Adjunct News and Views

Welcome to our New EVC Adjunct Representative-Paul Humann

We are very excited to welcome to our FA, AFT 6157 Paul Humann as the EVC adjunct representative. Paul is filling a vacant position and was appointed by the Executive Board at its November 18^th meeting. Paul was asked to write a bit about himself, which we have reprinted below:

“I started as an adjunct at EVC in the Fall of 2010. Since then, I have been teaching freshman and developmental composition as both a Lecturer and Writing Lab instructor. I am currently only at the very beginning of my teaching career, but my family has a strong history in education and union membership (both of my parents and two of my grandparents were teachers and union members in Southern California), and I am excited to participate in that tradition. Furthermore, I view labor unions as some of the most important democratic institutions we have, and I am proud to be a part of that process.

When I’m not at EVC or grading papers, you can probably find me trying to win a few bucks at one of the local card tournaments here in San Jose, or on rarer occasions, at a poetry reading in San Francisco.”

Adjunct Faculty: Right to Collect Unemployment over Intersession

By Barbara Hanfling, Executive Director FA, AFT 6157

Adjunct faculty have the right to collect unemployment (UE) over intersession, based on a Superior Court decision filed by the CFT called Cervisi et al vs. Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board. The Superior Court stated the following: “…the assignment form issued to the instructors stated that: ‘employment is contingent upon adequate class enrollment.” The Court also held that the record established that the offers of employment made by the school employer were “contingent on adequate enrollment, funding, and the approval of the District’s Board of Governors.”

The Superior Court concluded that “under the statute, an assignment that is contingent on enrollment, funding, or program changes is not a ‘reasonable assurance’ of employment.” Based on this Court Decision fought for by San Francisco CFT local, adjunct faculty now enjoy a right and privilege that can help them through the times when they are not teaching. If you wish to collect unemployment, you must apply in a timely manner. Therefore, it is important that you access the unemployment board web site for all the information you might need.

First file your claim for unemployment benefits with your local UE office online. If your claim is denied at the local level, you must appeal this denial within the time frame listed on the denial form. Also remember that even if you have a contract for teaching for the spring semester, you must answer no to the question of whether you have a guarantee to work. That contract is not a guarantee as you know; you can be bumped from this contract. Also when asked if you have a Union, you must answer no to that question also, as the question is geared toward those who work from Union Hiring Halls. Unfortunately your Union doesn’t help you find jobs.

You may want to mention the Cervisi decision listed above when you are applying for UE benefits. Please feel free to contact the FA, AFT 6157 if you have any questions, and consult the following sites for more information:

EDD Unemployment Information
www. edd.ca.gov

FACCC - Unemployment Tutorial
www.faccc.org/part_time.html