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The FA Defending Adjunct Faculty: A Job is Saved at EVC

by Patrick Butler, FA, AFT 6157 Grievance Officer

Last year an EVC adjunct faculty member with SRP (Seniority Rehire Preference) was abruptly, and without notice dropped from the fall schedule. This faculty member had a documented history of many excellent evaluations and just assumed that there were no available classes in their subject areas for adjunct faculty.

However, this faculty member subsequently became aware that her dean at the time (who is no longer employed at out district) had purposely, and in violation of the FA AFT 6157 Contract, dropped her from the 2006 and 2007 schedules. In essence, the dean had chosen to ignore the SRP provisions of out contract.

When the faculty member became aware of this situation they contacted FA, AFT 6157 executive Director Barbara Hanfling and Grievance officer Patrick Butler. This spring the FA met with the new dean of this subject area and was able to successfully negotiate the return of this faculty member’s SRP status. The faculty member was then assigned two classes in the fall of 2007 and a 2007 summer class.

This account serves as both another example of how the Faculty Union works to defend all of our faculty as well as a lesson to adjunct faculty with SRP who find themselves dropped from the schedule. Adjuncts who find themselves dropped from the schedule should e-mail their dean asking why they have lost their class load. Those faculty need to determine if there were just not any available classes in their subject area to adjuncts—or if their contract rights are about to be violated.