CampusGuides: Chaparral 2022-2023: 31.3 Adjunct Junction

Adjunct Junction

by Juli Wolfgram
2nd Vice President, Glendale College Guild

Hello, Part-Time Faculty!

This is Thanksgiving month, and we have a lot to be thankful for! It seems we have been able to survive the worst of COVID-19. Many of us are planning those family get-togethers that were put off for the past two years. We are getting on the road and coming back to campus.

Furthermore, we have come a long way since starting the campaign for Part-Time Faculty Healthcare. I am pleased to say that we at GCC are among the first to include language for our contracts regarding the ongoing $200 million budgeted by Governor Newsom for Part-Time Faculty Healthcare. We have an incredible negotiations team! Headed by Caroline DePiro, the team includes Jason Bender, Roger Bowerman, Cindy Pollack, Michael Scott, John Lynch, and Denise Leong-Brattain. When you see them on campus or in Zoom, please applaud them!

We’re not done yet! We still need to ratify the Tentative Agreement package. Historically, many part-time faculty do not turn out to vote in district elections. This time, however, I strongly urge you to submit your ballot! Ratifying the package means that GCC will offer Part-Time Faculty the same health care options available to our Full-Time Faculty. This means we have no out-of-pocket costs, and we can cover ourselves and our family! VOTE! Ratify the TA package! Guild will need your personal email for the online ballot. If you have not done so already, please complete the form when Guild secretary, Maite Peterson, opens the ballot. Your vote counts!

Know Your Rights!

Winter session is soon upon us. Although our enrollment is very slowly recovering, many of us did not receive assignments because of the decline in enrollment. If you did not receive an assignment or if your class was cancelled due to lack of enrollment, remember that it is your right to receive Unemployment Benefits, even if you only have a reduction in pay. Do not hesitate to use this right!

I would like to remind you to:

Never say you are on break. Quote the 1989 Cervisi decision and reassert that you “have no reasonable assurance of employment.” Remember, because we are contingent labor, we can lose our assignments at any time.
Apply the day after the official end of the semester, which is December 16 at Glendale. Benefits are NOT retroactive, so submit your application as soon as you can. The one week waiting period has been reinstated, so if you wait until Monday following the end of the term to apply for your benefits, you will lose a second week of benefits.
Do not list your chair as your immediate supervisor. List the director of HR, Brittany Grice, and list the HR phone number, 818-240-1000, ext. 5921.
Appeal any denial of benefits, if you feel said denial was based on misinformation. Also, know that there is a time limitation for EDD to legally collect overpayments.
Contact your Assemblyperson if all else fails. Our representatives are sorely aware of the backlog at EDD, and each one has a direct EDD contact who will work on your behalf.

If you are renewing a previous claim, remember that consulting any professional list serve or professional publications like Chronicle for Higher Education, EdSource, etc. qualifies as actively looking for employment. You are not expected to look for employment outside your field. Once again, with the caveat that I am not an expert on EDD issues, I would refer you to a more detailed explanation on how to apply and on how to reopen a claim at contingentworld.com.

On another note, for those of you thinking about retirement, I did want to remind you of the very good webinars offered by CalSTRs. Check them out at calstrs.com/webinars.

Finally, I wish you least stress with finals and grading, but more importantly, I wish you the best of the holidays this year!

In unity,
Juli
CFT Part Time Faculty Committee
2nd Vice President
Glendale College Guild AFT#2276
1500 North Verdugo Road
Glendale, CA 91208
jwolfgra@glendale.edu