FAIRNESS & EQUITY - aft.org OF COMPENSATION 1. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be paid a salary ... in which case part-time/adjunct faculty should be invited to ... FAIRNESS & EQUITY

STANDARDS OF GOOD PRACTICE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF PART-TIME/ADJUNCT FACULTY

A Union of Professionals

AFT Higher Education

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EQUAL PAY FOR

EQUAL WORK

TEACHERS’ WORKING

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STUDENTS’ LEARNING

CONDITIONS

AFT HIGHER EDUCATIONA Division of the American Federation of Teachers

Sandra Feldman, PresidentEdward J. McElroy, Secretary-TreasurerNat LaCour, Executive Vice President

HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AND POLICY COUNCILChair: William E. Scheuerman, AFT Vice President, United University Professions, State University of New YorkVice-Chair: Norman Swenson, AFT Vice President, Cook County College Teachers UnionBarbara Bowen, AFT Vice President, Professional Staff Congress, City University of New YorkMaureen Dinnen, AFT Vice President, Florida Education Association UnitedRowena Blackman-Stroud, United University Professions, Health Science Center at Brooklyn/SUNYJason Blank, Rhode Island College Chapter/AFTDaniel Georgianna, University of Massachusetts Faculty FederationMartin Hittelman, California Federation of Teachers Community College CouncilArthur Hochner, Temple Association of University ProfessionalsDonna Hurtado, Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute Faculty FederationJohn McDonald, Henry Ford Community College Federation of TeachersMartha Mock, Teaching Assistants’ Association, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMark Richard, United Faculty of Miami-Dade Community CollegeKaren Schermerhorn, Faculty Federation of the Community College of PhiladelphiaEdward Schones, United Technical College EducatorsSandra Schroeder, Washington Federation of TeachersRaymond Spoto, The Association of University of Wisconsin ProfessionalsLouis Stollar, United College Employees of the Fashion Institute of TechnologyMitchell Vogel, University Professionals of IllinoisNicholas Yovnello, Council of New Jersey State College Locals

HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM AND POLICY COUNCIL TASK FORCE ON PART-TIME/ADJUNCT FACULTYMEMBERSLouis Stollar, ChairBarbara BowenMartin HittelmanKaren Schermerhorn

PART-TIME/ADJUNCT FACULTY ADVISORY GROUPDavid Boetcher, Madison Area Technical College Part-Time Teachers Union, WIShane Byrd, Rockland Community College, NYChristina Davey, Pierce Community College, WAAlisa Messer, California Federation of Teachers/Community College Council Northern Vice President

STAFFLawrence N. Gold, AFT Higher Education Director

STANDARDS OF GOOD PRACTICE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF PART-TIME/ADJUNCT FACULTY

Copyright © AFT 2002. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and distribute copies of this work fornonprofit educational purposes, provided that copies are distributed at or below cost, and that theauthor, source, and copyright notice are included on each copy.


FAIRNESS& EQUITY

EQUAL PAY FOR

EQUAL WORK

TEACHERS’ WORKING

CONDITIONS =


CONDITIONS

Summary of Standards of Good Practice

STANDARDS OFCOMPENSATION

1. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be paid a salaryproportionate to that paid full-time tenured faculty ofthe same qualifications for doing the same work. Themanner in which pro rata pay is calculated is a matter ofinstitutional choice depending on the nature of the col-lege or university. In general, however, these standardsare organized around the principle of pairing fully pro-portionate professional responsibilities with fully pro-portionate compensation.

2. Part-time/adjunct faculty should receive pro-ratedsick leave and pay for holidays and breaks.

3. Part-time/adjunct faculty should receive proportion-ate healthcare and pension benefits.

4. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be paid for holdingoffice hours for student conferences. Full pro rata paywould address this problem if the calculation of pro rataincludes office hours. In the absence of full pro rata pay,however, part-time/adjunct faculty should receive addi-tional compensation to hold office hours.

5. In the absence of full pro rata pay, part-time/adjunctfaculty who participate in institutional committee workshould be compensated for doing so.

6. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have unemploymentinsurance available to them when they are not on thecollege payroll.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

1. Part-time/adjunct faculty members should be ini-tially hired with the same care and subjected to thesame interview process as any other applicant to thedepartment. A credible hiring process provides theessential foundation for financial and professional equi-ty.

2. A probationary period of time should be set for theevaluation of part-time/adjunct faculty members, afterwhich they will achieve a form of job security.Evaluation criteria, standards and procedures, commen-surate with the professional obligations of the position,should be comparable to those of full-time faculty.

3. Upon successfully completing a probationary period,part-time/adjunct faculty should achieve a form of sen-iority.

4. Once seniority is achieved, part-time/adjunct facultyshould be subject to non-reappointment in only twocircumstances—if the courses taught are not beingoffered, or for cause, utilizing all due process protec-tions.

5. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be permitted toorder their own texts and design their own coursesunless these are departmental decisions, in which casepart-time/adjunct faculty should be invited to partici-pate in the deliberations.

6. Qualified part-time/adjunct faculty who have suc-cessfully completed a probationary period should begiven preference in consideration for full-time positionsin accordance with the requirements of the position, theneeds of the department and the part-time/adjunct fac-ulty member’s seniority.


FAIRNESS& EQUITY

EQUAL PAY FOR

EQUAL WORK

TEACHERS’ WORKING

CONDITIONS =


CONDITIONS

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONALRESPONSIBILITY AND SUPPORT

1. Upon initial appointment, part-time/adjunct facultymembers should be oriented to the institution and tothe department, to the curriculum and support servic-es, to the institution’s governance and structure, and tothe department’s expectations regarding the success-ful performance of their duties.

2. To ensure adequate preparation time, class assign-ments should be made, whenever possible, using thesame calendar and time line accorded full-time faculty.

3. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be provided suitableoffice space and should have paid office hours to meetwith their students.

4. Part-time/adjunct faculty who have achieved seniori-ty and the job security that goes with it should be invit-ed to participate in departmental meetings and othercommittees with voting privileges and should be com-pensated for doing so.

5. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have access to sec-retarial and technological support services necessary tothe fulfillment of their responsibilities as well as to ade-quate supplies, to the library and to other campus privi-leges.

6. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have opportunitiesand financial support to participate in conferences andworkshops for their professional development, to applyfor grants and to participate in the institution’s tuitionsupport program.

ENSURING FULL RIGHTS FOR PART-TIME/ADJUNCTFACULTY WITHIN THEIR UNIONS

1. National unions seeking to organize part-time/adjunct faculty members should be committed to sus-tain a vigorous organizing campaign at the campusand to make a priority of part-time organizing nation-ally.

2. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct facultymembers are in the same union on campus, the part-time/adjunct faculty must have full voting rights on allunion matters, including the election of officers and theratification of contracts. Part-time/adjunct faculty, oftentreated as second-class citizens at work, should never be treated as second-class citizens in their own union.

3. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty mem-bers are in the same union on campus, part-time mem-bers should be actively encouraged to participate in allunion affairs.

4. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty mem-bers are in the same union on campus, the part-time/adjunct faculty have a right to expect that theirunion, including the full-time faculty, will push for fullimplementation of the standards of good practice in thisreport.

5. Where the full-time and part-time/adjunct facultymembers at an institution are not in the same union,regular communication and information exchangeshould be established between representatives of thefull-time and part-time/adjunct faculty.

6. Given the rewards that come from developing aneffective union, membership dues for part-time/adjunctfaculty should be set at a high enough level for the localunion to be strong, while at the same time taking intoaccount the limited compensation part-time/adjunctfaculty receive.

7. All faculty unions on campus should take responsibil-ity for initiating programs aimed at increasing under-standing between full-time and part-time/adjunct fac-ulty members.

8. National, state and local higher education unionsshould provide information to, and advocate on behalfof, part-time/adjunct faculty applying for unemploy-ment insurance during periods when they are notteaching.

The Academic Personnel Crisis

In 1998, the American Federation of Teacherscalled it the phenomenon of the “vanishing pro-fessor.” The proportion of full-time tenured fac-ulty at America’s colleges and universities has

declined significantly, replaced by ever-growingnumbers of part-time/adjunct and other nontenure-track faculty.

Between 1971 and 1986, the number of part-time/adjunct faculty increased by 133 percent whilethe full-time faculty increased by only 22 percent.These trends continue. The National Center forEducation Statistics (NCES) writes in its March 2002report, Part-time Instructional Faculty and Staff,“that there has been an increase in the number andpercentage of part-time faculty over the last 20 yearsis undeniable.”

This and another NCES publication, The Digest ofEducational Statistics, provide a historical snapshotof that growth based on the most recently availablenational data, which goes up to 1998. The followingtable shows that the percentage of part-time/adjunctfaculty rose by almost 10 percent between 1987 and1998.1

Faculty Employment Status (Percent)

Year Full-time Part-time/Adjunct

1987 66.9 33.1

1992 58.4 41.6

1998 57.4 42.6

The decrease in the expansion of part-time/adjunct faculty between 1992 and 1998 mayhave resulted from the economic boom, which

allowed colleges to hire more full-time faculty, as wellas from the growth in part-time/adjunct unioniza-tion during this period. Again, the March 2002 NCESreport notes that the increasing concern of policy-makers, administrators, researchers and the publicover the increase in part-time faculty is due in part tothe fact that “[p]art-time faculty members havebecome more vocal about what they see asinequitable treatment in the workplace and, in manystates, have sought to unionize in an effort toimprove working conditions, salary, and benefits.”

At the same time, the NCES data demonstrate thatthe increase in part-time/adjunct staffing is only oneaspect of the academic personnel crisis. The tablebelow, again utilizing the most recent available infor-mation, demonstrates the trend toward employingfull-time faculty who are not eligible for tenure.

One issue that is important to recognize withinthis larger trend toward part-time/adjunct and non-tenure-track faculty is gender. Women represent

4 / AFT HIGHER EDUCATION

Introduction

1 It is extremely difficult to establish clear definitions ofpart-time/adjunct faculty employment or to obtain reli-able data on the numbers. From institution to institution,faculty serving in these positions are designated by myri-ad titles and are classified by a confusing variety ofappointments and salary terms, so that comparisons arehard to make. Among the terms employed are “adjuncts,”“special lecturers,” “acting faculty,” “wage-section faculty,”“hourly,” “short-term,” “emergency” and “temporary”employees. In addition, many part-time/adjunct faculty infact may have a full-time teaching load or even more,either at one institution or at a number of institutions. Inthe end, the precise meaning of “part-time/adjunct” facul-ty is based on the institution’s own nomenclature andemployment practices.

approximately 33 percent of full-time faculty, butthey represent nearly 45 percent of part-time/adjunct faculty. In particular academic subjectareas that rely heavily on contingent labor, thesenumbers go up. For instance, in the humanities,women hold only about 38 percent of the full-timefaculty positions while holding 59 percent of thepart-time/adjunct faculty lines. Thus, the impact ofthe movement to part-time/contingent work is mag-nified for women.

It is also important to note that this rising tide ofpart-time and contingent employment is not limitedto higher education. Even excluding self-employedand independent contractors, it is estimated thatthere are about 2.4 million contingent workers in theUnited States, and most of them report they wouldprefer a permanent job. The median income of theseworkers was found to be 34 percent less than themedian income of noncontingent workers.

In some instances, contingent jobs can be attrac-tive to people who already hold a full-time job orwant more flexibility than a full-time job offers. Insome fields—but not most—the jobs may even payrelatively well. In large part, however, the new corpsof contingent workers is generated by corporate lay-offs and downsizing and by reductions in the budgetsof public service institutions. The resulting numberof dislocated workers enables employers to hire qual-ified workers at wage rates far below full-timesalaries and generally without the pension andhealth benefits that go along with full-time jobs.Higher education’s movement toward contingentwork is just one example of this overall trend.

The Question of OveruseOne thing needs to be made clear at the outset: Theoverwhelming evidence is that part-time/adjunctfaculty serve with great distinction on campusesacross the country. There are, and always have been,good reasons for employing part-time/adjunct facul-ty. These include:

� Bringing into particular classes the perspective ofprofessionals working in their field whose experi-ence would be especially beneficial to students,

and where hir-ing a full-timefaculty mem-ber with suchexperiencewould beimpractical;

� Contributingexpertise in aparticularsubject areathat is notavailableamong thefull-time fac-ulty, in caseswhere theemploymentof an addi-tional full-time faculty member with that expertisewould not be warranted;

� Filling in for the temporary loss of a full-timetenured faculty member;

� Providing for unanticipated short-term changes inenrollment.

The facts tell a different story, however. Theydemonstrate that part-time/adjunct faculty are beingemployed today in tremendous numbers—not tosupplement the college’s regular education programor to fill gaps in the corps of full-time faculty—but asa low-cost way to avoid filling needed full-time jobs.For example, two of every three first-time hires inU.S. community colleges are part-time/adjuncts—scarcely a sign that part-time hiring is limited to spe-cial circumstances. At many colleges and universi-ties, including elite institutions, full-time tenure-track faculty no longer teach a majority of introduc-tory undergraduate courses.

The Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW),a group of academic disciplinary associations, in2000 examined the employment and compensationpractices of colleges and universities in nine socialscience and humanities fields. Based on the CAWsurvey, full-time tenure-track faculty are teaching

STANDARDS OF GOOD PRACTICE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF PART-TIME/ADJUNCT FACULTY / 5

Year Tenure Status of Full-time Faculty (Percent)Tenured On Tenure Not on Tenure No Tenure System

Track Track Available 1987 58.5 23.9 8.9 8.6 1992 55.5 23.5 12.4 8.6 1998 53.1 18.8 18.1 10.0

Part-time/adjunctfaculty serve with great distinction on campuses acrossthe country.

only 48 percent of introductory courses in those ninefields, with the remainder being taught by part-time/adjunct faculty, nontenure-track faculty orgraduate teaching employees. This trend is most pro-nounced in the fields of English, foreign languagesand literature where only 25 percent, 28 percent and35 percent of courses respectively, are taught by full-time tenure-track faculty.

No one seriously can maintain that this dramaticsurge in part-time/adjunct hiring is based on educa-tional need or desirability. What drives this unhealthytrend is not education but budget—the desire to cutcosts and to swell enrollments by any means avail-able. The reliance on part-time/adjunct faculty hasbecome economically attractive to states eager to cuttaxes and meet the demands of competing priorities.As a steady stream of qualified academics continuesto enter the job market, as tenure-stream positionsdry up, as administrators decide not to open newpositions based primarily on cost, and as more andmore faculty are denied tenure, the number of part-time/adjunct faculty continues to grow. Clearly, thistrend will not abate absent a concerted effort tobring about change by individuals and organiza-tions—such as labor unions—in a position to do so.

The Question of ExploitationBecause financial considerations drive the employ-ment process, it comes as no surprise that the com-pensation, benefits and professional support accord-ed to part-time/adjunct faculty are woefully inade-quate. Even though part-time/adjunct faculty exhibitrelative longevity (averaging seven years in their cur-rent position), the average pay is so low that payequity advocates have reason to call today’s collegesand universities “academic sweatshops.” Accordingto the CAW report, the vast majority of part-time fac-ulty members (72 percent) in nine key fields are paidat a rate of less than $3,000 per course—in manyinstitutions, it is below $2,000. As a result, the typicalpart-time/adjunct instructor receives annual earn-ings that put him or her on a par with fast-foodworkers.

In addition, most part-time/adjunct facultyreceive few, if any, medical or fringe benefits. Ofthose departments that responded to the CAW sur-vey, only 27 percent reported that part-time/adjunctfaculty members are offered any benefits, includinghealth, retirement or life insurance. The remaining 63percent reported that part-time/adjunct facultymembers are offered no benefits whatsoever.Similarly, the report confirmed that many part-timers do not have access to e-mail, offices or even

telephones on campus, undermining the ability tocommunicate with and effectively educate their stu-dents. Most part-time/adjunct faculty are deniedsuch basic professional perquisites as paid prepara-tion time, office space, paid hours for student advise-ment or a role in academic decision-making.

The Question of Quality—Roadblocks to Best ProfessionalPracticePart-time/adjunct instructors teach with distinctionand make major contributions to the institutionsthey serve. Such fine work is remarkable consideringthe impediments under which they work and themany difficulties and obstacles thrown in their way.What creates the “problem” of part-time/adjunct fac-ulty is not any inadequacy on the part of these facul-ty members themselves but, rather, their exploitedstatus, which requires them to rise above adverseand unreasonable circumstances in order to deliverquality education.

Nevertheless, an unfair two-layer employmentsystem can have detrimental effects both on studentsand on the quality of the instruction and servicesthey receive. Instructors called up at the last minute,using someone else’s choice of texts or other instruc-tional materials, are put at a disadvantage at the out-set. If, as is often the case, part-time/adjunct facultyare not properly briefed on departmental and insti-tutional policies and procedures, or given a mini-mum level of professional support, they may havedifficulty in implementing the curriculum (particu-larly courses meant to follow in sequence) and inserving as liaisons between the student and the insti-tution.

Because part-time/adjunct faculty generally lackpaid office hours or decent offices (if they have anyoffice at all) these workers are impeded in their abili-ty to hold student conferences or otherwise assiststudents outside class hours. This is especially trou-bling in light of the fact that part-time faculty areoften assigned to teach courses, such as develop-mental English and math, with large numbers of stu-dents who need the greatest help. Some part-time/adjunct faculty have indicated that the adverseconditions under which they work make it difficultfor them to recommend teaching as a career or toserve as role models of a profession that studentswould aspire to join.

Part-time/adjunct faculty are not usually given anopportunity to participate in the academic commit-tees that set curriculum or program policy—or, if


they are allowed to participate, they may not be com-pensated for that service. This has two negativeeffects. First, it denies academic decision-makingfrom including the point of view of many qualified,dedicated faculty members. Second, by limiting theproportion of faculty members entrusted with deci-sion-making, the current system greatly intensifiesthe burden of departmental governance for full-timefaculty and interferes with their ability to undertakeother assignments.

As noted earlier, part-time/adjunct work is attrac-tive to some faculty, allowing them the time andenergy to pursue other professional, personal andfamily interests while simultaneously providingincome. But for many part-time/adjunct faculty, theyears of poor salaries, low status and shoddy treat-ment instead can result in a serious loss of profes-sional stature. In fact, part-time/adjunct facultymembers may be negatively, and wrongfully, judgedby other faculty members based solely on their part-time status. In the absence of a strong collective bar-gaining contract, part-time/adjunct faculty oftenperceive that their length of experience, superiorqualifications and extra-classroom achievements areunlikely to improve their condition. Such adverseconditions and a two-tiered personnel system arenot conducive to the kind of professional and colle-gial relations among faculty that are so important insupporting quality higher education.

AFT and Part-time/Adjunct FacultySince 1979, the American Federation of Teachers hasspoken out against the overuse and exploitation ofpart-time/adjunct faculty. The AFT and its affiliateshave attempted to advance this cause by publishingresearch, issuing policy statements and advocatingfor part-time/adjunct interests in forums as varied asacademic conferences, media interviews and politi-cal rallies. In recent years, the AFT and its affiliateshave launched pay-equity campaigns before stategovernors and legislatures, many of which haveachieved significant results.

The union has placed top priority on organizingpart-time/adjunct faculty and has supported grass-roots information and organizational efforts such asCampus Equity Week 2001. Finally, AFT affiliateshave used the collective bargaining process to makeconcrete gains on behalf of our principles. Furtherinformation on these activities can be found in anumber of publications—most notably, TheVanishing Professor and Marching Toward Equity,which are posted on the AFT Web site:www.aft.org/higher_ed.

Standardsof GoodPracticeWith this publi-cation, the AFTproposes to takea further step.We are puttingforward a coor-dinated set ofstandards ofgood employ-ment practicefocused onensuring eco-nomic and pro-fessional equityfor part-time/adjunctfaculty. Thispublication isbased on theprinciple that high standards for employing part-time/adjunct faculty must be coupled with equity incompensation and professional treatment. A taskforce of the AFT higher education program and poli-cy council developed the standards, working with anadvisory committee of part-time/adjunct activists.The names of task force and committee membersappear on the inside cover of this document.

AFT believes these standards of good practice aresensible, logical and achievable. We recognize thatour agenda is broad, but we believe it is essential tolay out the clearest and most comprehensive stan-dards we can. Then, it is up to us and to our readersto work toward achieving these goals—rememberingthat academic unions and faculty activists, workingin their own states and on their own campuses, aremaking progress in implementing almost every stan-dard in this report.

The standards are divided into two sections:

1. Curbing the Exploitation of Part-time/AdjunctFaculty in Employment� Standards of Compensation� Terms of Employment� Standards of Professional Responsibility and

Support

2. Ensuring Full Rights for Part-time/Adjunct FacultyWithin Their Unions


The average pay isso low that payequity advocates have reason to call today’scolleges anduniversities‘academicsweatshops.’

1. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be paid a salaryproportionate to that paid full-time tenured facultyof the same qualifications for doing the same work.

When an institution has hired a person and puthim or her in charge of a classroom and students,there is no excuse for denying that individual thesame salary, pro rata, as a full-time faculty member ispaid for his or her assignment. This principle extendsto any other work (such as advisement, committeeparticipation, research, etc.) done by part-time/adjunct faculty members that parallels thework of full-time faculty.

Although no state currently offers or requires fullpro rata compensation for part-time/adjunct facultymembers, higher education unions and grassrootsactivists have spurred a number of states, notablyCalifornia and Washington, to take significant stepsin that direction. Higher education unions in theUnited States and Canada also have made gains inachieving pay parity through the collective bargain-ing process.

The manner in which pro rata pay is calculated isa matter of institutional choice depending on thenature of the college or university. In general, howev-er, these standards are organized around the princi-ple of pairing fully proportionate professionalresponsibilities with fully proportionate compensa-tion.

2. Part-time/adjunct faculty should receive prorat-ed sick leave and pay for holidays and breaks.

3. Part-time/adjunct faculty should receive propor-tionate healthcare and pension benefits. Facultycarrying less than a half-time load should pay a prorata premium for health and pension benefits. Thoseworking half-time or more should receive fullemployer-paid benefits, and these benefits should bepaid year round.

4. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be paid forholding office hours for student conferences.Students in any class need their professors to beavailable to answer questions and to offer academicadvice—either in a conveniently located office or, indistance-education courses, through an electronicmedium. (See “Standards of Professional Re-sponsibility and Support,” on page 14.) This work,like any other, should be compensated. The grimreality, however, is that almost all part-time/adjunctfaculty today are paid only on the basis of their timein the classroom and in effect “donate” time withtheir students.

Full pro rata pay would address this problem if thecalculation of pro rata includes office hours. In theabsence of full pro rata pay, however, part-time/adjunct faculty should receive additional com-pensation to hold office hours. California, amongother states, currently is moving in this direction.

5. In the absence of full pro rata pay, part-time/adjunct faculty who participate in institution-al committee work should be compensated fordoing so. (See also “Standards of ProfessionalResponsibility and Support.”)

6. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have unemploy-ment insurance available to them when they arenot on the college payroll. Full-time faculty have aguaranteed assumption of continuing employment.Their salaries, whether computed on a nine-monthor 12-month basis, take this into account. These con-ditions almost never obtain for part-time/adjunctfaculty. Until full equity is achieved—includingassurance of continued employment—part-time/adjunct faculty should be eligible for unem-ployment benefits.


SECTION ONECurbing the Exploitation

of Part-time/Adjunct Faculty in Employment

Standards of Compensation

1. Part-time/adjunct faculty members should behired initially with the same care and subjected tothe same interview process as any other applicantto the department. In terms of credentials, part-time/adjunct faculty should meet the same mini-mum educational and experiential qualifications asfull-time faculty who would be teaching the samecourse. High recruitment standards also offer part-time/adjunct faculty the opportunity to provide doc-umentation of their teaching and scholarship andenhance their academic standing within the institu-tion.

In far too many institutions, part-time/adjuncthiring may be done at the last minute, without cast-ing a wide net and without requiring the same quali-fications or going through the same interviewprocess as full-time faculty. As noted earlier, the vastmajority of part-time/adjunct faculty members man-age to do a fine job under very adverse circum-stances. But quality in the classroom should not beleft to luck. A credible hiring process provides theessential foundation for financial and professionalequity.

2. A probationary period of time should be set forthe evaluation of part-time/adjunct faculty mem-bers, after which they will achieve a form of jobsecurity. Evaluation criteria, standards and proce-dures, commensurate with the professional obliga-tions of the position, should be comparable to thoseof full-time faculty. Evaluation should take place overseveral terms but, given the nature of part-time/adjunct employment, unbroken service shouldnot be required.

3. Upon successfully completing a probationaryperiod, part-time/adjunct faculty should achieve aform of seniority. Living in a perpetual, year-after-year state of anxiety about last-minute appointmentsmakes it extremely difficult for part-time/adjunctfaculty to plan courses, blend courses into the overallcurriculum and integrate themselves into the profes-sional life of the institution.

Following probation, part-time/adjunct facultymembers should be placed on an institutional ordepartmental part-time/adjunct seniority list forfuture appointments with full credit for previousservice. This may include eligibility to be hired formultiyear contracts rather than waiting until the endof each year, or each term, to see if they will be

rehired. A number of AFT unions have negotiatedwhat they call “certificates of continuing employ-ment,” which provide some protection fromretrenchment for those part-time/adjunct facultymembers who have demonstrated their competence.Where this is the case, students enjoy the benefit ofclasses taught by proven faculty who know the cur-riculum and understand the organization’s culture—a stable work force with higher morale and a greaterinvestment in the institution.

4. Once seniority is achieved, part-time/adjunct fac-ulty should be subject to non-reappointment inonly two circumstances: if the courses taught arenot being offered, or for cause, utilizing all dueprocess protections.

Arbitrary non-reappointment of part-time/adjunct faculty is destructive to the institution’sprofessionalism and to academic freedom in theclassroom. If courses in a part-time/adjunct facultymember’s department, which the faculty memberpreviously had taught, are not being offered, part-time/adjunct faculty members with seniority shouldbe given priority consideration to teach such courseswhen and if they become available again. Barringthat, non-reappointment of part-time/adjunct facul-ty with seniority should be permitted only for causeand only with due process protections.

5. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be permitted toorder their own texts and design their own coursesunless these are departmental decisions, in whichcase part-time/adjunct faculty should be invited toparticipate in the deliberations.

6. Qualified part-time/adjunct faculty who have suc-cessfully completed a probationary period shouldbe given preference in consideration for full-timepositions in accordance with the requirements of the position, the needs of the department and thepart-time/adjunct faculty member’s seniority.

Too often, service—even distinguished, long-timeservice—as a part-time/adjunct faculty member isoverlooked when new full-time tenure-track posi-tions become available in the department. This canhappen for a number of reasons. For example, thecreation of the new full-time position may have beenso long in coming that the full-time faculty membersare eager to cast the widest possible net by conduct-ing an extensive national search.

Another reason is more pernicious: Qualified aca-


Terms of Employment

demics who take on part-time/adjunct positionsbecause of the unavailability of full-time positionsmay discover that administrators and even some oftheir full-time colleagues question their professional-ism due to the very fact that they accepted non-pres-tigious part-time work. The issue of professionalrespect urgently needs to be addressed on campus byinitiating regular dialogue among faculty of all

ranks—informally, through academic committees,and under the auspices of the union on campus, ifone is available. Part-time/adjunct faculty memberswho have shown a record of achievement at the insti-tution deserve preference in the appointmentprocess, and many institutions have initiated suc-cessful systems for doing so.


1. Upon initial appointment, part-time/adjunct fac-ulty members should be oriented to the institutionand to the department, to the curriculum and sup-port services, to the institution’s governance andstructure, and to the department’s expectationsregarding the successful performance of theirduties. If there is a collective bargaining contract,part-time/adjunct faculty should be fully advised oftheir contractual rights and responsibilities.

2. To ensure adequate preparation time, classassignments should be made, whenever possible,using the same calendar and time line accordedfull-time faculty. Part-time/adjunct faculty shouldhave the right to express preferences concerningcourses, schedules and locations.

3. Part-time/adjunct faculty should be providedsuitable office space and should have paid officehours to meet with their students.

Paid office hours are a matter of course for full-time faculty but not for part-time/adjunct faculty.Not surprisingly, most part-time/adjunct facultymembers make extraordinary efforts to see their stu-dents, even though they may not be required to holdoffice hours and are not paid for doing so. But thisshould not be left to chance or be allowed to perpet-uate unfair treatment. Any reasonable standard ofgood practice not only should require office hoursbut also compensation for them.

4. Part-time/adjunct faculty who have achievedseniority and the job security that goes with itshould be invited to participate in departmental

meetings and other committees with voting privi-leges and should be compensated for doing so.Compensation for assuming this responsibility eithershould be part of a package of pro rata pay or shouldbe provided separately.

The surest way to address institutional isolationamong part-time/adjunct faculty is not by excludingthem from faculty decision-making, but by includingthem in every way possible. Students can only bene-fit when their part-time/adjunct instructors are moreintimately involved in curricular and institutionalaffairs. Academic policymaking can only be strength-ened by including the perspective of all the profes-sionals teaching at the institution. Part-time/adjunctparticipation in governance also advances the goal ofstrengthening mutual professional respect among allfaculty members.

5. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have access tosecretarial and technological support services nec-essary to the fulfillment of their responsibilities aswell as to adequate supplies, to the library and toother campus privileges.

6. Part-time/adjunct faculty should have opportu-nities and financial support to participate in con-ferences and workshops for their professionaldevelopment, to apply for grants and to participatein the institution’s tuition support program.Professional development is particularly importantfor today’s faculty in light of continual advances ineducational technology and new research into stu-dent learning styles.

Standards of Professional Responsibility and Support

With the understanding that onlythrough collective action can progressbe made, it is not surprising that part-time/adjunct faculty members around

the country have sought or are seeking to form aunion in order to bargain collectively with theiremployers. About 75,000 part-time/adjunct facultyare now in unions. Of these, approximately 45,000are represented by the AFT, which years ago madepart-time/adjunct faculty organizing a top union pri-ority. Although some campus unions of part-time/adjunct faculty have been formed without theparticipation of a national labor organization, thevast majority have been organized by, and/or arecurrently affiliated with a national union.

Some part-time/adjunct faculty unions representonly the part-time/adjunct faculty at their institu-tions. More, however, are part of the full-time facultyunion at their institutions. Within the AFT, for exam-ple, there are approximately 135 local affiliates repre-senting both full- and part-time faculty, while 17 rep-resent the part-time/adjunct faculty only.

The vast majority of organized part-time/adjunctfaculty teach at public institutions. However, as thenumber of part-time/adjunct faculty members hasbegun to mushroom at large private institutions, sohas organizing interest in that sector. Interest inorganizing has also been strengthened by nationalgrassroots public awareness campaigns such asCampus Equity Week 2001.

It is easy to see why most part-time/adjunct facul-ty unionization has been done in conjunction with anational union and, where possible, with the full-time faculty on campus. Part-time/adjunct facultymembers are scattered by geography and by classschedules; generally, they are poorly paid and lackingin institutional clout. Affiliating with others allowspart-time/adjunct faculty to draw on greater finan-cial and political resources, both in organizing andmaintaining a healthy union. In fact, many of today’sunionized part-time/adjunct faculty members wererecruited by the full-time faculty for inclusion intheir campus union. In other cases, the full- and

part-time/adjunct faculty united as a result of staterulings about the composition of bargaining units.

Organizing in conjunction with the full-time facul-ty, however, is not always easy. On some campuses,there may be no full-time faculty union. On others,the full-time faculty may be wary of assuming thesubstantial financial responsibility of representingmany hundreds or even thousands of adjuncts whocan contribute relatively little to the union coffers.Occasionally, unity is thwarted because of unwar-ranted prejudice and mistrust between the full-timeand part-time/adjunct ranks. In order for a unionmade up of both full-time and part-time/adjunct fac-ulty to function effectively, it is essential that the full-time faculty treat their part-time/adjunct colleaguesas equals within their profession and within theunion. Full-time and part-time faculty alike need tounderstand that their success in winning salaryincreases, for example, cannot be seen as a zero sumgame in which advances for one constituency mustbe won at the expense of the other. There are oftenmyths to be overcome and potential conflicts to bediscussed.

The AFT believes it is essential that all workers oncampus fight to expand the fiscal pie rather thandivide it at each other’s expense—and this battle canbest be won through solidarity. Full-time facultymust recognize that part-time/adjunct faculty areexploited and that the presence of an exploitedgroup of workers is a threat to the rights and prerog-atives of all. Part-time/adjunct faculty need to recog-nize that implementing high employment standardsand rebuilding the corps of full-time faculty are goalsin their best interest too. Most of all, the full-timefaculty must treat the part-time/adjunct faculty withrespect. Too often, part-time/adjunct faculty havefelt that full-time faculty members do not see themas professional colleagues—an attitude that is factu-ally incorrect and detrimental to advancing commoninterests.

As a general rule, the AFT believes that all aca-demic workers at an institution should be in thesame union. In some cases, however, despite effort


SECTION TWOEnsuring Full Rights for

Part-time/Adjunct Faculty Within Their Unions

by both the part-time and full-time faculty, the twoconstituencies have not been able to reach a jointunderstanding, and as a result separate unions havebeen formed. In that event, the different unions oncampus should coordinate closely with one another.

With that in mind, we offer here a set of eightbasic principles—in effect, a bill of rights—to delin-eate what the AFT believes part-time/adjunct facultyhave a right to expect of the unions with which theyaffiliate or consider affiliation.

1. National unions seeking to organize part-timeadjunct faculty members should be committed tosustain a vigorous organizing campaign at the cam-pus and to make a priority of part-time/adjunctorganizing nationally. As was noted earlier, part-time/adjunct organizing can be problematic. Gettinglists of potential members, finding and contactingthem, generating sufficient income to win an organ-izing drive and to sustain the union afterward—theseare all tough challenges. Part-time/adjunct facultymembers seeking to organize must understand that alarge part of the effort will fall on their own shoul-ders, but national organizations must be ready toanswer hard questions about support and service.Each institutional part-time/adjunct campaign isalso part of a national movement and draws politicalstrength from that movement. Part-time/adjunct fac-ulty members have a right to know the degree ofcommitment to part-time/adjunct organizing thatnational unions are prepared to demonstrate.

2. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct facultymembers are in the same union on campus, thepart-time/adjunct faculty must have full votingrights on all union matters, including the electionof officers and the ratification of contracts. Thispolicy also should be reflected at the state andnational levels of the union. Part-time/adjunct facul-ty, often treated as second-class citizens at work,never should be treated as second-class citizens intheir own union.

3. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct facultymembers are in the same union on campus, part-time members should be actively encouraged toparticipate in all union affairs. At the most basiclevel, this means conducting drives aimed at encour-aging part-time/adjunct faculty members to becomeunion members, and incorporating agency fee provi-sions that encourage their membership. Just asimportant, special efforts should be made to bringpart-time/adjunct faculty into union leadership posi-tions (including service on union committees andbargaining teams) and to encourage their participa-tion in membership drives and other union affairs.

4. Where full-time and part-time/adjunct facultymembers are in the same union on campus, thepart-time/adjunct faculty have a right to expectthat their union, including the full-time faculty, willpush for full implementation of the standards ofgood employment practice outlined in this report.Part-time/adjunct faculty members have a right toexpect that their concerns will be a central, notperipheral, part of the union’s priorities in dealingwith management. Where there are separate full-time and part-time unions on campus, both partiesshould make a major effort to coordinate their priori-ties and to resolve potential conflicts of interest. Ifthe union has a state affiliate, part-time/adjunct fac-ulty members have a right to expect that their issueswill receive priority attention in legislative advocacy,particularly in terms of seeking appropriations toachieve pay parity.

5. Where the full-time and part-time/adjunct facul-ty members at an institution are not in the sameunion, regular communication and informationexchange should be established between represen-tatives of the full-time and part-time/adjunct facul-ty. It is far preferable for faculty to work out potentialdifferences over issues of employment, compensa-tion and professional rights/responsibilities amongthemselves, rather than permitting management toplay off one side against the other.

6. Given the rewards that come from developing aneffective union, membership dues for part-time/adjunct faculty should be set at a high enoughlevel for the local union to be strong, while at thesame time taking into account the limited compen-sation part-time/adjunct faculty receive. This is trueboth for unions representing only part-time/adjunct faculty and for unions that combine full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty.

7. All faculty unions on campus should take respon-sibility for initiating programs aimed at increasingunderstanding between full-time and part-time/adjunct faculty members. Unions should pro-vide a forum for working through myths and stereo-types and developing mutual respect and trust. Stateand national unions should also take steps to achievethis goal.

8. National, state and local higher education unionsshould provide information to, and advocate onbehalf of, part-time/adjunct faculty applying forunemployment insurance during periods whenthey are not teaching.


There is an urgent need to professionalize themanner in which part-time/adjunct facultyare employed, compensated, supported andtreated in higher education—both by their

employers and their unions. The standards of goodpractice laid out in this report will be the cornerstoneof AFT’s continuing efforts to promote equity andhigh standards for part-time/adjunct faculty.

But improving the treatment of part-time/adjunctfaculty addresses only part of the academic person-nel crisis in higher education. In addition to theexplosion in part-time/adjunct faculty hiring, col-leges and universities around the country are greatlyexpanding the number of full-time temporary, non-tenure-track faculty jobs, as well as increasing theteaching performed by graduate employees. Many ofthe destructive patterns of exploitation and unpro-fessional treatment that characterize the treatment ofpart-time/adjunct faculty are being mirrored in theseother personnel trends.

The AFT is committed to working on every front to

restore high-quality, professional personnel practicesin higher education. Before long, we will preparepublications on the need for solid standards of goodpractice in the employment of temporary nontenure-track faculty as well as graduate employees.

In addition, high on the union’s agenda will be arenewed effort to restore the ranks of full-timetenured faculty positions. The AFT and its local affili-ates have worked in state legislatures and at the bar-gaining table to increase the number of and fundingfor full-time tenure lines and to establish reasonableratios between part-time and full-time faculty. Someof these efforts have succeeded (see AFT’s MarchingToward Equity), but much remains to be done. Inresponse, the AFT is planning to propose model statelegislation that would establish a formula to deter-mine when an academic department needs to createnew full-time tenured faculty positions. Our union iscommitted to restoring a healthy balance in the fac-ulty corps that sustains our nation’s higher educa-tion.

Conclusion

For more information about the AmericanFederation of Teachers’ work onpart-time/adjunct faculty issues,visit the AFT Higher EducationWeb site atwww.aft.org/higher_ed.


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