Chaparral 2023-2024: 2nd Vice President Juli Wolfgram

Hello, Part Time Faculty!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

But only for the summer!

Once again, we’ve had a busy year. So much has happened, and yet in some cases, so little has happened. Regardless, any gains made for Part Time faculty is due to the collective effort of all faculty. You came forward with your questions, and when appropriate the Guild provided answers. I would like to offer special thanks to the Guild Executive Board—very little would have been accomplished without their collective efforts.

Part Time Faculty Healthcare: Very little movement forward. As you know, we have provisions in our CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) offering Part Time faculty the same plans at the same cost as those offered our Full Time colleagues. Even though it was not possible to begin implementation of the healthcare benefits provisions this term, the Guild is still working with the District to take advantage of the 100% reimbursement program in the fall.

Part Time Faculty Parity: Some movement forward! Like Part Time Faculty Healthcare, parity has been included in our CBA. I am happy to say that our negotiations team is making progress with parity. This is a complex process, and one that needs to start with the salary schedule. Hopefully, by the time this issue of Chaparral is released, the TA making initial changes will be ready to go! Thanks again to all those who have supported this movement, especially Mike Allen who spearheaded the task force to put parity back on the table!

EDD UI Benefits Denials: Successes! As we near the end of the term, many of us will be (re)filing for unemployment benefits. This is a right guaranteed by the 1989 Cervisi Decision because Part-Time faculty do not have a “reasonable assurance” of employment, even if we are scheduled with an assignment. Part-Time Faculty are “at will” employees, and our employment can be cancelled at any time due to low enrollment or to fill load for a contract faculty member. This spring, when applying for unemployment, the dates of the term are February 20 through June 15, 2023. Your “supervisor” is the Vice President of Human Resources, Brittany Grice, and her telephone number is 818-240-1000.

Remember, even if your chair has you scheduled for an assignment in the summer or fall, that assignment can be cancelled at any time. You are unemployed as of June 15. Two items of note:

• Because the term ends on a Saturday, your application for benefits will not make the weekly deadline for benefits that week. Furthermore, EDD customarily does not pay for that first week of unemployment. Therefore, it will be two weeks before you will be eligible for unemployment benefits.
• Second, and this is a big one, EDD has been erroneously calculating earned wages based upon dates of payment. This violates their own rules, and automatically makes you ineligible for your rightful unemployment benefits. If you are denied benefits for any reason, you should appeal the decision—even if you made an error in the application! We are allowed to make mistakes. Recently, these notices have become rather alarming in their repetitive demands for repayment of thousands of dollars from past claims and in their threats of fines and garnishments. Don’t panic! Take a deep breath, and immediately file an appeal. Contact me and I will help you through the process.

As before, I refer you to the ContingentWorld website where the Chair of the CFT Part Time Committee keeps recent instructions of how to complete the application. It has been updated to include EDD’s recent egregious attempts to scare recipients from their rightful benefits. You have a right to unemployment benefits!

Furthermore, if you have any questions regarding this right, please participate in the upcoming EDD UI Benefits Workshop. It is available for flex for this academic year, and you can sign up for the workshop in the Vision Resource Center. The workshop takes place on Friday, June 7, from 3:00-5:00 pm.

As always, I encourage you to try to make it to Commencement. Many of our students who will be graduating want to share their excitement with those of us who helped them succeed. Congratulations to them, and kudos to you for helping them graduate!

Have a great summer!

In unity,

Juli

CFT Part Time Faculty Committee, CFT One Faculty Task Force

2nd Vice President, Glendale College Guild AFT#2276

jwolfgra@glendale.edu