Events - Event View

For decades, colleges and universities have been arranging for an increasing number of classes to be taught by job-insecure, poorly compensated teachers; and not full-time well-compensated job secure tenured professors.  Why has this been happening? Who benefits/who is harmed? What has been the response of faculty unions? Are they acting to end two-tier contracts? What is the impact on students? The differences in the conditions of part-time/adjunct professors and tenured professors, the fight against our two-tier system, and an actual alternative will be discussed.  Following the panel will be time for audience questions and comments.

Panelists
Ann Robertson was a part-time contingent faculty member at San Francisco State University for four decades and is now emeritus. She continues to serve on the Executive Board of the faculty union, the California Faculty Association, and has spent years organizing contingent faculty.
Carol Lang has been teaching history part-time for 15 years mostly at the City University of New York. She is a delegate in her union and has been actively fighting to improve the conditions of part-time faculty and facing resistance from her union leadership. She has fought for other issues that reflect her concern for the liberation of the working-class including divestment from weapons going to Palestine.
Frank Cosco is a member of Vancouver Community College faculty union’s executive, bargaining and steward groups in both leadership and member roles for over three decades.  He is currently President of the VCCFA. He has taught English as a Foreign and as an Additional Language in Vancouver, Montreal, Italy and Japan.
Note: The Vancouver Community College faculty contract is a positive one-tier alternative to the two-tier conditions that will be discussed.
Rick Baum is a member of AFT 2121 and has been teaching Political Science part-time in numerous Bay Area colleges for over forty years. He has been active in struggles at City College of San Francisco.