California sets an Example that Arizona Might Want to Emulate

News from the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC)

reprinted from their web site <http://www.faccc.org/new/index.htm>

FACCC Sheet — Part-Time Faculty

In California, of the 45,600 community college faculty members, 29,900 are part-time and 15,700 are full-time.

The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) Believes In Equal Pay for Equal Work

The part-time faculty concerns FACCC hears about most are lack of job stability, respect, and equal pay for equal work. To combat these problems, part-timers must have a unified voice to fight for the benefits they deserve.

FACCC has been a consistent, powerful advocate for part-time faculty. It recognizes that part-time faculty issues directly affect students; most of the state’s 29,900 part-time faculty don’t get paid for more than one office hour per week, or even have access to an office or telephone. That means the students are shortchanged of a "full-service" instructor.

The teacher is committed to the student. But the community college system is not committed to the part-timer.

Every year during the state budget process, FACCC has lobbied for adequate community college funding and cost-of-living allowances for all faculty.

At the 1995 FACCC conference in Los Angeles, the FACCC State Faculty Council adopted a part-timer- drafted resolution focusing on part-time faculty as a priority:

With the assertion of the importance of part-time faculty, FACCC created a Part-time Faculty Network so these instructors, counselors, and librarians could help each other work toward a more equitable college environment. On March 1, 1997, the FACCC Board of Governors approved the formation of a permanent Part-Time Faculty Committee, whose main goals are to create a database of part-time faculty across the state and organize grassroots advocacy efforts.

In 1996-97, FACCC sponsored two bills to benefit part-time faculty. AB 301 (Jim Cunneen, R-Cupertino), which Gov. Pete Wilson signed into law in October 1997, provides district incentives to give part-timers one paid office hour per week. And SB 877 (John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara) would have created a permanent category in the state budget to hire more full-time faculty.

FACCC also successfully sponsored AB 3099 that, effective Jan. 1, 1997, provides district incentives for optional health benefits for part-timers who teach a cumulative full-time teaching assignment at two or more districts.

In 1995, FACCC held a series of focus groups around the state to gain a better understanding of what issues face part-time faculty.

FACCC’ sponsored two 1995 part-time faculty bills. Gov. Pete Wilson signed AB 1122 (Sal Cannella, D-Ceres), which created criteria, effective Jan. 1,1996 so the teaching load of part-time faculty is accurately calculated for determining service credit, and allows part-time faculty to receive the total service credits accrued from teaching in more than one district.

AB 1298 (Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego) was also signed into law. This bill creates a new teacher retirement plan that benefits part-time faculty. In 1991, the federal government required that all part-time personnel be covered by either Social Security or an alternative plan. Ducheny’s bill creates an alternative under the State Teachers Retirement System.

Specific benefits under the new optional Cash Balance Plan, effective July 1, 1996, include immediate vesting; a low four percent contribution rate for employee and employer; employees can receive benefits as early as age 55, rather than 62; an option of a lifetime annuity in lieu of a lump-sum benefit; and disability and survivor benefits payable in a lump sum or as an annuity. The plan is also portable across all community college districts in California, and will not impact part-time faculty currently covered under STRS. The retirement plan must be negotiated with local community college districts.

In California, part-time faculty members are eligible for unemployment benefits

It’s true. Even if you have been offered an assignment for the following semester, you are eligible for unemployment from the day after an assignment ends (after your last final exam or counseling or teaching assignment) up until your next assignment begins, according to Cervisi v. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and Field Directive 89-55UI. Part-timers must either have no employment between semesters or have employment which pays less than $259 a week during the time between assignments.