SDCCD Adjuncts: Did your class get cut?

Email to fellow Adjuncts:  sent 9/3/18

Hello everyone,

Did you have a class cancelled?  I did.  Allow me to share some tips that I have been told:

1. Go to PeopleSoft and turn in a timesheet for the hours you did actually meet with your students.  Be precise.  For example, my class actually meets, per the class schedule and my TAO for 3.4 hours.
2. Did you meet the Flex requirement for this class already?  I asked Jim Mahler, President of AFT Guild about this and he verified “Yes, you should include those hours as well.”  I turned in 3 hours on the time sheet for Flex time requirement.
3. I have to admit, when I tried to enter PeopleSoft, it wouldn’t allow me.  Luckily, the help screen tells you why.  July 2^ndthe district made some security updates.  IT sent out an email June 27^th telling us that we needed to go in and basically update our file.  Remember also that our ID numbers actually have 10 digits.  If yours is shorter, put zeros at the front to make it 10 digits long.
4. One Adjunct told me he is going to go ahead and file for unemployment because he lost the one class he was teaching.  Ask our union if you should apply if you lost a class but still have others.  Whether you are eligible will depend on your weekly earnings. If 75% of your weekly earnings are less than your UI Weekly Benefit, you are eligible to receive the difference
5. Insurance:  In the Medicare workshop that I organized for Flex Week, I asked what happens if we lose a class and are no longer eligible.  Look at the attached highlights from the session for the answer to this even if you are not yet 65
6. Are you 65 or over?  Then again, look over the highlights from the workshop that are attached.  Basically, you can join Medicare if we are NOT covered by a group plan.  VEBA offers Medicare to us at group rates and we are eligible for their group plan because we work for a VEBA covered employer, even if we were never able to get insurance through the district.
7. Are you a member of STRS?  Look on your paystub in PeopleSoft to see if there is a deduction for STRS.  If you have turned 55 and have 5 years credit with STRS, you can retire from STRS.   Remember that we can retire from STRS and keep teaching.  When we say 5 years credit that is not calendar years.  It is credit in the STRS system and you can find the answer by going to STRS and setting up a MySTRS account.  The longer you work before retiring, the better it will be up to a certain age. The point is that a lot of us have retired from STRS, so we get our pension. We are still working, so we still get an SDCCD paycheck.  Since we are retired from STRS, we no longer have a deduction from our paycheck.  For me, that meant $200 more in my take home pay.

SDAFA, aka San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association, has the philosophy of Adjuncts helping Adjuncts.  That is why we organized the Medicare flex workshop, have put on four workshops regarding STRS and Adjuncts, and it is why I am sending out this email to you.  We are not a union.  We urge you to join AFT Guild and get involved.  Join their Google group to discuss the Contract Negotiations.  Let the Guild know how you feel about the clauses in the Contract that affect Adjuncts.  Do you like them?  Do you feel they would be better if they were worded differently?  Then when the time comes, vote.

I also invite you to explore two resources that SDAFA maintains.  Our Facebook page, San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association, has a lot of information under Files.  We also have a website at sdafa.org that has a lot of information for you.