Another group of contingent and precarious workers, like us, takes successful collective action, Los Angeles port truckers. See below.
and http://grimtruthattollgroup.com/2013/01/09/truck-drivers-clinch-new-power-with-first-union-contract-at-l-a-ports/
2. Two articles on another huge group of contingent workers who are organizing worldwide – domestic workers
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/09/domestic_workers_worldwide_lack_legal_protections/?source=newsletter
and
http://www.dw.de/many-domestic-workers-without-labor-protection/a-16508972
3. Report on many adjunct activities at MLA convention
http://www.copy–paste.com/mla-2013-convention-and-the-year-of-the-adjunct/
4. More on hours cuts for adjuncts due to bosses attempts to avoid giving us health care under the health care act
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/irs-adjunct-faculty_n_2432924.html?utm_hp_ref=college
and
http://www.adjunctproject.com/unintended-consequences-of-the-affordable-care-act/
and http://www.mpnnow.com/topstories/x1781255788/FLCC-Health-care-law-impacts-adjunct-professors
and on MSNBC http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/14/colleges-roll-back-faculty-hours-in-response-to-obamacare/
5. Colorado CC adjuncts organizing group and events (now postponed until later in March or April) and also setting up crowd sourced data base on adjunct conditions in cc in CO. See below
6. More on U of Phoenix accredition review
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/01/10/university-phoenixs-accreditation-review
7. Bob Samuels, Pres. of U of CA, AFT Council, on a recent meeting of online tech ed providers. Very interesting
http://changinguniversities.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-failure-of-interaction-report-from.html
8. Interesting comment by Chicago adjunct activist on technology and online learning
See below
9. Bil Fletcher on his new book, “They’re Bankrupting Us and 20 other myths about unions”.
http://labortribune.com/whats-needed-to-prevent-right-wing-from-destroying-unions/?utm_source=CCDSLinks+weekly+-+Jan+11%2C+2013&utm_campaign=CCDSLinks&utm_medium=email
10. Courageous teachers in Seattle have refused to administer some standardized tests. Is there a lesson here for us?
http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2013/01/when-teachers-refuse-tests
and http://dianeravitch.net/2013/01/12/ballard-high-school-teachers-say-no-in-solidarity-with-garfield-teachers/
11. Review of new book about organizing in Catholic hospitals and non-profits. Some lessons here for contingents in Catholic and private non-profit higher ed.
http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2013/01/book-review-god-our-side
12. See latest issue of “Rethinking Schools” magazine, on “rethinking teacher unions”. K-12 focus, but lots relevant to us in it too.
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/opt-in/130111.shtml
13. Another college, Palm Beach State in FL, says it will cut adjuncts’ hours to avoid health insurance payments
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/palm-beach-state-college-health-insurance_n_2441927.html
14. New TESOL president-elect is ally of contingents, has been at COCAL conferences
See below.
15. New AFT “On Campus” magazine has two articles about us, p. 4 on grad employees victory at U of IL Champaign-Urbana and, p5, on the downsizing of adjunct loads to avoid paying health insurance
http://www.aft.org/emags/oc/oc_janfeb13/index.html#/2/
and an aft 60 minute webinar on implications of Affordable Care Act and adjuncts, including employer penalties and law’s definition of FT employee. Jan. 22 2 PM ET or Jan 23, 2 PM ET. register at http:/tinyurl.com/cv9hpn8
16. Good blog post from Canada on the recent poor quality coverage of higher ed and faculty in mainstream for-profit publications. This online publication, “University Affairs/Affaires Universitaires”, is a good Canadian parallel to CHE or IHE and might be worth checking out regularly for activists, even non-Canadian ones.
http://www.universityaffairs.ca/speculative-diction/more-higher-ed-media-madness/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SpeculativeDiction+%28Speculative+Diction%29
17. AAUP seeking nomination for excellence in higher ed reporting award. See below.
18. Colorado CC Adjuncts organizing and seeking crowd sourced info on others in CO. See below for press release.
19. Very good protest at City College of SF where large number of faculty walked out on the Chancellor’s back-to-school speech and rallied for better budget priorities and a real fight against the rogue accreditors persecuting the college. Many media there, but no electronic coverage. Please call media and protest. See below for numbers. National too.
20. Oregon Labor Board say RA’s can unionize
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/01/14/oregon-labor-board-research-assistants-can-unionize
21. Need to do more for contingent writing faculty
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/college-ready-writing/starting-do-more-contingent-faculty
22. Check out the great billboard (scroll down as bit) on the current issue of Too Much (edited by the former NEA publications Director, Sam Pizzigatti)
http://www.toomuchonline.org/tmweekly.html
23. New petition for Mexican teacher fired for showing the movie “Milk” to middle schoolers.
http://www.change.org/petitions/lomas-hill-school-officials-publicly-apologize-to-cecilia-hernandez-for-unfair-dismissal-after-showing-milk?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_before_sign&alert_id=LNAXNeOJGw_vImpmMRLtI
24. REport of national meeting of Labor for Single Payer Health Care in chicago recently
http://www.laborforsinglepayer.org/
Updates in full
1. For Immediate Release: Wednesday January 9, 2013
Contact: Coral Itzcalli, 310-956-5712
TJ Michels, 415-213-2764
Truck Drivers Clinch New Power with First Union Contract at L.A. Ports; Collective Workplace Action Cited as Key to Winning 50% Hourly Raise, Retirement, and Real Health Care
Triumph over Global Employer Toll Group Fuels Hope for More U.S. Workers Organizing to End Low Wages, Poor Conditions in Retail, Food, and Supply Chain
LOS ANGELES –A set of truck drivers who haul shipments of imported merchandise from our shores to America’s brand name stores will kick start 2013 with a raise that doubles their hourly pay. The extra $6+ change is part of a first-ever contract that shifts a bulk of their health care costs to their employer, grants overtime, paid sick leave and holidays, offers guaranteed hours and other terms for job security – not to mention a pension plan. The collective bargaining gains in an otherwise union-free private sector rival 21st century agreements in long-organized markets.
“Justice…it’s sort of indescribable and overwhelming to finally have the American Dream at our reach,” said Jose Ortega Jr., a driver for global logistics giant Toll Group who served on his co-workers’ bargaining committee along with representatives from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters/Local 848 in Long Beach, Calif. The Australian corporation operates at port complexes on both U.S. coasts and handles accounts for Guess?, Polo, Under Armour, and other sportswear lines sold at big box and department retailers like Walmart and JC Penney.
The Toll drivers’ efforts mirror the collective action that has recently erupted in retail and fast food chains. The landmark agreement culminates more than 24 months of worker struggle and employer resistance in which these truckers – aided by a community coalition, their children, and clergy – borrowed bullhorns, leafleted consumers, gathered signatures, practiced their picket lines, staged noisyprotests, and crashed shareholder meetings in a dogged campaign to end the Third World working conditions they once endured.
U.S. port drivers are the most underpaid in the trucking industry: A typical professional earns $28,873 a year before taxes. Their net incomes often resemble that of part-time or seasonal workers though they clock an average of 59 hours a week. They possess specialized skills and licensing to safely command an 80,000 lb. container rig, but they fit the profile of America’s working poor. Food stamps, extended family, or church pantries are needed to get by; their children often lack regular pediatricians or only receive care at the public ER.
With American wages in freefall due to the imbalance of power enjoyed by multinational corporations, the scope and significance of such a labor accord with a transportation titan that operates in some 55 countries is a jaw dropper alone. What observers further find remarkable: The 65 workers who secured these middle-class benefits with their $8 billion employer are blue-collar Latino-Americans who hold jobs within a deregulated, virtually union-free industry at the ports.
“It upends the common wisdom that a workforce that lacks rights on the job cannot build the strength to take on the Goliaths of the global economy. But these drivers, like the workers at the warehouses and Walmart and Wendy’s, cannot raise families on such low wages, so they are coming together to rewrite the playbook,” noted Dr. John Logan, the director of Labor and Employment Studies at the College of Business at San Francisco State University. “The faces of this new movement are ordinary parents and churchgoers and community members who value the influence of a local priest as much as the expertise pouring in from strong trade unions overseas. Not only do they have the guts to strike – they have the faith they can win.”
Their collective resolve paid off. Mr. Ortega, a single father who works the night shift, will see his new per-hour rate of $19.75 reflected on his next paycheck, along with any overtime that will now be paid at a time-and-a-half rate of $28.
“As a truck driver, I wanted the assurance that things would be okay for my daughter if I was injured, that I could take her to see the doctor if she got sick,” the 36-year-old explained. “When we started organizing ourselves, we weren’t asking for anything out of this world. Dignity. A fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work. Decent, sanitary facilities to make a pit stop, rest, eat…you know, to perform our jobs safely.
“But we knew winning respect would take a fight at every turn. So if we were afraid to lose our jobs, we asked our allies for help. When it was time to take action, we prayed for courage to speak out. And we always stuck together, and never gave up.”
Elected leaders quickly praised the union contract as both a middle-class builder and noted its high-road business merits.
“We’re talking about the men and women who are the backbone of our regional and national economy, yet they have never shared in the prosperity of the corporations they make so profitable,” said Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino, whose district includes the largest port in America. “The standards that Toll Group, its workers, and Teamsters Local 848 set make it possible to reward and attract responsible port businesses that want a level playing field to compete on innovation and quality, rather than who can pay Los Angeles’ vital workers the least.”
Contract Highlights include (Click here for a full summary & graphic comparison):
Fair wages –The day shift hourly rate increased from $12.72 to $19, and the night shift hourly rate from $13.22 to $19.75. In addition to the over $6/hour increase in hourly pay rates, drivers won $0.50/hour per year raises over the life of the contract, giving Toll port drivers over a 60% hourly wage boost over the life of the 3-year contract. Overtime pay of time-and-half kicks in after a typical full time 40 hour week, which is extremely rare in an industry where truckers are exempt from federal overtime laws and an average week hovers around 60 hours.
Secure retirement –Prior to the contract, less than a dozen Toll drivers could spare any extra dollars, even pre-tax, to participate in the corporate 401(k) plan. As Teamster Local 848 members, they have been automatically enrolled in the union’s Western Conference Pension Trust. Such a retirement plan at the port has rarely been seen since trucking was deregulated in 1980. Toll will make a pension contribution of $1/hour per driver until 2014, and a $1.50/hour per driver by 2015.
Affordable health care – The Toll Group health care plan was financially out of reach for most of its truck drivers. The few who managed to meet the premium, deductibles, and copayments will now keep significant more money in their pocket without sacrificing coverage, and the rest of their co-workers finally have access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage, including dental and vision care. The company will pay 95% of the premium for individuals and 90% for family coverage. Drivers who previously had to shell out $125/month for individual or $400/month per family will drop to roughly $30 or $150, respectively.
Stable work hours and paid time off – Most truck drivers lose a day’s pay if they cannot work, are penalized by dispatchers for being unable to haul a load, and lack paid sick or holiday leave, making it stressful for family budgets and planning. But Toll drivers made substantial gains in all these areas. They will receive seven paid holidays, three paid personal days, and six paid sick days annually. They will accrue one or two weeks of vacation within the first two years of service, with longtime employees earning up to a month. They can also bank on guaranteed full- or half-day of pay regardless of seasonal slowdowns if they are scheduled to work.
Competitive growth incentives to raise market and living standards – The agreement establishes a high-road business model that recognizes Toll’s competitors have not yet embraced fair wages and conditions. Provisions to encourage a level playing field and wide-scale unionization allow drivers to re-negotiate more gains when a simple majority of the regional market is organized.
“We commend these truck drivers for their leadership in challenging the status quo at the ports. Workers everywhere are standing up to say enough to poverty wages, and Toll drivers have demonstrated that working families will fight for middle-class paychecks in America,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa.
“For too long companies in the global supply chain have gamed the system by undercutting U.S. businesses that actually create good jobs. Toll Group and its drivers have raised the bar for responsible competition, and the Teamsters will not stop until the rest of the nation’s port drivers have a shot at the American Dream.”
Additional Background
The landmark contract caps over two years of struggle for union recognition that workers took online, to the truck yard, and in the LA streets; they zig-zagged to other U.S. seaports to shore up support, and even continent-crossed to meet their Aussie union workmates who stood in solidarity at their joint employer’s doorstep.
In so doing, this group of Latino immigrants became an unlikely symbol of hope for their underpaid counterparts – union and not-yet-union, working in an adopted homeland as well as American-born workers – who must endure low-wage jobs in other profitable sectors in the U.S. food, retail, and global supply chain industries.
The victory is also being celebrated across the Pacific Ocean where the Melbourne-based Toll Group employs some 12,000 of Australian drivers united in the Transport Workers Union (TWU). The members view their U.S. counterparts as their “workmates” and have supported the port drivers from Day One to ensure that as Toll enters new global markets, the company replicates the constructive labor-management relations that made it so profitable Down Under.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our mates in America. From the beginning we said ‘your fight is our fight’ and today we say your victory is our victory,” said TWU Acting National Secretary Michael Kaine. “The standards of fairness and respect for workers should be upheld by Toll no matter where they operate. The message to industry is clear, in this global economy workers and unions across continents are already in alliance with each other and we will continue to support one another until we have a strong voice in our workplaces everywhere.”
The newly-inked contract with the Teamsters further gives another shot in the arm to the movement of port drivers fighting to overcome “misclassification” – illegally denying workers W-2 employment and benefits, a scam that keeps the American Dream out of their reach.Workers are coming forward with evidence for state and federal authorities as part of a coast-to-coast multi-industry crackdown on employers who disguise their employees as independent contractors to evade taxes, commit wage & hour violations, and quell unionization. The controversial practice is widespread in the deregulated trucking sector.
###
See here for an infographic and a summary of the contract. For more background on the Toll drivers’ campaign for justice, visit their website . Information on the blue-green coalition behind the nationwide movement to drive up worker standards and clean up U.S. seaports can be found here: www.CleanAndSafePorts.org
_______________________________________________
Ualeindiv mailing list
Ualeindiv@uale.org
http://eight.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ualeindiv
———————
5.
>
>>>
>>> On Dec 31, 2012, at 4:05 PM, C. M. Lawless wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear Joe Berry,
>>>
>>> I am writing to you on behalf of Colorado Adjuncts, a nascent group
>>> advocating for change in Colorado’s community colleges (a system that
>>> employs approx. 4,000 adjuncts). Our group is small but we have made many
>>> strides in our first year. You can see some of our work on our Web site,
>>> Colorado Adjuncts under “Did You Know?” We are in a difficult situation on our campus. We are
>>> banned from putting any communication in faculty mailboxes, using the
>>> faculty e-mail system, etc.
>>>
>>> However, we have done so much in our first year, and are now forming an AAUP
>>> chapter.
>>> https://sites.google.com/site/coloradoadjunctswiki/home
>>>
>>> At present, we are promoting your book, “Reclaiming the Ivory Tower,” and
>>> are asking adjuncts and adjunct supporters to make a comment on our
>>> anonymous, online book blog. We follow your COCAL updates, of course.
>>> Everyone who has read the first chapter of the book is buzzing with
>>> confirmation, ideas, energy, etc.
>>>
>>> We are planning a second Film Series event in February, with a panel of
>>> state legislators and AAUP officials to field questions from the audience.
>>> We have no money, of course. However, I was curious if perhaps you might be
>>> in Colorado in February on some other business and would like to be on our
>>> panel. Our first Film Series/Panel was modestly successful, and we got some
>>> coverage on the local NPR affiliate. We would go after that again, of
>>> course, and in our press release explain your background and national
>>> stature in the movement. I would like to see if this NPR affiliate would do
>>> a longer interview with you prior to the event.
>>>
>>> I realize ours is a very poor request, but I am making it, regardless, on
>>> the off-chance you might be out this way in February on other business. Even
>>> if you cannot attend our modest event, I wonder if you might be willing to
>>> post a small comment on our anonymous book blog (on our Web site). It would
>>> be like a shot in the arm, Mr. Berry.
>>>
>>> Thank you for any consideration you give this idea and even if you can do
>>> none of this, thank you for your excellent, helpful book. It is like a
>>> bright light in a dark storm to us, you can imagine.
>>>
>>>
>>> Caprice Lawless
>>> Co-Founder, Colorado Adjuncts
>>> coloradocaprice@gmail.com
>>> Ph. 720-939-3094
>>> 601 Lois Drive
>>> Louisville, CO 80027
>>>
>> —————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2013
Contact: Caprice Lawless, Communications Director, Colorado Adjuncts
coloradocaprice@gmail.com
Ph. 720-939-3094
Colorado’s Community Colleges 99% Speak Out
While no official in the State of Colorado would admit that higher education for Coloradans doesn’t matter, the Colorado Community College System places such a low value on higher education that it pays its part-time faculty (also known as adjuncts, who are 71 percent of its faculty) no benefits and an average of $15,000 per year. It has done so for more than five years. These adjuncts, many of whom teach ¾ time, teach 70 percent of all classes. They earn a tiny fraction of what campus full-time teachers, deans, administrators, specialists and even custodians are paid.
Community college enrollments have skyrocketed to 151,000. Budget-minded students (and their parents) benefit from low-priced courses, as compared to Colorado’s four-year colleges and universities. The general public is unaware, however, of the devastating blow this Wal-Mart model is delivering to higher education.
It is not uncommon for community college adjunct faculty to apply for food stamps, county services and emergency family assistance to meet their bills. They qualify for (and receive) hardship and charity-status at local health clinics and hospitals. Because they have neither health insurance nor sick leave pay, they go to work when ill. They work two or three jobs to make ends meet, and their teaching often reflects the stress. They cannot qualify for unemployment between semesters because they have no long-term contracts with the CCCS. As a result, hundreds of community college teachers are leaving the profession each year. Many qualified to teach walk away from job offers when they discover the low pay. What happens when there are no more qualified teachers, and word gets out in graduate schools that teaching in colleges is a dying profession? How will Colorado attract good jobs if its front-line teachers work in a type of academic apartheid?
Meanwhile, according to a recent CCCS report, the system has a $3 billion impact on the state each year, and taxpayers receive a $1.70 return on every dollar spent. The rosy pictures painted by such studies fail to include hidden costs to taxpayers when low wages in higher education are the norm. The growing Colorado Adjuncts Index (available on our Web site) reveals the thorns amid the roses. Take a look, and send us your thoughts. Your comments will be useful to us in our forthcoming presentations to Colorado lawmakers.
Caprice Lawless, Sandra Keifer-Roberts and Carolyn Elliott
Co-Founders, Colorado Adjuncts
https://sites.google.com/site/coloradoadjunctswiki/
Colorado Adjuncts Index
Percentage of faculty in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) who are adjunct: 71% 1
Percentage of all courses taught by adjunct faculty: 70% 2
Annual average, before-tax income, CCCS adjunct faculty members: $15,000 3
Annual median salary, Colorado State Employee Custodian III: $33,420 19
Living wage, minimum, Jefferson County, Colorado, one adult: $19,275 4
Number of adjuncts at work in CCCS, 2006-07(recent figure unavailable on CCCS Web site): 3,500 5
Number of times the terms “adjunct,” or “adjunct faculty” appear in the CCCS Strategic Plan: 0 6
Ranks of concern for salaries for full-time faculty and deans in 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: Top two 7
Recommended change to adjunct wages , 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: 0 7
Average salary, full-time faculty (9-months/year), per 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: $46,618 8
Average salary, CCCS deans, per 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: $74, 959 8
Average salary, CCCS vice-presidents, in 2010 per 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: $101,845 8
Average salary, CCCS level III directors, per 2011 CCCS Salary Survey: $86, 703 8
Annual Salary, CCCS President Nancy McCallin, 2009: $266,695 9
Total CCCS revenue, all sources (tuition and government), 2009-10: $543.494 million 10
Total CCCS expenses, 2009-10: $493.196 million 11
Total CCCS full and part-time faculty and staff, 2009-10: 5,634 12
Total CCCS full and part-time faculty and staff, 2009-10 less 3,500 adjunct faculty: 2,134
Total CCCS combined payroll, 2009-10: $268.633 million 13
Estimated CCCS adjunct payroll (3,500 x $15,000), 2009-10: $52.5 million 14
Number of students, CCCS statewide, 2009-10: 151,000 15
Value of unpaid labor CCCS adjunct faculty annually donate to Colorado taxpayers: $19 million 16
Price tag, one-stop student center, completed 2012, Westminster campus: $5.253 million 17
The number of people teaching in American colleges and universities: 1.5 million 18
The number of those teachers who are adjunct or contingent faculty: 1 million 18
Sources
1 Colorado Community College System. “Our Funding,” Colorado Community College Sourcebook,
2008, p. 4. Web Jan. 6, 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/Communication/sb/Funding.pdf
2 Colorado Adjuncts. “An Informal Q&A with President Andy Dorsey.” Adjunct Network, 1.2, p.
4, Spring, 2012, Web 6 Jan. 2013.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjb2xvcmFkb2FkanVuY3Rzd2lraXxneDo2OGEzMmU3MzczOTUwNGQ0
3 Colorado Community College System. “Our Funding,” Colorado Community College Sourcebook,
2008, p. 3. Web Jan. 6, 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/Communication/sb/Funding.pdf
4 Gastmeier, Amy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Living Wage Calculation,
Jefferson County, Colo.” Living Wage Calculator: Poverty in America, 2012, Web 6 Jan. 2013.
http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/08059
5 Cashwell, Allison. “Factors Affecting Part-time Faculty Job Satisfaction in the Colorado
Community College System.” Diss. Colorado State University, 2009, p. 5. Web 21 May 2012.
http://digitool.library.colostate.edu///exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/L2V4bGlicmlzL2R0bC9kM18xL2FwYWNoZV9tZWRpYS84MDMyNQ==.pdf
6 Colorado Community College System. Strategic Plan, n.d., CCCS, Web 6 Jan. 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/About/StrategicPlan.pdf
7 McDonnell, Barbara (Executive Vice President, CCCS). Salary Survey Discussion. State Board of
Community Colleges and Occupational Education, May 11, 2011, p.1, Web 6 Jan. 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/SBCCOE/Agenda/2011/05May/051111-WrkSessionAgnda%20I-J-Salary%20Survey%20Discussion.pdf
8 Heier, Cynthia (Executive Director, Human Resources, CCCS). Salary and Benefits Comparison. State
Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education, May 11, 2011, pp. 63-87, Web 6
Jan. 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/SBCCOE/Agenda/2011/05May/051111-WrkSessionAgnda%20I-J-Salary%20Survey%20Discussion.pdf
9 Perez, Gayle. “CSU Chancellor Lower Pay Not Uncommon,” The Pueblo Chieftain, July 25, 2009,
Web 6 Jan. 2013.
http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/csu-chancellor-s-lower-pay-not- uncommon/article_29919f7a-7540-5305-ae0c-31ee7393f26e.html
10 Economic Modeling Specialists, Int. Economic Contributions of the Colorado Community College System,
Main Report, Jan. 2012, p. 11. CCCS, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
Home
11 Economic Modeling Specialists, Int. Economic Contributions of the Colorado Community College System,
Main Report, Jan. 2012, p. 12. CCCS, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
Home
12 Economic Modeling Specialists, Int. Economic Contributions of the Colorado Community College System,
Main Report, Jan. 2012, p. 11. CCCS, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
Home
13 Economic Modeling Specialists, Int. Economic Contributions of the Colorado Community College System,
Main Report, Jan. 2012, p. 11. CCCS, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
Home
14 Cashwell, Allison.)“Factors Affecting Part-time Faculty Job Satisfaction in the Colorado
Community College System.” Diss. Colorado State University, 2009, p. 5. Web 21 May 2012.
http://digitool.library.colostate.edu///exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/L2V4bGlicmlzL2R0bC9kM18xL2FwYWNoZV9tZWRpYS84MDMyNQ==.pdf (using Cashwell’s figure of 3,500 adjuncts, 2006-07) and annual salary, per adjunct, of $15,000 per: Colorado Community College System. “Our Funding,” Colorado Community College Sourcebook, 2008, p. 3. Web Jan. 6, 2013.
http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/Communication/sb/Funding.pdf
15 Economic Modeling Specialists, Int. Economic Contributions of the Colorado Community College System,
Main Report, Jan. 2012, p. 12. CCCS, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
Home
16 Colorado Adjuncts. “Signs for Library Display, Campus Equity Week Oct. 22, 2012.” Colorado
Adjuncts, Web 7 Jan. 2013.
https://sites.google.com/site/coloradoadjunctswiki/home/the-books
17 Colorado Community College System. “Our Funding,” Colorado Community College Sourcebook,
2008, p. 15. Web Jan. 6, 2013. http://www.cccs.edu/Docs/Communication/sb/Funding.pdf
18 Bérubé, Michael. “From the President: Among the Majority.” Modern Language Association, n.d.,
Web Jan. 6, 2013.
http://www.mla.org/blog?topic=146
19 Nesbitt, K., Layton-Root, D. “Appendix B: Salary Survey Reference.” Annual Compensation Survey Report for
FY 2013-2014, Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration. Aug. 1, 2012, p. 30. Web
10 Jan. 2013.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1251812147170&ssbinary=true
# # #
—————
8. YES, but do it quickly before I end up under the Oakton train.
From: Joe Berry
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 3:42 PM
To: Chester Kulis
Subject: Re: HYBRID COURSE (LOW CLASSROOM OVERHEAD) + ADJUNCT (CHEAP EXPLOITED LABOR) = $$$ PROFITS
can I circulate this on COCAL Updates?
Joe
On Jan 10, 2013, at 12:14 AM, Chester Kulis wrote:
> Adjunct unions need to take up issue of adequate training and compensation for implementing new technology such as Pearson’s MyLab textbook and D2L.
>
> Adjuncts are not opposed to new technology. But administrators should give us an estimate about how many hours adjuncts were expected to spend learning about MySocLab and D2L and then actually incorporating them into their courses. These hours are beyond their office hours, class time, and normal preparation of the material. We should also be fairly compensation for the additional time we spend.
>
> For an adjunct who teaches just one or even two courses a semester, making this commitment is problematic. We are already overworked and underpaid. Do any of us want our kids to be an adjunct?
>
> There also seems to be inconsistent expectations and rules. Some colleges and departments suggest that we should try to incorporate these new technologies gradually and at our comfort level, while others expect them to be implemented yesterday and make technology part of the evaluation process. Often the technology still has glitches.
>
> Training for these new technologies is usually geared to the FT faculty during the daytime, often during their Orientation Week when they have to be on campus. Training is not offered in the evening or on weekends when adjuncts might be available. FT faculty learn these technologies as part of their salaried responsibility, while adjuncts don’t get additional compensation and much of their effort is on their own time at home. Administrators even expect adjuncts who work FT elsewhere to use their vacation time to get trained at their college during the day.
>
> Per Board policy Oakton Community College will be developing 40 “hybrid courses” (1 1/2 hour in class and 1 1/2 hour online) within the next four years. I thought that using adjuncts was the cheapest way to go. But now Oakton has come up with an even cheaper pedagogy. Using adjuncts + hybrid courses = cheap labor exploitation + less overhead in classroom use. The bottom line: more profits for the educational establishment and higher salaries for administrators.
>
> D2L technology even allows teachers to “spy”on their students to see whether they did readings or assignments, since the program will actually show when a student began and ended a chore. I was surprised to hear of this capability and asked whether the students were told about it. No, an administrator replied, they had not, but the “spying was for a good purpose.” I replied that so is waterboarding and drones.
>
> One administrator was unapologetic about this new technology which he claimed is the future. “It’s about time that everyone realizes that the train is leaving the station.” Maybe some faculty might end up under the train. He suggested that adjuncts could be personally trained by him and that would be our training, if we cannot make it to training during the day.
>
> Many adjuncts have spent 20-30+ hours just mastering the basics of these two new technologies and implementing them into their courses – without adequate training and fair compensation.
>
> At a recent meeting the D2L system crashed during the orientation.
>
> I just hope that the administration did not have D2L cameras in the ceiling spying on us.
>
> Chester Kulim
> Member
> Oakton Adjunct Faculty Association
———————–
14. I just learned that Dr. Yilin Sun, from Seattle Central Community College
has been elected President-Elect of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers
to Other Languages).
She is a tenured professor of ESL, but has been supportive of non-tenured
faculty issues. She’s attended two COCAL conferences, COCAL IV in San Jose
in 2001 and COCAL VIII in San Diego in 2008. I got to know her in the late
1990’s as when she chaired the Sociopolitical Concerns committee of the
Washington state affiliate of TESOL (WAESOL).
She will assume her position as President-Elect at the March 2013 TESOL
convention in Dallas and then will become TESOL president at the 2014
convention in Portland, Oregon.
Best wishes,
Jack Longmate
———
17. —– Forwarded Message —-
From: aaup-news
Sent: Sat, January 12, 2013 9:41:25 AM
Subject: FW: Iris Molotsky Award for Excellence in Coverage of Higher Education
In 1970 the AAUP established a Higher Education Writers Award, which was presented for outstanding interpretive reporting on higher education. The award was presented annually until 1986, when its presentation was suspended. Because of AAUP’s strong belief in the importance of providing the public regularly with reliable and informed information about higher education issues, the Association is again offering the award, renamed the Iris Molotsky Award for Excellence in Coverage of Higher Education. Ms Molotsky served as the AAUP’s Director of Public Information for 19 years.
The purpose of the award is to recognize and stimulate coverage of higher education nationally and to encourage thoughtful and comprehensive reporting of higher education issues. The AAUP Award is given for outstanding coverage of higher education exhibiting analytical and investigative reporting. Entries will be judged on the basis of their relevance to issues confronting higher education.
Entries for the award must have been published between January 1 and December 31 of the prior year. Entries may be single articles or a series, but editorials and columns will not be considered for the award.
Submissions may be made by media organizations or employees. Applicants may be self-nominating. Each application must be accompanied by an entry form. Download information and the application form. (.pdf)
Entries must be postmarked by April 15.
Please contact Robin Burns at the AAUP’s Washington office for more information.
Robin Burns
Assistant Director for Media Relations
American Association of University Professors
1133 19th St., NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20036
rburns@aaup.org
http://www.aaup.org/AAUP
Follow the AAUP on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.
_______________________________________________
adj-l mailing list
adj-l@adj-l.org
http://adj-l.org/mailman/listinfo/adj-l_adj-l.org
>
>
————-
19 Hi everyone,
Yesterday CCSF had a very successful activity to let San Francisco voters know about the situation with Proposition A funds and how it is affecting our students. The media was there during the press conference. However, I have not seen this activity repeated in many TV news programs.
• Please call the following TV channels and request the program director to show the footage in their news programs.
• If you are outside the Bay Area, ask the program director that you would like to be informed about what is going on in CCSF and to please show the footage of the CCSF activity.
Now is the time you can help in our struggle.
KCSM (650) 574-6586
KRON (415) 441-4444
KTVU (510) 834-1212
KPIX (415) 756-0928
KQED (415) 864-2000
These telephone numbers are the general information numbers. If you have other telephone numbers or emails addresses, spread the word.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Hugo Aparicio
Business Instructor
City College of San Francisco
Business Department C-310 Box 128
50 Phelan Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112
(415) 239-3695
——————————————
Please use
510-527-5889 phone/fax
21 San Mateo Road,
Berkeley, CA 94707
“Access to Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Contingent Faculty”, by Berry, Stewart and Worthen, published by Chicago COCAL, 2008. Order from
“Reclaiming the Ivory Tower: Organizing Adjuncts to Change Higher Education”. by Joe Berry, from Monthly Review Press, 2005. Look at for full information, individual sales, bulk ordering discounts, or to invite me to speak at an event.
See Chicago Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor, for news, contacts and links related to non-tenure track, “precarious” faculty, and for back issues of the periodic news aggregator, COCAL Updates. Email joeberry@igc.org to be added to the list.
See for information on the Tenth (X) Conference on Contingent Academic Labor in Mexico City, August 10-12, 2012 at Univ. Nacional Auto. de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City.
To join international COCAL listserve email If this presents problems, send an e-mail to vtirelli@aol.com
or, send “Subscribe” to
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