Write Assemblymember Jose Medina today!

Medina introduced CFT-sponsored Assembly Bill 897 which would change the percentage of hours a part-time faculty member may teach up to 85 percent of the hours per week of a full-time employee having comparable duties.

Download the letter and add your own voice!

The Honorable Jose Medina
Chair, Assembly Higher Education Committee
1020 N Street, Room 173
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: Assembly Bill 897                     

Dear Assemblymember Medina:

The CFT thanks you for introducing Assembly Bill 897 which would change the percentage of hours a part-time, temporary employee may teach up to 85 percent of the hours per week of a full-time employee having comparable duties.

Existing law, known as the “67 percent law” limits the teaching load of part-time temporary faculty to 67 percent of the hours that constitute a full-time faculty assignment. A full-time teaching load is defined as the number of in-class hours that a contract/full-time faculty member must fulfill in order to earn a full salary, benefits, and tenure. These required teaching hours vary according to the teaching discipline. A full-time teaching load for each discipline is negotiated by the local community college district; however, on average a full-time load is 15 units.

Current law requires that an individual employed to teach adult or community college courses for 67 percent or less of the hours per week considered a full-time assignment, excluding substitute service, be classified as a temporary employee and not become a contract employee.

Under the 67 percent threshold, many faculty members teach in multiple community college districts at the same time to piece together a full-time schedule (so called “freeway flyers”), limiting their ability to participate in the campus community and be a resource to students.

AB 897 would change the percentage of the full-time equivalent load to the range of 80 percent to 85 percent, for any new agreement, or upon expiration of any negotiated agreement in effect on January 1, 2020. For these reasons, we support “AB 897 and ask for an “AYE” vote.

Sincerely,
[Member name]
[Address, city and zip]

Paper letters matter in the Legislature! Download this Word doc to send your letter.