About the Berkeley Faculty Association
History of the BFA
In March, 1972, the Berkeley Division Committee on Senate Policy presented a report warning of “the danger that the faculty’s present authority is being subjected to erosion.” That same year, at the May 30th meeting of its Representative Assembly, the Berkeley Division adopted (by a vote of 102 to 22) a resolution instructing the Committee on Committees to appoint a seven-person interim Executive Board to an organization of Berkeley Senate faculty to be known as the Faculty Association (BFA). Within a year, the Association was operational and had reached its initial membership goal of 400.
Membership in the organization has always been voluntary and open to members of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate. Over the years, however, the Association’s membership base has declined–complacency being perhaps the best indicator of the Association’s success in safeguarding faculty prerogatives over the years. In March 2000, the BFA entered into a Coalition agreement with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) as part of a broader effort by the BFA’s current leadership to revitalize the Association. This effort has as its objectives: programmatic development, an expansion of the leadership cadre, enhanced member services, and membership growth.
The programmatic work of the Association has two primary components: keeping Berkeley faculty informed on relevant issues, representing faculty concerns to UCOP and the Legislature. Generally, the Association has relied on biannual newsletters to keep faculty updated on our activities; however, we also try to keep our email database current for important announcements. As part of the Coalition effort, the Association hosted a conference on the intellectual property rights of faculty last fall, and is organizing a series of faculty luncheons around important topics for the coming Academic Year.
Our representational work of the Association is generally done in conjunction with the Council of UC Faculty Associations–of which the BFA is a founding member. The Council lobbies in Sacramento on behalf of U.C. faculty over a range of issues and our lobbyists often cooperate with the administration’s, especially on funding issues. Of course, our interests are not always congruent, and the Council recently scored a major victory when it worked with California Faculty Association lobbyists to secure passage of Assembly Bill 1773, protecting faculty presentations and courseware. In addition to lobbying, CUCFA has the right to consult with the UC Office of the President on matters of statewide significance. Generally, CUCFA meets with UCOP representatives once or twice per semester. At the last meeting, our agenda included the unilateral changes that had been made to the retirement fund, recent problems with UC Care, the timing of COLA and Parity raises, and proposed changes to the “Outside Activities” language in the APM.
The Association’s Board may have up to eleven members. As of October 1, 2001, the Board has ten members drawn from the following departments: Public Health/Public Policy, Economics, Haas School of Business, Energy Resource Group, Near Eastern Studies, Education, History, Political Science, and Social Welfare.
As a consequence of the Coalition with the AAUP, all BFA members in good standing have full memberships in the National AAUP.