Welcome to The CPFA Blog

We’ve collected a variety of original news stories and analyses for your perusing, which focus on education in California, part-time faculty and/or unions in academia that have broad national appeal. As might be expected, we take special interest in social justice issues that slip under the radar of the mainstream media.

Please see our Submit Content to the CPFA Blog to add your voice to the growing chorus calling for equity for part-time faculty in higher education.

Governor’s Veto of AB 2277: A Missed Opportunity Based on Speculative Costs

By Scott Douglas, CPFA SoCal Regional Representative In September 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 2277, which proposed increasing part-time faculty workloads in California Community Colleges from 67% to up to 85% of the full-time faculty load. Newsom’s veto was based on concerns about "potentially significant costs," which seem ...
/ e-Newsletter, Legislation

The One-Tier Concept for Advancing Student Success and Achieving Faculty Equality

By Cynthia Mahabir, Laney College | Originally published in FACCCTS, Fall 2024 The Problem There’s a fundamental weakness in our California Community College system that impairs student success. Fortunately, there’s also a prospective solution. At the core of these harms is student success. The problem is the two-tier division of ...

COCAL XV Examines the Issues Confronting Contingent Faculty

by David Milroy The Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL) is a network of North American union activists who have worked for over 30 years to defend higher education rights and improve work conditions for contingent academic labor by bringing together activists from numerous unions across the United States, Mexico, ...
/ CPFA Journal, Publications

Chair’s Report, Fall 2024

By John Martin On September 15, 2024, Governor Newsom vetoed – yet again – a popular bill that easily passed out of both the Assembly and Senate: AB 2277, which would have raised the current workload cap on part-time faculty from 67% to 85% of a full-time workload statewide. This ...
/ CPFA Journal, Publications

Fair Retirement Benefits for Adjunct Instructors in California

By Caleb Castaneda Many CalSTRS Retirees who were career adjunct instructors in California’s Community College system continue to report that their pension benefits are insufficient to even pay for rent in their area. It is easy to see why this is. Since CalSTRS benefits are based primarily on two factors ...
/ CPFA Journal, Publications

Sick Leave Can Increase Your Service Credit Toward Retirement But It Is Being Unfairly Calculated For Part-time Faculty In Some Districts

by Curtis Williams As a part-time member enrolled in the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), what happens to my sick leave balance when I retire? Most of us have heard it can add to your total service credit at retirement from CalSTRS, but the details can be confusing. Part-time ...
/ CPFA Journal, Publications

Newsom again rejects increasing workload of community college adjuncts

Originally published by EDSOURCE on Monday September 23, 2024 1:37 pm Gov. Gavin Newsom has again vetoed a bill designed to increase the allowable workloads of adjunct community college instructors, citing potential cost increases. The legislation, AB 2277 by Assemblymember Greg Wallis, R-Palm Springs, would have raised the possible workload ...
/ AB 2277, Legislation

CFT Pushes Forward on a Vision of a One-Tier/Unified Faculty Model

By Geoff Johnson, Originally published on July 30, 2024 at CFT.org CFT’s One-Tier Task force and CFT members, after over eight months of discussion, has created a definitive list of basic components deemed essential for what a one-faculty model should look like in the California community college system. The work ...

CPFA Chair John Martin Testifies before Senate Higher Ed Committee on AB 2277 (Wallis)

Transcript of John Martin Testimony on AB 2277 Senate Standing Committee on Education Sacramento, CA
July 3, 2024 Good Morning. Thank you for allowing me to give testimony here in front of your Policy Education Committee today. My name is John Martin and I teach at two different rural community college ...
/ Newsworthy

A Unified Faculty Model

A Unified Faculty Model: The Remedy for Decades of Failed Education “Reform” in the California Community Colleges[1] By Dr. Debbie Klein
Department of Social Science, Gavilan College ABSTRACT The California Community Colleges (CCC) system plays a pivotal role as an engine for economic and social mobility in California and ...

CPFA Wants to Amplify Your Voice on Part-Time Faculty Issues

Writing, Visuals, or Multimedia CPFA is seeking creative and impactful submissions that relate to part-time labor issues. We’re looking for diverse voices and formats to spark conversation and inspire action. What We’re Looking For:
  • Essays, poems, short stories, book reviews, insightful articles, and more.
  • Photography, graphic design, illustrations, and ...
/ CPFA Journal, Publications

Part-time Healthcare and AB 190 

What Management Says Vs. the Truth By Geoff Johnson The money will go away, or it’s uncertain.  Truth: The governor personally pushed for the inclusion of the 200 million dollars in ongoing funding into the state budget which was supported and adopted by the governor. For the money to go ...

2024 Chair’s Report

Assembly Bill 2277 (Wallis), our bill to raise the part-time teaching cap from 67% to 85% of a full-time course load, is now going through the political process in Sacramento. (For more on this bill, see Scott Douglas’ article, as well as the Asm Wallis Fact Sheet in this Journal.)  ...

Rehire Rights and Raising the Cap

CPFA is sponsoring AB-2277 (Wallis) to raise the part-time teaching limit from 67% to 85% of a full-time teaching load. If successful, this would allow for the possibility of a part-timer teaching as much as 12 semester units for a single district. The current limit is 10 units. While 2 ...