reasons our administration and board supported parity. We will have a statewide organizer, member leader, PCCD chief negotiator, and PCCD Board of Trustees member present on the panel.
Panelists Bios
Sandra Weese is the Organizing Director for the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) where she coordinates the work of the Organizing Project. This includes developing and implementing a strategic organizing plan for California that combines local unions existing capacity, needs, and interests with research on sectors that offer strategic growth opportunities for the CFT, and incorporates both analysis and priorities for internal and external organizing. Before coming to the CFT, Weese worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) for several years where she focused on health care organizing in many different roles, including Political Field Organizer and Nursing Home Alliance Internal Organizing Director. Weese became active in the labor movement as a rank-and-file member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) union in Las Vegas where she was eventually hired as staff and worked as both an internal and external organizer among other jobs.
Ron McKinley, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Employee Relations, Peralta Community College District. Dr. McKinley has over 25 years of experience as a Chief Human Resources Officer and more than 35 years of experience in human resources management. On top of being Chief of Human Resources Officer for many years serving in several organizations such as The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and APAC Teleservices, Dr. McKinley also performed as the Senior Business Consultant and General Manager of the Kansas City Office for Williams and Company Consulting. The Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Employee Relations is also a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran. An interesting fact about Dr. McKinley’s career is that he is the former Chair for The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 260 – Human Resource Management. Dr. McKinley led the effort to create and publish multiple international human resource management standards while he served as the Chair of the Technical Committee 260 – HR Management. He joined many boards, including Chair of the SW Ohio Workforce Investment Board, Vice-Chair of Cincinnati Works (a nonprofit that helps underserved people achieve self-sufficiency), the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, The Urban League of Cincinnati, and the Governor of Ohio’s Workforce Advisory Board. The International Organization for Standardization, known as ISO, is a non-governmental organization responsible for developing relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. Dr. Ronald McKinley has a PhD in Administration and Management, an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management, and a BS in Management. He has written and published many articles and delivered numerous presentations throughout the United States and abroad.
Dyana Marie Delfín Polk is a third-generation Mexican-American community college graduate, public education advocate and political organizer serving as Vice President of the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees. She received her Associate’s degree from Merced College, Bachelor’s Degree in American History and Chicano Studies from UC Berkeley and her Master’s degree in Public Policy from Mills College. As a community college student, she advocated for transferable courses to the UC system when they were at risk of being cut at her campus, which began her work as an education advocate. Dyana recently worked as Associate Executive Director at HOMEY, a violence prevention nonprofit serving Latinx and African American youth in San Francisco’s Mission District, addressing systemic violence in communities of color and providing a pathway for at-risk youth to pursue education. Currently, she works as a legislative aide in the Office of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, working on education, health policy and constituent services and is a proud member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1021. Dyana represents the North Berkeley Hills, parts of Elmwood, Claremont and parts of North Oakland and Montclair. She is a longtime resident of Berkeley’s Northside neighborhood and is active in local politics. Term began 12/08/2020. Current term ending 12/2024.
Jennifer Shanoski, President, Peralta Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1603.