Ensuring that Students are Aware of Our Plight

MATC's Clarion presents the facts of our pending lawsuit.

Yet They Want the Taxpayers to Believe They Can't Afford Us...

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that:

The Madison Area Technical College district board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a resolution of intent to borrow up to $150 million for a building expansion.
The resolution is a legally mandated first step toward putting the question to voters as a referendum on the November ballot. The college will have a public hearing about the resolution Sept. 8, and the board will subsequently decide whether the referendum will appear on the ballot.
The money would fund the first phase of the college's facilities master plan, which includes a new health building, the creation of a southern or western campus and an expansion of current facilities.
Under state law, technical colleges must hold referendums before completing any capital project that costs more than $1.5 million.

Where exactly do the administration's priorities lie?

More P/t Union Media Mentions

• The On Campus blog picked us up.
• WisPolitics gives us a shout.
• The Campus Connection blog continues to offer support.

Inside Higher Ed Questions Who Gets Bumped?

Inside Higher Ed tackles the full-time vs. part-time debate head on in this article.

They get opinions from other part-time teachers groups:

Keith Hoeller, co-founder of the Washington State Part-Time Faculty Association, who has worked on the issue of adjuncts' rights to class sections, said that "one of the most common and corrupt practices" in higher education today "is letting the tenure-stream faculty teach overloads, while refusing to let the part-time faculty teach even up to full time." He said that "this regressive practice prevents adjuncts from ever qualifying for tenure, and robs them of money and benefits."

The split at Madison reflects one of the most challenging issues facing faculty leaders who are worried about an erosion of tenure-track, full-time jobs -- namely how to reverse the erosion without taking away the jobs on which adjuncts rely.

And an honest look at the heart of the division:

"The only resolution to this dilemma, to the contradiction of interests, is giving part-timers a predictable path into the full-time cohort," but since that's not happening due to the economy, "we're going to see more" conflicts like the one playing out in Madison, said Richard Boris, director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, at the City University of New York’s Hunter College.

Take time to view the comments section and add your own.

Wisconsin State Journal's Lawsuit Coverage

This recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal sheds a lot of light on how the MATC administration and full-time faculty view part-timers:

But college officials say that the new system ensures that more courses will be taught by full-time teachers, which they say is better for students.

How is it better for students to be led by an overworked teacher?  How is it better that an equally qualified educator is locked out of the system for merely not having the opportunity to work full-time?  This singular statement shows that we are viewed as less than adequate - we simply exist in their eyes to take up the slack and balance a budget that is teetering on the edge.

Part-time faculty currently teach more than 25 percent of courses, said Joe Lowndes, president of the full-time union.
"It's our long-standing position that full-time faculty are the best for the institution," Lowndes said.

We have not only the legal high ground in this situation, but the moral and ethical as well.  It is simply wrong to disrespect and mistreat your supposed colleagues, full time union.  Shame on you.

Local 6100 Files Unfair Labor Practices Lawsuit Against MATC

The unfair labor practice complaint is based on the college's unilateral implementation of a new course assignment process which allows full-time faculty to assign themselves up to 40% overload, before any courses are assigned to probationary part-time faculty (2/3 of our membership). The negative impact to our membership is simply too large to let this change happen. In addition, philosophically, the notion that it is more important that a well-paid full-timer receive overload than it is for a part-timer get his or her basic assignment is simply unconscionable.

A full FAQ is availble on the P/t Union website.

To give a little perspective to what this change means, note that full time faculty voluntary overload costs the college between $6000-$7000 per course. The displaced part-time faculty cost the college about $2500 per course.

Check back with this blog and the P/t Union website often for more updates and links to local coverage.