Open Letter to SDCCD Faculty

[SDAFA response to discussion on the SDCCD district email list]

Fellow faculty members,

 

We’ve had quite a beginning to this conversation about our next contract. Unfortunately, some have suggested that adjuncts don’t have enough “skin in the game” and a divisive tone has emerged that pits adjuncts against full-time faculty.

 

There is a serious problem with adjuncts not having enough “skin in the game,” but many have confused cause and effect. Accusing adjuncts of not being invested in their profession is blaming the victim. Adjuncts don’t have enough skin in the game because they have been actively defleshed. Over 40 years of adjunctification has solidified our two-tiered system.

 

We would do well to look closely at the Vancouver Model, where faculty at 50% teach a 50% load, have a 50% obligation to participate in shared governance, receive 50% salary, and have job security based on seniority. Frank Cosco presented this model at the California Part-time Faculty Association Conference on May 5th at San Diego City College  (“Building Job Security into Community College Faculty Work  Experiences in British Columbia”). The Vancouver Model would solve most of the problems raised in this email thread. The path to reach this goal includes working within our current system and bargaining to reduce inequity in areas such as job security and self-determination.

 

Six semesters is plenty of time to evaluate adjunct faculty before giving them job security. Priority of Assignment (PoA) after 6 semesters worked for over a decade in the contract before last. Making PoA automatic will eliminate the chilling effect that discourages adjuncts from applying for PoA. The fact that there are not enough full-time faculty available to evaluate and mentor adjuncts is not the fault of adjuncts.

 

Giving adjuncts a democratic voice in their departments can only lead to a stronger and more unified faculty. It will allow for the kind of toxic work environment that occurred in the City College Language Department to be resolved internally without lawsuits or demonstrations.  It is not the fault of the adjuncts if departments exclude them to the point they don’t know their colleagues.

 

In light of the pending Janus decision and as an ongoing matter of union solidarity, we need to avoid a divide and conquer attitude. Only when we address these problems openly can we hope to achieve true unity and solidarity. Resolving the conflicts that divide us will make us all stronger. The San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association (SDAFA) is entirely pro-union. This is the healthiest initial proposal seen in several contract cycles and we enthusiastically support it.  SDAFA members also support a shared, democratic process in our union’s efforts to secure and protect better working conditions for all.

 

Unfortunately, SDAFA’s efforts to increase democratic participation in the bargaining process have faced opposition from an intransigent union leadership:

 

• In May 2017, SDAFA presented a resolution to end the blacklist of adjuncts trying to work within the Union. Jim Mahler blocked the resolution.
• In August 2017, SDAFA emailed a list of suggested contract changes to Jim Mahler and received no response.
• At the October 2017 AFT Guild meeting, SDAFA presented a resolution to open up the Bargaining Committee to rank-and-file members and encourage open public debate, participation, and transparency. Not a single member of the Union’s Executive Committee voted for it.
• In March and April 2018, SDAFA promoted a collaborative Google Doc for faculty to comment directly on the contract provisions, and an article inviting more discussion. Invitation to view and contribute to these items was extended to the union’s Executive Board, but no one responded.
• On April 27, SDAFA held an open forum on the contract proposal at Mesa College.Around ten faculty discussed the contract language for over 4 hours. We thank Mesa Contract VP Ian Duckles for his participation in part of this forum.
• From the input of the forum, SDAFA sent out a survey on the eleven most important adjunct issues determined at the forum, and over 80 district adjuncts have responded so far.
• SDAFA presented hard copies of the preliminary results of the survey to attendees of theMay Guild meeting, but no discussion was allowed.

The above democratic participation generated several other important issues. The contract language should be strengthened so that college and District rules are enforced equally for Adjunct and Contract Faculty, including equal grievance rights. Safety proposals should include protecting victims who have a restraining order against their abuser. Faculty should be protected from conflicts of interest such Union representatives attempt to represent unit members reporting to the same dean. SDAFA presented these issues to the Guild but they have not been addressed in the Initial Contract Proposal or its update.

 

We commend Jim Mahler for abandoning the “Last Chance for Input” and opening these discussions up to a Google group. We would like to invite all faculty to participate in these discussions in as many platforms as possible. If we want adjuncts to have more skin in the game, we need to stop stripping them of the resources, professionalism, and respect that it takes for faculty to serve students.

 

All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume. – Noam Chomsky

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Carol Whaley, MFA, Chair

   City College, Drama

David Milroy, Vice Chair

   Mesa College, French

Carlynne Allbee, MBA, Treasurer

   Mesa College, Business

Arnie Schoenberg, Secretary

   City College, Anthropology

 

The San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association (SDAFA) is a non-profit organization by, for, and of community college adjunct faculty who work within San Diego County.  We are dedicated to promoting the professional treatment, economic welfare, and equitable rights of adjunct faculty and their students, as well as maintaining an adjunct community of resources.  SDAFA is not affiliated with any particular union, nor does it represent adjuncts in a union capacity, but rather supports union ideals and strives to increase our voice within our unions.