2010 CFT Resolutions for Higher Ed

California Federation of Teachers • CONVENTION 2010 

Click here to read all resolutions passed at the 2010 CFT Convention.

Resolution 18 

End the casualization of academic labor 

Submitted by the Educational Issues Committee 

Committee: Professional Issues Higher Education 

Whereas, the conditions of employment for teachers in higher education have drastically shifted over 

the past 40 years; and 

Whereas, those shifts have been away from full-time tenure track (FTTT) employment of faculty, 

and toward contingent, part-time employment of faculty (casualization), aimed at increasing 

flexibility and maneuverability for administrations in increasingly dire financial straits; and 

Whereas, those shifts have reduced compensation, and have reduced and often eliminated 

employment security, benefits and decent working conditions for contingent faculty; and 

Whereas, these same shifts have also made conditions more and more difficult for FTTT faculty to 

fulfill their roles as educators; and 

Whereas, the casualization of academic employment has negatively affected the education of 

millions of Americans who pass through our colleges, community colleges (credit and non-credit), 

adult education, and universities, working hard to build the knowledge necessary to be full 

participants in a democratic society; and 

Whereas, the casualization of academic employment stands as a central obstacle to any and all 

efforts to overcome the challenges faced by higher education institutions today; and 

Whereas, the economies of California and the United States of America have moved into major 

crisis due to fundamental changes in technology and policies which guarantee the enrichment of a 

tiny sector of our population at the expense of the vast majority; and 

Whereas, this crisis has been used to justify massive cuts to all of public education including early 

childhood, K-12, universities, colleges and community colleges; and  

Whereas, this crisis indicates no basis for genuine recovery in the foreseeable future; and 

Whereas, the corporate forces which have benefited from the casualization of academic and many 

other forms of employment, and from this crisis, show no interest in truly advancing the cause of 

public education and have, indeed, used the crisis to advance the demise of public education in favor 

of the corporatization of education and all other tools and resources of American society; and 

Whereas, these same forces are mounting a clear effort to undercut democracy and impose a 

corporate tyranny on the great people of America;  

Therefore, be it resolved, that the California Federation of Teachers challenges directly the 

casualization of academic employment, insisting that from here forward all faculty in institutions of 

higher education shall be offered full or part-time tenure track employment after a suitable period of 

probation, which shall be retroactively applied and considerate of preferred hiring status, and shall be 

employed with the same rights of employment security, equal pay for equal work, full access to 

healthcare, retirement and other benefits, and enjoy the same conditions of work and rights of 

participation in joint governance, campus life and the like; and 

Be it further resolved, that the CFT pursue an active campaign to this effect, making such campaign 

an integral part of the growing fight to defend public education as a right of all humans in all places, 

without exception, by: 

a.  Within two months of the passing of this resolution, its contents and supporting report will be 

circulated throughout higher education communities in California 

b.   Within two months of passing, this resolution will be publicized by means of all available 

media through press conferences 

c.  In addition to publicity, the CFT shall recruit from among its ranks a task force to develop the 

grassroots campaign required to bring this to fruition. This shall be started within two months 

following passage of this resolution; and 

Be it further resolved, that the CFT joins with other organizations, including the AFT, in pursuit of 

these goals, and will actively support efforts toward these mutually held goals; and 

Be it finally resolved, that the CFT submit this resolution to the AFT Convention in July. 

Resolution 19 

Support pro rata pay schedule for part-time faculty 

Submitted by the Part-time Faculty Committee 

Committee: Professional Issues Higher Education  

Whereas, part-time faculty are required to hold the same academic credentials and qualifications to 

teach the same courses as their full-time colleagues; and 

Whereas, part-time faculty are spending the same number of non-classroom hours as their full-time 

colleagues preparing lessons and grading assignments; and 

Whereas, part-time faculty salaries should accurately reflect the actual work performed both in and 

out of the classroom, including, but not limited to, regularly scheduled office hours; and 

Whereas, an hourly pay schedule for part-time faculty instructional work radically under-represents 

to governing boards and the general public the actual work being performed by part-time faculty 

members; and 

Whereas, different types of community college instruction incur different numbers of classroom 

hours per week per full-time equivalent load, resulting in inequities and errors in salary and service 

credit reporting when salary is based on classroom hours; and  

Whereas, repeated problems have occurred, and continue to occur, with accurate calculation and 

reporting of service credits from districts to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System and 

from CalSTRS to part-time faculty members, with particular detriment to part-time faculty members 

who work in more than one district; and 

Whereas, these problems with CalSTRS reporting could be dramatically resolved by a full-time 

equivalent percentage-based reporting system; and 

Whereas, part-time faculty salaries in the University of California and California State University 

systems, as well as in most K-12 districts, are calculated and reported for all purposes as FTEs;  

Therefore, be it resolved, that California Federation of Teachers pursue legislation requiring that 

part-time faculty be placed onto the same district salary schedule as their full-time colleagues on the 

basis of academic preparation and years of experience in a manner that bears the same relationship to 

placement of full-time instructors on the schedule; and 

Be it further resolved, that part-time faculty salary is to be calculated, stated on payroll notices and 

class assignments, and reported to CalSTRS as a percentage of full-time salary. 

Resolution 20 

Limiting full-time faculty overload  

    Submitted by the Part-time Faculty Committee 

Committee: Professional Issues Higher Education  

Whereas, workload issues for faculty have been debated and agreed upon by local collective 

bargaining agreements in support of educational soundness and institutional viability; and 

Whereas, the assignment of excessive course overloads to full-time faculty in the community 

colleges can be detrimental to the quality of instruction, to the performance of professional duties, to 

the work of institutional development, and therefore harmful to the education of students; and 

Whereas, the quality of instruction would be significantly improved if restrictions were placed on the 

assignment of excessive course overloads to full-time faculty in the community colleges;  

Therefore, be it resolved that henceforth full-time faculty in a single community college shall be 

restricted to their full-time workload plus no more than 0.8 overload per academic year. Such 

limitations would not supersede more stringent restrictions that already exist in locally bargained 

agreements; and 

Be it further resolved, that CFT pursue legislation implementing these restrictions on course 

assignments for full-time faculty for the educational benefit of the students of California’s 

community colleges.