LINCROFT — The Faculty Association of Brookdale Community College has announced that due to stalled contract negotiations by the BCC Board of Trustees, department chairs and assistant chairs resigned their positions effective immediately on Aug. 22.
Faculty are taking this action in response to a lack of good-faith bargaining as the association attempts to reach a fair and equitable contract with the college.
The leadership of BCCFA issued this statement:
“Since November 2015, the faculty has met with the college nine times to negotiate a new three-year contract. No settlement has yet been reached. The college proposals were so drastic in their demands for changes to contract language that the faculty had no option but to reject them and file for impasse.
“It appears that the primary goal of Brookdale Community College management and executives is not to promote a high quality educational program for our students, rather simply to do whatever is necessary to cut costs. This policy was their rationale for the elimination of the Children’s Learning Center, along with our students’ learning assistants and counselors and other student services.”
Under impasse, faculty will work under the terms of the expired contract. In addition to the resignations of the chairs and assistant chair positions, faculty will resign their positions as advisers to clubs, as well as academic and special programs.
Those holding positions within the college’s Governance system will also vacate their posts.
Further actions will commence with the start of the fall 2016 semester and continue until a settlement is reached.
“BCC faculty are not just responding to a contract dispute, rather to a very long period of abusive and counter-educational actions by the Brookdale Board of Trustees, Monmouth County Freeholders, and college administrators.
“This far-reaching and extremely strong measure is necessary to urge our administration to return to the practice of and commitment to involving faculty in the educational process and educational decisions.
“The faculty believe the general public should know of the extremely damaged and volatile status of the faculty’s relationship with the Board of Trustees, the college administrators and the freeholders of Monmouth County.
“These actions are necessary today because the problems at this college have been caused not by the students who are paying more in tuition, and not by the faculty who are being used to build up Brookdale’s reserves, but by this administration and this Board of Trustees who are failing the college. Over the last several years, several freeholders and members of our own Board of Trustees have used Brookdale as a stomping ground for furthering their own political gains.
“We’ve tried at length to open a dialogue about maintaining student success despite
financial limitations, but have been roundly rebuffed. Our students deserve better.”
While actions are taking place, the BCCFA ensures students will continue to have access to their faculty during class and office hours.
“We will continue to be present for our students throughout this difficult time to ensure they have the academic support to succeed. We will never stop caring for our students, but we will no longer be pushed around by the Board of Trustees.”
The BCCFA is an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association and represents the classroom, counseling and librarian faculty of the Brookdale Community College system of Monmouth County.
