CCFF Proposes Better Salary for Adjuncts, COLA, and Lecture/Lab Parity

Dear colleagues,

I’m writing to you to give you an update on negotiations.

Last Thursday, October 31, the CCFF offered two proposals to the District.

·        To increase compensation for

o   Part-time instructors by adding a row and two columns to their salary schedule
o   Part-time counselors and librarians by adding two rows and two columns

·        To increase all faculty compensation with a

o   Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 1.57%, and
o   A 1.35% raise

Also last Thursday, the CCFF was able to introduce the subject of Lecture-Lab parity, thanks to splendid presentations by Kimberly Duff, Kevin Taylor, Debbie Jensen, and Ann Voorhies.

The rationale for increasing part-time faculty compensation

·        Cerritos College pays part-time faculty less than any college in the region.

·        Part-time faculty have been asked to do more with regard to SLO assessment.

·        Cerritos College is the only District that does not reward part-time faculty on the basis of training or qualifications – that is, we offer no column advancement – which serves as a disincentive for attracting well-qualified part-time faculty.

·        With neighboring districts paying as much as 60% more than Cerritos College, it is difficult to hire and retain quality part-time faculty.

·        58% of new part-time hires leave Cerritos College after the first year.

The rationale for passing COLA of 1.57% through and increasing all faculty pay by 1.35%

·        No Cost of Living Increase (COLA) since fall of 2007.

·        During that time, we have lost 16% of our purchasing power.

·        We have experienced reductions in supplies and equipment.

·        Overload pay has eroded due to District policy and cuts in summer.

The rationale for lecture/lab parity

·        Compensation

o   The state pays the District the same for a lab hour as it does a lecture hour.
o   The District pays part-time faculty the same for a lab hour as it does for a lecture hour.
o   The District pays a full-time faculty member the same for one hour of lab overload as it does for an hour of lecture overload.
o   However, when that lab hour is part of a full-time faculty member’s base, the District pays only 0.75 of a lecture hour.

·        Pedagogy

But for that one stark exception, both the state and the District acknowledge the essential pedagogical value and quality of labor vested in teaching labs.  What distinguishes a lab hour from a lecture hour is not the teaching but the money.

More to come.

Best,

Jack Swanson, chair
CCFF Communications
(562) 860-2451, ext. 2823

The full proposal presented to the district, including proposed salary schedules and supporting documents including cost estimates, is attached:  2013-10-31-CCFF Salary Proposal