Monthly Archives: June 2023

AFT ACTION UPDATE 4: PARENTAL LEAVE

 

FACT: SMCCCD does not offer any support for new parents beyond the limited Federal and California leave options. Federal leave guarantees up to 12 weeks of job-protected time off, but does not guarantee pay.

Therefore…

FACT: Faculty who welcome a new child into their family can maintain their regular income only if they have enough sick days to cover the leave.

FACT: After sick days are exhausted, FT faculty members on parental leave may be eligible for up to a year of leave and come back to their job within the District, but they will only receive 60% salary for only 6 weeks of that time on leave.

FACT: Part-time faculty can only get coverage from State Disability Insurance.

In sum, SMCCCD does not offer sufficient support to faculty who become parents, and instead makes them use up their sick days and take a significant pay cut to stay on a leave.

FAIRNESS: AFT has proposed a month of paid parental leave before new parents are forced to use sick days or take leave at partial pay.

FAIRNESS?: The District has consistently rejected this proposal in multiple contract negotiation cycles, asserting that the provisions offered by California and Federal laws are sufficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EQUITY: The current parental leave policy of SMCCCD creates economic hardships that can interfere with new parents’ ability to support their new family and bond with their newborns or newly adopted children.

EQUITY: By rejecting AFT’s proposal, the District not only demonstrates its disregard for the diverse needs of faculty and staff, but also reveals its reluctance to promote gender equality and prioritize the overall well-being of its employees and their families.

Stay tuned for more messages from your union and be prepared to take action for a fair contract!

Bay 10 Districts’ PT Instructors’ Pay Parity (% of FT Faculty Pay)

PT Instructors’ Pay Parity (% of FT Faculty Pay):
Bay 10 Community College Districts

Marin: 95%
Peralta: 87.5%
CCSF: 86%
Foothill: 85%
Mission/West Valley: 82%
San Mateo: 76 – 84% (average ~80.5%)
Contra Costa: 80%
San Jose: 75%
Chabot: 72%
Ohlone: 54 – 70% (64% avg.)

Click on the linked name of any district above to view the salary schedules, contract or other explanation of parity % for that district.

All Bay 10 districts pay PT classroom faculty by load, except San Mateo, Ohlone & Peralta, which still pay by hour. 

All Bay 10 districts pay PT instructors a specific percentage of FT faculty pay, except San Mateo & Ohlone. (San Mateo and Ohlone PT instructor pay rates are not set in relation to FT faculty pay, so the percentage of their PT to FT pay varies depending on step and column.)

SMCCCD has agreed to a “Parity Goal” of 85%, as specified in the faculty contract, Article 8.15.

 

See Comparisons of Part-Time Instructor Pay for Bay Area Basic Aid Districts

AFT ACTION UPDATE 5: PART-TIME PAY PARITY

 

 

FACT: In our last contract, the District agreed to a parity goal of 85%, meaning that adjuncts would be paid at least 85% of what full-timers make for the same work.

FACT: Currently, an SMCCCD adjunct instructor teaching one class is paid between 71% and 77% of what a similarly qualified full-timer makes to teach that same class (depending on what step and column is compared.)

FACT: SMCCCD’s 71%-77% parity range is at the lower end of the Bay 10 districts.  Six out of the ten other districts pay adjunct instructors between 80% and 95% of their full-time colleagues.

BAY 10 DISTRICTS’ PT INSTRUCTORS’ PAY PARITY (% of FT Faculty Pay)

FAIRNESS? SMCCCD is one of the wealthiest districts in the state and has the budget to pay all part-time faculty at least 85% of full-time faculty. Yet they refuse to use their ample resources to meet their own parity goal.

EQUITY = EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK

As Skyline part-time physics instructor Gregg Grist put it:“How can we look our students in the eye and tell them we represent the future where people are valued for their contributions, when most of us are relegated to the lower caste of a class-based system? Until we have parity, all the Equity conferences and platitudes are just empty posturing.”

 

AFT ACTION UPDATE 6: DUAL ENROLLMENT

 

 

FACT: In the coming year, SMCCCD administrators plan to double the size of our dual enrollment program, in which community college courses are taught to high school students at local high schools.

FACT: Dual enrollment courses place unique demands on instructors’ time, including alternating “A/B” class scheduling (week A, the class meets MWF, week B, it meets TTh). In addition, faculty teaching dual enrollment may be asked to communicate with parents, navigate high school administrative structures, attend on-site meetings, and teach classes outside of the District’s academic calendar.FACT: Most SMCCCD faculty do not hold high school teaching credentials and have chosen careers in post-secondary teaching.

FAIRNESS? Given the unique demands dual enrollment courses place on community college faculty, AFT has repeatedly proposed that dual enrollment teaching should be opt-in. The District’s negotiating team has consistently rejected this proposal by saying it is “management right” to assign instructors wherever administrators choose–including to local high schools.

EQUITY! Community college faculty deserve the right to teach their courses in a college setting unless they opt to work at a high school. And all students, at all levels, deserve to be taught by instructors who are fairly paid for their time.

The District must also respond to faculty’s calls to ensure dual enrollment students are adequately prepared to take college courses and to consider the potential long-term effects on our campuses’ enrollment and the college experience we offer. (Read a faculty perspective on these broader questions from Tim Maxwell, English faculty at CSM.)