Chaparral asked Juli Wolfgram, 2nd Vice President for Part-time Faculty, what this month's theme Strengthening Our Legacy meant to her position. Here are just a few words of what will one day be the 2nd VP book:
Strengthening Our Legacy? At some point, one of the 2nd VPs for Part Time Faculty will need to write a book. I would not be here if not for the persistent and tenacious efforts of those who came before me in this position at Glendale.
My interest in the Guild began with then President Richard Kamei’s call for service on the CFT Part Time Faculty Committee. At that time, Phyllis Eckler was not only the Co-Chair of the CFT Committee, she was also serving as the 2nd Vice President of the Glendale Guild, a position she held for many years. Many of our faculty still remember Phyllis who helped move GCC years ahead of the other community college districts by working on Rehire Rights, Ancillary Funds, Paid Office Hours, Pay Parity, Health Care, in addition to helping faculty understand their load, their obligations, their potential retirement as a Part Timer, and their rights to Unemployment Benefits. She was an awesome role model, one that inspired my continued work with the Guild and with the CFT Part Time Committee.
Following in Phyllis’ footsteps, Guild members Julie Gamberg, Ramon Herrera, Bryan Reff took up the same causes and worked just as hard to make lots of inroads toward equity and higher pay, while also consulting with the negotiations team to better our working conditions at GCC. They increased our pay and ancillary funding, while clarifying protocol for many institute procedures.
I could not do any part of my job as 2nd VP without my incredible predecessors at GCC!
Even though we have made great strides toward equity and we outshine many of our counterparts across the state, the pandemic as well as changes in higher education and the role of contingent faculty have necessitated continued vigilance and education in navigating all the components that impact the working conditions of GCC Part Time faculty. Many of the same issues from the past continue to concern Part-Time faculty today.
Who would have thought that faculty would have to worry about retirement as a Part-Timer? Many of the benefits and rules established for state retirement did not consider Part Time Faculty. We are feeling the effects of this neglect in how retirement is calculated. Most of us are learning that we can never truly retire and continue our lifestyle in California.
Who would have thought that contingent faculty would make up nearly 70% of faculty in higher education? This flies in the face of AB1725 signed into law by Governor Deukmejian in 1988 and of Ed Code Section 87482.6, which states that a standard ratio of 75% full time to 25% part time faculty should be achieved in community colleges. This has never happened and never will. Today, higher education is almost entirely built on the backs of contingent labor, the Part Time Faculty. Think of what this means for Academic Freedom!
We must continue to work for equity. To date, we have taken multiple approaches, tackling each issue that adversely affects the working conditions of Part Time Faculty: pay parity, access to healthcare, job security, and contractual rights. This multiple-approach strategy has worked well in the past and should continue. However, it is a slow process that never fully keeps stride with changes in higher education. We need to look at the larger issue and fix the system. Specifically, we need to get rid of the two-tier faculty system altogether!
A movement has begun in CFT, beginning with a Task Force to explore ways of removing the two-tier system in California Community Colleges. The role model for such a movement comes from the faculty union at Vancouver Community College in British Columbia, Canada, which negotiated a one-tier agreement in 2019. The “One Faculty/One-Tier” movement has now raised the attention of FACCC, CPFA, and ASCCC. Nationally, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Higher Ed Labor United (HULU) are also looking at potential means of eliminating the two-tier system altogether. I am very excited to be part of this CFT Task Force! To protect Academic Freedom in higher education, to achieve equity for our students and faculty, we must achieve equity in the contingent faculty workforce. One Faculty should be the end goal for any representative of Part-Time Faculty at Glendale. Standing on the backs of previous Guild Vice Presidents for Part Time Faculty, future Vice Presidents need to eliminate the qualified title altogether!
In unity, Juli Wolfgram
2nd VP for Part Time Faculty
Glendale Community College | 1500 North Verdugo Road, Glendale, California 91208 | Tel: 818.240.1000
GCC Home © 2024 - Glendale Community College. All Rights Reserved.