California Coalition Addresses Needs of Part-Timers

Tom Tyner

In California's community college system, part-time faculty comprise nearly two-thirds of the teaching work force but earn less than half of what their full-time counterparts make. Over the past twenty-five years, the number of part-time faculty has grown exponentially, hired by colleges as a source of cheap labor to keep pace with burgeoning enrollment. The over-reliance on, and exploitation of, part-time faculty has created a variety of problems. Because thousands of faculty earn poverty-level wages, they often teach in three or more college districts to make ends meet. Tenure-track job opportunities for those part-time faculty who entered the system to become full-time employees have been limited, given colleges' propensity to hire ever more part-time faculty to serve the growing student population. The core of tenured full-time faculty has shrunk dramatically, and now assume more and more of the responsibilities that used to be shared with others. Finally, students cannot expect to receive the same quality of education from part-time faculty who are seldom paid to hold office hours, are not given offices, and often have to leave immediately after class.

In California, faculty organizations have formed a coalition which is leading the movement to change the way California's community colleges do business. These include the California Federation of Teachers, the California Teachers Association, the California Part-time Faculty Association, the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges, and the Community College State Academic Senate. These groups have sponsored legislation, initiated changes in system regulations, and crafted state budget proposals to improve the conditions of part-time faculty, rebuild the full-time faculty core, and provide students with the same quality of educational experience whether their teachers work full-time or part-time.

Reform Through Legislation
California Assembly Bill (A.B.) 1725, a landmark community college reform bill, created the 75% to 25% full-time/part-time ratio to ensure that full-time faculty would teach at least 75% of class hours in a college district, and that districts would have to maintain that proportion in hiring new faculty to serve a growing student population. While inadequate state funding during much of the 1990s prevented many districts from making substantial progress toward achieving its obligation of 75%, the law did prevent further erosion of the full-time faculty core. New regulation changes this year on the 75% to 25% proportion require all districts to make annual progress towards the ration target, and to create a five-year plan for reaching the 75% level. Each year, faculty are also documenting the progress of every district, creating and publicizing the report, and making the 75% to 25% proportion a statewide public issue. Faculty have also sponsored legislation and developed budget proposals to provide districts with targeted funding that must be used to create new full-time faculty positions.

In 1999, Governor Gray Davis signed the faculty-sponsored A.B. 420--the "Equal Pay for Equal Work" bill--which provided for paid office hours and health insurance for California's 29,000 part-time faculty. Since California is a local collective bargaining state, the law also provides districts with matching funds to negotiate office hours and health insurance. Many districts have taken advantage of A.B. 420, including Los Angeles--the largest community college district in the country--which now provides paid office hours and health insurance for over 2,000 of the city's part-time faculty. One part of the bill that was lost in the legislative process would have provided reemployment rights to part-time faculty; faculty will reintroduce a reemployment rights bill in 2001. The assembly bill also mandated a state commission study of part-time faculty salary conditions, which will be completed in March. This past September, faculty developed--and won--approval from the community college system on a $75 million state funding proposal for part-time faculty compensation which will go to the legislature and the governor for consideration. The commissioned part-time faculty salary report should provide a strong rationale for the state to approve the compensation package. Faculty organizations are also working with the State Chancellor's Office to develop system regulations that would mandate an equitable pay standard for part-time faculty, and require districts to make annual progress toward that standard.

Thanks to the efforts of the faculty organizations, the situation in California's community colleges is improving: thousands of new full-time faculty positions are being created; the balance between the number of full-time and part-time faculty is improving; part-time faculty salaries are increasing; students are gaining ever increasing access to part-time faculty through paid office hours; and the community college system is getting behind the changes the faculty have worked hard to achieve. One lesson learned is that without faculty organizations putting pressure on the legislature, the governor, the public, and the system itself, little if any progress would have been made; no one will do it for us. Another lesson is that systemic change takes time, setbacks are inevitable, and the commitment must be long-term. Failure is simply not an option.

Tom Tyner is president of the Community College Council, California Federation of Teachers, and teaches at Reedley College.