Camden County College Adjunct Faculty Federation

AFT 4965

www.ccc-aft.org

     NEW JERSEY MAKES IT ELEVEN!

    AFT FACE Legislation Introduced

New Jersey AFT affiliates introduced a series of bills into the NJ State Legislature that, if passed, will change working conditions for adjuncts throughout the state. The bills are part of a national AFT initiative called FACE (Faculty and College Excellence), launched at the spring Higher Ed. conference with a blitz of radio interviews throughout the country. The program’s purpose is to develop legislation that will change the face of public colleges and universities.

The legislative initiatives, which have been introduced in ten states so far, seek to increase the number of full-time lines and, at the same time, improve working conditions for contingent faculty. Depending on the states, the legislation calls for parity pay, methods of advancement and medical insurance. New Jersey now makes it eleven.

Four FACE bills have been introduced in the legislature sponsored by Assemblyman Diegnan, chair of the state education committee.

A-4364 calls for a series of steps leading to a requirement that by 2013-2014, 75% of undergraduate courses offered by qualifying academic departments must be taught by full-time faculty, and adjuncts should be given preference in filling these positions.

A-1207 and S-1725 require the salary of part-time faculty be prorated to that of full-time faculty so that part-time faculty instructors enjoy equal pay for equal work.

A-4192 requires that state health benefits of part-time and adjunct faculty be pro-rated to that of full-time faculty. Colleges would be responsible for paying a portion of the health insurance of part-time faculty teaching 25 percent of a full-time load. The bill eliminates the necessity for colleges to belong to the state health benefits program (SHBP), making CCC adjuncts eligible.

It is anticipated that a fourth bill about unemployment insurance will be introduced in the fall.

President Bobrove cautioned that “there is a long distance between the introduction of a bill and its passage. There will be hearings and studies before it will be up for legislative approval. Continuous pressure on the public and the legislature will do much to move these bills along.”

Craig Smith, AFT/Higher Ed Associate Director, recently spoke about the FACE project. “ AFT has for a long time had standards for treatment of contingent faculty, which can be found on line at: http://www.aft.org/highered/pubs-reports/index.htm. The idea behind FACE was to launch a more comprehensive campaign that at least attempts to make the problem more public (most people in the general public, and I would argue, state legislators, have no idea how contingent faculty are treated or how colleges and universities are staffed today). The idea is there needs to be public pressure to move legislators in state houses and administrators at the table.”

Smith continued, “What FACE ‘is,’ however, is an evolving process as we work with locals, states, and legislators to move the agenda.” AFT has started a FACE blog, which is an opportunity for all of us to follow and continue the discussion (http://aftblog.blogs.com/face). Only with rising public awareness of both the way colleges are staffed by contingent faculty and the conditions under which these contingent faculty members work can we hope to bring about change.

MENTORING TAKES OFF

Pilot Project Begins to Roll

CCCAFF’s pioneering mentoring project called Adjunct to Adjunct, after months of meetings and planning, is about to begin. The project, an innovative method of mentoring new adjuncts and helping them adjust to Camden County College, starts with the fall semester. Support from all facets of the college community has been enthusiastic. More than 20 adjuncts have volunteered to serve as mentors in a pilot project. Administrators and faculty endorse the project.

The first contact between mentors and new adjuncts begins with the fall orientation. It is not too late, however, to become involved. New instructors who would like to connect with a mentor may contact the union at the orientation or email Elaine Bobrove or Karen Feldman. Each mentor, during the pilot project will be working with one or two new adjuncts. If the program is successful, it will become an on-going program. At that time, the union will also put out the call for new volunteers.

Every new full member of AFT is entitled to a free

$12,000

life insurance policy.