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1965

State of Michigan passes Public Employee Relations Act. Election held under PERA establishes the HFCC teachers' bargaining unit.

Donald Calkins serves as Acting President of HFCC-FT.

Harrison Welsh elected First President of Local 1650.

HFCC Federation of Teachers, Local 1650 receives its charter from the AFT.

HFCC teachers conduct first college faculty strike in history of the nation to establish its first contract and codify shared governance in the Constitution for the College Organization.

First HFCC-FT contract signed. Seniority, grievance procedure, hospital-surgical medical insurance coverage negotiated. MA Min $6,350; MA Max $11,000.

1966 - L-R, Andrew Mazzara, ?, Robert Kerns, and Harold King on picket duty.
 

1966 - HFCC-FT, AFT Local 1650, the first higher education union to strike in U.S. history.

Robert Harrison elected President of Local 1650.

Second strike in Local 1650 history. Second contract signed.

Former Local 1650 Vice-president Archie Allen elected Vice-president of Michigan Federation of Teachers.

1968

George Yee elected President of Local 1650.

Harold King elected President of Local 1650.

1970

Local 1650 attains agency shop.

State legislature mandates teaching load for community college teachers. Local 1650 brings lawsuit. Governor's Office refuses to enforce the legislation.

1971

Eight HFCC teachers laid off at direction of P-12 Superintendent. Lawsuit by John McDonald eventually secures the return of three of these teachers.

Stuart Bundy appointed President of Henry Ford Community College. Dearborn Board of Education meets for first time as HFCC Board of Trustees.

HFCC President reports directly to Board of Trustees, rather than the Superintendent of Schools, for the first time in the College's history.

1973

Dr. Bundy secures an operating budget for HFCC separate from the P-12 segment of the District.

1974

Local 1650 participates in unsuccessful campaign to separate HFCC from the Dearborn Public Schools.

Local 1650 contract limits transfer of P-12 seniority of Local 1650. Even step increments and lane differentials are established in the salary schedule, bringing equity to teachers below maximum salary. "Golden Leap" at last step of salary schedule is eliminated.

1976

Local 1650 President Harold King elected Vice-president of Michigan Federation of Teachers.

1977

Contract renumbers salary schedule so that Step 1 is labeled Step 1, not Step 3 (not as easy as you might think!)

1978

John McDonald elected President of Local 1650.

Third strike in history of Local.

Local 1650 contract secures long term disability insurance. MA Min $11,980; MA Max $21,412.

1978 Local 1650 members on strike (L-R) Richard Brown, John Navrock, Robert Wheeler, Elizabeth King, Marilyn Thibodeau, Ida Murray, Margaret McHenry.

1978 (L-R) Detroit Federation of Teachers' President Mary Ellen Riordan and Local 1650 President John McDonald address Local 1650 pickets during 1978 strike.

1978 Local 1650 pickets (L-R) Shirley Strom, Aileen Sundstrom, George Francouer, Brian Coyer, and Rick Goward.

1979

Local 1650 contract eliminates transfer of P-12 seniority to the College, limiting credit for 1650 seniority to work performed within the 1650 bargaining unit. HFCC part-time teachers vote against representation by Local 1650.

Local 1650 President John McDonald elected Vice-president of Michigan Federation of Teachers.

Local 1650 Vice-president Ellen Hoekstra appointed Legislative Agent for the Michigan Federation of Teachers.

1978 (L-R) Allan Copley, Frank Yezbick, Morris Taber, John Errante, Howard Nebel, William Hackett, and Local 1650 Vice-president Ellen Hoekstra on informational picket line.

Contract provides first Early Retirement Incentive.

1982

Contractual tenure provision is negotiated since community college teachers are no longer covered by State Tenure Act.

1983

Local 1650 contract secures binding arbitration of grievances, Tuition Fund, Professional Improvement Fund, and its second Early Retirement Incentive.

Local 1650 President John McDonald appointed to chair the United Schools' Association, the political action committee representing all HFCC and Dearborn School District unions.

First of many District millage campaigns chaired by community activists Mike Adray and Joe Hallissey and first of many millage campaigns financed by the United Schools' Association, with campaign literature developed by Local 1650.

1983 Millage Campaign Co-chairpersons and community leaders (L-R) Joseph Hallissey and Michael Adray.

Fourth Strike in Local 1650 history when Board of Trustees refuses to accept Factfinder's recommended settlement.

1985

Local 1650 proposes and jointly sponsors with College Administration the first of the Local's annual Professional Issues Conferences.

Local 1650 responds to North Central Report critical of shared governance, full-time staffing, and teacher salaries.

MA Min $22,342; MA Max $36,524.

1987

Local 1650 secures improved longevity, moving from a flat rate to a percentage of salary based on years of service. Contract provides Dental-Optical-Hearing insurance coverage.

1988

AFT President Al Shanker delivers annual Walter Reuther Memorial Lecture at HFCC.

Local 1650 takes initiative in developing a standardized and student centered class schedule which increases enrollment 7% and avoids lay-offs.

Local 1650 honors Stuart Bundy upon his resignation as HFCC President and acceptance of the Chancellorship of San Bernardino California Community College District.

Dr. Andrew Mazzara appointed President of Henry Ford Community College.

Local 1650 contract provides Flexible Spending Account, establishes 24 hour extra-contractual limit for all HFCC teachers, and provides Pension Supplement for TSA investment and/or purchase of service time in MPSERS. Local 1650 increases probationary period from two to three years.

1991

Local 1650 assists in organizing Mike Adray's 70th birthday celebration.

Local 1650 finances and develops campaign literature for District's $100 million Capital Improvement Bond Campaign. 200 Local 1650 teachers contribute $25,000 to the campaign. HFCC receives $30 million in capital improvement funds.

AFT arranges for Presidential candidate Bill Clinton to visit HFCC campus.

1993

Local 1650 contract establishes Probationary Teacher Mentor Committees, a calendar concluding the Fall semester before year's end, and two 7.5 week spring and summer sessions

Local 1650 negotiates a five year contract, longest in its history. Contract provides Pension Supplement based upon years of service, longevity included in extra-contractual compensation, and one sick bank for contractual and extra-contractual absences.

Local 1650 finances and develops campaign literature for HFCC's first millage campaign independent of the P-12. 200 Local 1650 teachers contribute $10,000 to the campaign.

PA 112 rescinds collective bargaining rights for State's K-12 teachers and HFCC teachers.

MA Min $33,011; MA Max $61,416.

Local 1650 Thirtieth Anniversary Dinner Dance.

1997

Local 1650 successfully lobbies against Governor's recommended defined contribution pension system.

Local 1650 President John McDonald represents the AFT at Education International's first Higher Education Conference at UNESCO

Local 1650 President John McDonald appointed to the AFT's Higher Education Program and Policy Council.

Local 1650 develops a union financed and faculty driven provision for the annual evaluation of full-time faculty.

Local 1650 receives the MFT&SRP's "President's Award" in recognition of the Local's Political Action Fundraising.

Local 1650 organizes community activist Joe Hallissey’s 70^th birthday celebration.

1998 (L-R) MFT&SRP President David Hecker, Local 1650 Vice President Nancy Widman and John Widman at Local 1650 Dinner Dance.

Local 1650 achieves earliest contract settlement in its history. Settlement provides historic breakthrough on major Federation concerns regarding full-time staffing, distance learning, long-term care and intellectual property rights

1999 (L-R) Local 1650 President John McDonald and Local 4168 President Ruby  Newbold on Detroit Schools' picket line. 

AFT President Sandra Feldman visits Local 1650

Local 1650 leads the advocacy campaign for HFCC's successful $9 million Capital Improvement Bond Proposal.

Local 1650 leads an MFT&SRP legislative initiative for a State of Michigan study regarding full-time/part-time faculty staffing at Michigan's community colleges. The proposal calls for a study of conditions under which both full-time and part-time faculty are hired, evaluated, and function at the State's colleges. Supported in the House, the proposed legislation is killed in the Senate by Senator Gast at the behest of the Michigan Community College Association.

Local 1650 negotiates a five year contract and volunteers to accept a wage freeze in first year because of reductions in State aid to HFCC and to guarantee replacement of all teachers leaving the College under the voluntary early severance program.

Local 1650 President John McDonald is elected President of the Dearborn Rotary Club for 2002-03.

Lynne Hensel, Local 1650 Vice-president for Internal Affairs, resigns after 22 years of service to pursue doctoral studies.

Local 1650 President John McDonald is recognized by the Dearborn Rotary Club as "Rotarian of the Year."

Drastic cuts in State aid to HFCC necessitate re-opening of 2002-07 contract. Nearly $2 million in savings are generated for HFCC by phasing in faculty replacements, revising salary schedule placement, and offering a voluntary early severance program. In the revised contract, Local 1650 achieves specific full-time faculty staffing levels for first time in the history of the Local.

Local 1650 President John McDonald appointed Chairperson of the Dearborn Rotarian Foundation.

Local 1650 welcomes 45 new faculty, amounting to 25% of its membership, during 2004-05, as a result of two Early Retirement Incentive Programs and the negotiation of minimum full-time staffing levels at HFCC. 

HFCC President Andrew Mazzara retires after 34 years at HFCC as teacher, Vice-President, and President.  A former Local 1650 member and participant in HFCC's 1966 strike, the first strike by a college collective bargaining unit in the nation's history, Dr. Mazzara served as HFCC President for 15 years. 

HFCC-FT Treasurer Ed Fryzel passes away suddently, having been a member of Local 1650 for 20 years and its Treasurer for 17 years. 

MA Min $42,859, MA Max $79,757.

Local 1650 celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

Local 1650 welcomes Dr. Gail Mee as President of Henry Ford Community College.

2007 Local 1650 negotiates a five year contract in three days preceding end of Winter semester – the shortest round of contract negotiations in the Local’s history. 2007-08: MA Min $42,859, MA Max $83,641. 2011-12 MA Min $48,944, MA Max $102,152.

Federation members and other HFCC employees qualify for Ford Motor Company X-Plan through the efforts of President McDonald's daughter Mary Gollan. 

With the support of Local 1650, HFCC's adjunct faculty form the HFCC Adjunct Faculty Organization (HFCC-AFO), an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, with a 334 YES, 41 NO vote in favor of the union.

Local 1650 receives its eleventh AFT “Pride of the Union” Award, recognizing the extent and growth of the Local’s membership.