THIS is the space for part-time faculty members to catch up on all the important current news!

Calling all part-time faculty – yet again! Please sign the part-time faculty health benefits petition that can be found in the part-time offices in C109 and C417!

Thank you, part-time faculty, who responded to the e-mailed health survey! See below for the results. This information assists us with a path forward to securing some form of a health benefits option to as many part-time faculty as possible. We will keep you informed in the coming weeks and months about developments.

The FA is currently in contract negotiations with the District. We will continue to have updates for you as the fall semester progresses. We are working towards increases in compensation and benefits and various improvements to working conditions.
Among the goals:

• More movement toward part-timer pay parity;
• More clarity and fairness in the part-timer reappointment rights section of the contract (Article 18) and more favorable teaching scheduling priority policies;
• More office hours;
• Part-time faculty health benefits

Good news from Sacramento: AB 463 (Assembly Member Cervantes) and will benefit any full-time or part-time faculty member with student loans wishing to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to reduce oneÕs student loan debt. This new law requires all Districts to credit faculty enrolled in the PSLF for “3.5 hours worked” for every hour that faculty member spends in the classroom. The bill also requires faculty to be credited with a 1-to-1 hourly credit of service for all non-instructional assignments. Faculty wishing to participate in the PSLF should contact Human Resources next semester when the new law will have taken effect.

Unfortunately, not all the news from the recent legislative session was good. Assembly Member Medina’s closely watched bill AB 897 died in the Appropriations Committee. The bill would have raised the current 67% upper-limit cap on part-time faculty loads to 85% of a full-time load. Nonetheless, raising the cap for part-time faculty remains a priority and has the support of the many faculty associations as well as allies among other educational unions and organizations. This bill is now a two-year bill, so it will be brought to the legislature again next year and, with broad support, it stands a chance of becoming law in the next legislative cycle.

Now, let’s get down to brass tacks…

WARNING!! Watch out for e-mails that urge you to do extra non-contractual work, extra “training” or data compilation or extra grading, etc. Those extra activities have not been negotiated and you are in NO WAY required to do them. Questions? E-mail facultyassociation@gmail.com

In order to help the FA work for you, we also need your support. Go to https://pccfacultyassociation.org/ to fill out the FA membership form ASAP so that you can participate!
Did You Know that ONLY FA members can:

• 1) vote on the contract;
• 2) vote for FA Board members;
• 3) run for a position on the FA Board.

Get involved now – join, and participate, because we are stronger together! Best wishes for finals week and a nice winter recess and happy holidays!