JOB PROTECTION AND SENIORITY PROVISIONS FOR CONTINGENT FACULTY

WHEREAS, the AFT executive committee resolved to address the academic staffing crisis (June 2006) by initiating a national campaign to provide equity in compensation, respect and professional treatment of the existing contingent faculty; and

WHEREAS, the AFT has raised consciousness about the situation of contingent faculty in resolutions and in its many publications, such as The Vanishing Professor (1998); First Principles: A Commonsense Campaign for Opportunity, Quality and Accountability in Higher Education (1997); and Standards of Good Practice in the Employment of Part-time/Adjunct Faculty (2002); and

WHEREAS, the AFT has established a sophisticated data bank of information as to national practices; and

WHEREAS, contingent members recognize that job security in the form of seniority provisions and due process for current part-time teaching and nonteaching faculty is a requisite element in making further gains in equity; and

WHEREAS, seniority provisions for contingent faculty have been achieved by several colleges and universities affiliated with the AFT, but the majority of colleges and universities have yet to institute job security protections for contingent faculty:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers publicize and disseminate best practices for job security and seniority achieved by affiliates; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT work with its Contingent Advisory Committee and Higher Education Program and Policy Council to develop strategies that assist affiliates in achieving seniority provisions for long-serving contingent faculty.