1 FORMULATING PRIORITY & SENIORITY LISTS Los Angeles Southwest College July 2008.

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FORMULATING PRIORITY & SENIORITY LISTS

Los Angeles Southwest College

July 2008

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General Guidelines

Seniority lists guide the process for selecting instructors to teach fall and spring semester classes

Priority lists guide the process for selecting instructors to teach summer and winter intersession classes

Seniority & priority lists are prepared by discipline as defined in Appendix E of the contract

The lists are formed differently but the penalties for failing to construct them properly or follow them are the same

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WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES?

If an instructor is found to have been passed over when they should have been offered the opportunity to teach a class: The college has to pay the instructor

wages equal to what he/she would have earned had he/she been given the opportunity to teach the class(es)

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What does this mean to me?

As the dean or the department chair, you will be evaluated and/or reprimanded based on your failure to comply with the terms of the contract

The department in question will lose funding since the college has been forced to pay wages for which no services were received (currently the cost of a 3 unit class is estimated at $5,500)

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FORMULATING PRIORITY LISTS(Article 15)

Priority lists are determined separately for winter and summer (summer has only 1 list regardless of number of sessions)

What is a full assignment for summer and winter? A full assignment = 5 or 6 standard hour

class/es

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DEADLINES FOR PRIORITY LISTS

By October 15 for winter intersession

February 15 for summer intersession(s)

Note: A priority list will be established for each discipline by the department chair. A copy will be forwarded by the department chair to the dean by the due date

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In what order are priority list assignments made?

1. Regular faculty teaching a portion of their regular fall or spring load

2. Regular faculty 3. Adjuncts on the Seniority List 4. All Others

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Exceptions to Priority Calculations

Probationary Faculty See Article 15(B)(5)(c) for more detail

Adjuncts on the seniority list who have never taught intersession

See Article 15(B)(6) for more detail

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How is the Priority List formulated?

The goal is to compile a numerical chart which will list the faculty members ranked in ascending order, separated as follows:

Regular faculty Adjunct faculty on the seniority list All others

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Numerical Assignments

Numbers are assigned based on the following:

0: No assignment offered, accepted or taught

¼: Taught > 0 to < .40 of a full assignment 1 - 2 Standard Hours

½: Taught .40 to .60 of a full assignment 3 Standard Hours

1: Taught > .60 of a full assignment 4, 5 or 6 Standard Hours

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How is the Priority List formulated? (con’t)

o Faculty who have not taught for the longest period of time will have the smallest numerical score assigned to them = higher rank on the list

o NOTE: If final numerical score is a tie, priority goes to the person with the lowest rank in the most current year

o Failure to accept a class does not affect the faculty member’s ranking at the top of the list (i.e, their numerically assigned rank would remain low and keep them at the top of the list)

o As a faculty member comes to the top of the priority list, they are entitled up to a full assignment before the next person is offered an assignment

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What does a Priority List look like?

INSTRUCTORTotal

PointsRANK

Hrs Pts Hts Pts Hrs Pts

INSTRUCTOR, A 2.00 0.25 3.00 0.50 2.00 0.25 1.00 1INSTRUCTOR, B 3.00 0.50 4.00 1.00 1.00 0.25 1.75 2INSTRUCTOR, C 5.00 1.00 3.00 0.50 5.00 1.00 2.50 3

INSTRUCTOR, D 2.00 0.25 3.00 0.50 2.00 0.25 1.00 1INSTRUCTOR, E 3.00 0.50 4.00 1.00 3.00 0.50 2.00 2INSTRUCTOR, F 3.00 0.50 3.00 0.50 5.00 1.00 2.00 3

INSTRUCTOR, G 2.00 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 1INSTRUCTOR, H 6.00 1.00 4.00 1.00 1.00 0.25 2.25 2INSTRUCTOR, I 5.00 1.00 3.00 0.50 5.00 1.00 2.50 3

Los Angeles Southwest College Priority List Template

Summer 2005

Summer 2006

Summer 2007

ADJUNCT FACULTY ON SENIORITY LIST

ALL OTHER FACULTY

FULL TIME FACULTY

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FORMULATING SENIORITY LISTS

(Article 16)

The seniority lists are blended—contain both regular faculty and adjunct faculty

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DEADLINES FOR SENIORITY LISTS

The department chair shall provide (in electronic format) the department’s updated list/s to the dean by each semester census date

The VP shall review the list for accuracy and post electronic copies…by the sixth week of the fall and spring semesters

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GETTING ON THE SENIORITY LIST

First semester of eligibility is determined by the first semester of employment in the discipline

An adjunct gains a semester toward seniority when s/he accepts and completes an adjunct assignment

An adjunct not on the list shall be placed on the list if s/he serves in the discipline for 3 semesters and is offered and accepts an assignment in the discipline for a 4th semester All 4 semesters occurring within a period of 8

consecutive semesters (Article 16(B)(8))

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GETTING OFF THE SENIORITY LIST

An adjunct employee shall lose all seniority rights and his/her name shall be removed from the seniority list(s) if s/he refused to accept an assignment for 3

consecutive semesters or for 4 semesters out of 5 consecutive semesters (Article 16(B)(5))

An adjunct employee already on a seniority list and not assigned a class due to reduction in class offerings shall remain on the seniority list and shall retain the right to be continued for six semesters (Article 16 (C)(3))

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GETTING OFF THE SENIORITY LIST, con’t

For cause: Adjunct does not meet the standards of performance required of academic employees of the college based upon the results of two evaluations

For cause: One or more of the causes listed in Education Code Section 87732

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DESIGNATIONS ON THE SENIORITY LIST

These symbols are not in the contract but are local (LASC) normal practices. Our lists should be consistent

These Symbols Count as a Semester of Seniority

These symbols do not count as a semester of seniority

Actual number of hours assigned and taughtC: Class cancelledB: BumpedPL: Paid Leave of AbsenceG: Grievance Filed and Paid

R: Refused assignment0: Not offered a classUL: Unpaid Leave of Absence

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MAKING ASSIGNMENTS Assign regular faculty to their full load prior to

offering assignments to adjuncts

Adjunct faculty are to be made written offers based on the seniority list in seniority list order (Article 16(a)(5))

Those with the most semesters of adjunct teaching have the greatest level of seniority

Written offers must be mailed (or emailed with a return receipt) by the end of the 10th week of the preceding fall or spring term

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MAKING ASSIGNMENTS, con’t Adjuncts are to be given the same assignment as

previous semesters whenever practicable

If not the same assignment, then a comparable assignment. Comparable is defined as the same number of hours

Beginning Fall 2008, an adjunct employee who is on the seniority list prior to Fall 2008 is entitled to a class with the same number of hours as established by Spring 2008 (subject to contract ratification)

For adjunct employees gaining seniority Fall 2008 and later, seniority is set at the highest number of standard hours assigned based on two or more of four semesters (also subject to contract ratification)

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SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SENIORITY LISTS AND PRIORITY

LISTS

The contract provides no allowance for separate lists for off site classes or high school classes

If you receive a request for a specific instructor, you can only honor it if you can do so without violating the terms of the contract

There are no ties on the seniority or the priority lists

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Differences between Seniority Lists and Priority

Lists Refusals to teach intersessions do not

place a faculty member’s priority position in jeopardy but refusals do place seniority position in jeopardy

3 consecutive refusals will result in removal from the seniority list

For priority list ranking, you actually remain near or at the top of the list until you accept an assignment

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Differences between Seniority Lists and Priority

Lists, con’t

The order of the seniority list remains constant while the order of the priority list changes each intersession

The seniority list is blended while the priority list treats regular faculty and adjunct faculty as two separate groups teaching in the same discipline

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IN CONCLUSION

This is only a summary of the major points of the contract. There are far more details contained in the actual contract, and you should be familiar with them as well.

Should you have any questions or concerns, the AFT Chapter officers are available to assist you.