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ECCFA Membership Form DOC
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ECC AdjunctFAQ DOC
ECC AdjunctFAQ PDF

Faculty Evaluation Handbook PDF
Load and Overload Assignments PDF

ECC Adjunct Frequently Asked Questions
(DRAFT 09/12/07)

1. How do I qualify for Unit Adjunct Faculty 1 (UAF1) and Unit Adjunct Faculty 2 (UAF2) status?

You can qualify for UAF1 status by teaching at least three credit or contact hours in a semester for two consecutive semesters. Once you teach here for two consecutive semesters and teach again the 3rd semester, you qualify as a UAF1.

UAF2 status is achieved in one of two ways:

• a. teach at least twelve credit or contact hours for three out of four consecutive years beginning with your first semester of adjunct employment
• b. teach at least six credit or contact hours per semester for six of eight consecutive semesters

Courses taught in the summer and courses taught in an independent study format do not count toward UAF1 or UAF2 status.

Once qualified, you become a full member and gain voting rights by signing a union card. If you choose to not become a member, the Fair Share clause of the contract (2.10) states that dues will be deducted from your salary, even if you do not elect to join. Additionally, any adjunct faculty member who is qualified for unit status but declines to join will have no voting rights in the unit.

2. Can counselors and librarians qualify for UAF1 or UAF2 status?

Yes. Since counselors and librarians work on an hourly basis, the requirements also shift to hours. To qualify as UAF2, adjunct counseling and library faculty must work at least 596 hours per 12-month period for three out of four consecutive years.

3. Who keeps track of whether or not you are eligible for UAF1 or UAF2 status?

Ostensibly, this is the job of the Human Resources department at ECC. However, with so many adjunct faculty members to keep track of, some details do get looked over. If you feel you qualify for unit adjunct status but have not been recognized, you should contact your ECCFA senator and the Human Resources office.

4. Once eligible how do I join the ECCFA?

If all goes as planned, the Human Resources department will notify the ECCFA membership coordinator that you are eligible to join. At that point, you should be contacted by the membership coordinator and given the opportunity to sign a membership card and become a member.

5. What is the difference between UAF1 and UAF2?

Once qualified, there are three primary areas of difference — compensation (see the table at the end of this document), minimum credits guaranteed (see question #6), and benefit levels (see question #7).

6. How many credit hours am I entitled to in each category?

You are entitled to a minimum of 3 credits per semester as a UAF1 and 6 credits per semester as a UAF2. UAF2 counselors and librarians are entitled to a minimum of 14 hours per week during the academic year, and an additional 126 hours during the rest of the year.

The Reduction in Force clause of the contract (4.22) states that full-time faculty are guaranteed their courses plus one overload, then UAF2 are guaranteed their 6 credits, then UAF1, and finally non-unit adjuncts. Before any unit member (adjunct or full-time) is laid off, all non-unit adjuncts are released, then any voluntary overload for full-time faculty. In the event that there are still no courses available for which you are qualified, UAF1 positions are eliminated before UAF2, and UAF2 positions are eliminated prior to full-time positions. If such an event were to occur, courses would be assigned by seniority.

7. What is the benefit of each level of union status?

Both UAF1 and UAF2 members are granted sick days, funds for professional development and expense, tuition reimbursement, as well as higher salaries than non-unit adjunct faculty.

* Sick days do accumulate for both UAF1 and UAF2 members, though UAF1 may only use a maximum of 2 per semester, and UAF2 may only use a maximum of 3 per semester. (The effect of the accumulation is receiving credit for unused sick days through the State University Retirement System — SURS.)

* * Tuition reimbursement applies to the faculty member, spouse, and children under 25. Only credit courses may be taken and a “C” or better must be earned.

Both UAF1 and UAF2 members also receive many of the same benefits as full-time faculty. In particular, the 2007-10 contract has language regarding domestic partners. In essence, it redefines the word “spouse” to include domestic partners. For more information on which parts of the contract apply to UAF1 and UAF2, check out sections 8.1 and 10.12, respectively.

8. How much does being a union member cost?

ECCFA dues are adjusted each year. In 2006/07, the UAF1 and UAF2 dues were $176 per academic year. Unfortunately, neither the IFT nor the AFT have a separate tier for adjunct faculty who teach less than 6 hours per semester (our UAF1), so we have no option but to charge each group the same.

9. Do I get to choose which classes I want to teach and the times I teach them?

No. You are only guaranteed the minimum number of credits, not which course. Many departments try very hard to give each faculty member the courses they request, but this is not always possible. Also, you may only teach those courses for which you are qualified to teach according to ECC’s minimum qualifications document. (available on eNet – Administrative Procedure 5.103)

10. Do I have to hold office hours?

Yes. Both UAF1 and UAF2 members are required to hold a minimum of 1¼ office hours for each 3 credits taught. For instance, a UAF member teaching a single 3-credit course that meets one day per week might designate the 45 minutes before the class and 30 minutes after the class as office hours.
See section 8.3 in the contract for more details. (Section 8.3 also applies to UAF1 members.) Office hours are not required during the summer term.
You should notify your dean’s office of your chosen office hours. You should also notify your dean’s office if you will not be available during any of your designated office hours.

11. Am I required to serve on committees?

No, although if adjunct participation is requested by the administration on a college committee, any UAF participants will receive a stipend of $25 per committee meeting hour.

12. Is the evaluation process different?

Yes. Non-unit adjunct faculty members are evaluated every semester – usually by a full-time faculty member. UAF1 members who have been employed for 2-5 semesters are evaluated annually. UAF1 members who have taught 6 semesters or more are evaluated biannually.

UAF2 members are evaluated triennially (as are tenured full-time faculty). UAF2 members must also submit a self-evaluation annually. (The annual self-evaluation is not required of UAF1 members.) More information about these processes can be found in the Faculty Evaluation Handbook on eNet.

13. Are there any funds available for any unique supplies or equipment that we might wish to purchase?

General classroom and office supplies, e.g. markers, erasers, printer paper for use in your classroom or office, are generally supplied by your department. If you require something out of the ordinary, check with your instructional coordinator to see if there are any ECC funds that can be made available for the purchase.
As an alternative you may wish to consider using you professional expense fund to pay for a unique purchase. UAF1 professional expense funds are included in the instructor's last paycheck of the semester. Full-time and UAF2 instructors must submit a request to their Dean's office using a form available on eNet for their professional expense fund expenditures.

14. What if you are ill and cannot teach your class - are there any sick days available? What about deaths in your family? Are there provisions to be made if you must go out of town and will be gone several days?

As stated in question #7, UAF1 and UAF2 members are each granted sick days. These sick days may be used in the event of a death in the family. In the event of an extended absence due to illness, both UAF1 and UAF2 members may apply for extra sick days from the faculty sick leave bank. The sick bank application forms are available on eNet.

15. What is the pay rate for substituting for other teacher's classes?

As per the new contract, substituting is paid at a rate equal to the Lane II Step 2 UAF2 counselor and librarian hourly rate. For 2007, this rate is $38.81/hr.

16. Is there any money available for advanced course work?

Yes. As outlined in question #7, both UAF1 and UAF2 members have professional development/ expense funds, but they differ greatly. UAF1 members are given a $100 stipend every semester for professional expenses. These funds should be in the last paycheck of the semester. UAF2 members have $200 through the dean’s office each semester to use toward professional development or expense. If this money is not used, it is deposited in the Unit Adjunct Professional Development fund.

This fund is new in the 2007-2010 contract. Funds are granted on a competitive basis, and applications should be made through the Faculty Development Committee. For more information, visit the eNet page http://enet.elgin.edu/issindex2.asp?id=262. Since this particular fund is so new, the amount granted and the mechanics of the applications may be in flux. Be patient and persistent.

17. Are there any health insurance benefits for adjunct faculty?

As part-time employees at ECC, the only current health insurance option through the college is the Lifestyles plan, which you may purchase at your own cost. Many adjunct faculty, however, find the premiums unmanageable. As part of a Letter of Agreement in the 2007-10 contract, the Insurance Committee will be investigating other options and presenting those to the ECCFA and the administration by July 1, 2008.

18. Since state employees in Illinois don’t pay in to Social Security, do they contribute to any sort of retirement plan?

Yes. All ECC faculty contribute 8% of their salaries to the State University Retirement System (SURS).

19. What rights of protection for my position do I receive from my union when I enter the union?

As outlined in question #6, members of the union are guaranteed a minimum number of credits on a seniority basis. Members of the union also have the protection of the union via a grievance procedure as outlined in the contract. In addition, UAF1 and UAF2 are represented on the ECCFA Senate, and vote as equals with all other unit members during full meetings of the ECCFA.

20. What are the rights/privileges of a non unit adjunct position?

Federal and State labor laws provide only minimal protection for migrant, itinerant and part-time employees. Adjunct faculty who are not members of the unit have no additional rights or privileges.

21. If I have a question regarding the union (ECCFA), whom should I contact?

You should contact your ECCFA senator. There should be information regarding your representative on the ECCFA website. You should be notified at some point which senator you should contact. If not, you can contact the ECCFA membership coordinator and ask for the name of your senator. Of course, you may also contact any officer of the ECCFA, your instructional coordinator, or a member of your department.