MATC Part-time Faculty

MATC P/t Union Steward Elections

2011-04-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

The candidates for open steward positions at the various MATC campuses have written statements of intent and introduction so we can get to know them a little better. Click the pics below to enlarge and read each statement:

Temporary Injunction Issued Against MATC in Unfair Labor Lawsuit

2010-11-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

The following letter was issued late last week by the P/t Union regarding our ongoing legal struggle with the MATC administration. Click the image to enlarge.

Ensuring that Students are Aware of Our Plight

2010-08-31T10:38:00.001-07:00

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

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

2010-08-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-08-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Hot Off the Presses - The Instructor

2010-07-23T06:52:00.001-07:00

(Click the images to enlarge.)

MATC Administration Audit

2010-07-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

or It's About Time!

Our good friend Deke Rivers over at Caffeinated Politics got the scoop on the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau's plans to Audit MATC.

The Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau decided on Wednesday that there will be an audit of the technical school system in the state. CP is waiting for the exact language outlining the scope of the audit. It was reported to me that MATC President Bettsey Barhorst was at the audit meeting on Wednesday and voiced strong opposition to any audit. Democratic Representative Marlin Schneider again stood up for the citizens and called out the reason such an audit was essential to be undertaken. If the head of MATC shows up with such energy to oppose an audit, there then seems even more reason to have one.

The Part-time Teacher's Union wonders what Mrs. Barhorst has to hide? Our hope is that this much overdue audit will shed some light on the real workings of a, thus far, very secretive organization.

A Retort to Bettsey Barhorst

2010-07-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

In response to the fear-inducing* letter sent out to all P/t Union members from the office of Bettsey Barhorst last week:

Dear Part-time Faculty Member,

Earlier this week, you likely received a letter from Bettsey Barhorst, encouraging you to contact the union leadership and encourage us to schedule a vote on ratification. The letter contains several factual inaccuracies, which we felt we should bring to your attention.

First, let’s concisely reiterate the reason we are delaying ratification. In April, the college entered into an agreement with the Full Time Union that allows full time faculty to bump probationary part-time faculty out of courses and to claim those courses as overload. Rather than openly and honestly informing us of this proposal while we were bargaining, the management concealed this information from us, and we were only able to discover the proposal when the full time union posted it on their website as part of their ratification packet. It is ironic that Ms. Barhorst now speaks of the obligations inherent in good faith bargaining.

As I indicated in the letter we sent on July 2, 2010, we attempted to prevent the ratification of this toxic provision through numerous means. These efforts were taking place parallel to our own bargaining process. At no time did we concede to this new course assignment language in bargaining. It never even came to the table. After the Board ratified the Full Time contract in April, we brought in outside legal counsel. We have never claimed that we were unaware of the provision. It has always been our contention that the full timer language constituted an unfair labor practice. It has always been our intention to contest it. I personally told the MATC Board of Trustees on both March 17^th and April 14^th that our union viewed that agreement as an unfair labor practice.

After reaching our various tentative agreements (TAs) with management, we again met with our outside legal counsel, Lester Pines, about the unfair labor practice claim. After researching the law, we concluded that ratifying the rest of the tentative agreements would be damaging to our unfair labor practice complaint.

The bottom line is that, as long as we have not ratified the TAs, management cannot claim that we have waived bargaining over the course assignment issue. If we have not ratified the TAs, we will probably win our unfair labor practice case. If we do ratify the TAs, we run the risk of losing the unfair labor practice case.

Not surprisingly, the management REALLY wants us to ratify the TAs. Also not surprisingly, they have refused to address the full time overload issue with us. Their offer to discuss the issue only after ratification is disingenuous. After ratification, we have little recourse if the college simply refuses to move on the issue.

As to the second page of Ms. Barhorst’s letter, I believe the best response is to simply share the rest of the information that she neglected to mention.

In the first paragraph, it is true that the college has always had assignment authority. The new agreement takes the authority to assign overload away from the Center Deans and grants it directly to the full time faculty. Voluntary overload has historically been compensated at rates ranging from the part-time course rate, to the regular full-time rate, and in very rare circumstances at 150% of the full time rate. Involuntary overload is paid at 150%, and is unaffected by the contested Memorandum of Understanding The agreement ended the practice in some centers of paying FT faculty at the part time rate for voluntary overload, and gave full time faculty control over the amount of overload they take. There is no way this agreement could be characterized as a “cost savings.” The attempt to characterize an agreement that takes courses away from part-time faculty at $2500/course and gives them to full-time faculty at $6000-7000/course as a “considerable saving to the taxpayers” simply does not comport with reality.

In her second paragraph, Ms. Barhorst seems to suggest that the union’s concern that the FT language will result in part-time faculty losing work is inaccurate. She suggests that this is because of a tentative agreement the college proposed which “clearly protects a level of work for bargaining unit employees.” The tentative agreement Ms. Barhorst references states that the college will establish a “target” of no less than 25% of the courses at the college being taught by part-time faculty. Currently, part-time faculty teach about 50% of the courses at the college. In addition, there is no clear recourse if the college falls below the “target.” The TA in question offers no protection against substantial job losses by PT faculty.

In her third paragraph, Ms. Barhorst suggests that a refusal to present the TAs for ratification is a “refusal to bargain.” An interesting position, coming from a management team that is refusing to negotiate over the course assignment language they attempted to unilaterally impose on the bargaining unit. Quite contrary to Ms. Barhorst’s assertion, the union is quite ready to bargain this issue with the administration and it is the administration that is refusing. In addition, I think most of you are sophisticated enough to know that “stalled salary increases” mean little when you aren’t working. Furthermore, I think most of you understand the concept of “back pay” in the event the contract was not settled before the fall semester.

In closing, in this letter Bettsey condescendingly suggests to you that she is a better judge and advocate of your interests than your union bargaining team. That she thinks you might actually buy that line tells you everything you need to know about her opinion of part-time faculty.

In Solidarity,

Mike Kent
President- MATC Part Time Teachers’ Union

*We occasionally like to use sarcasm on this blog. This would be one such occasion. Mrs. Barhorst - you cannot frighten us. We stand strong.

The Emperor Has No Clothes

2010-07-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

The following letter went out to all P/t Faculty earlier this week from the office of Bettsey Barhorst. Is the tone threatening? Is this truthful? We will give you a day to mull this over before posting Mike Kent's official response. (Note: blog administrator's name has been redacted.)

A Message from Mike Kent Regarding Contract Ratification

2010-07-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

The following was sent via email to all P/t Union members last week:

Hello Part-time Faculty Members,

At this point, you have received two communications from the union delaying the ratification vote on the tentative agreements between the college and the union. You are probably wondering why. The purpose of this letter is to explain the problem we have encountered and to inform you about the options the union is pursuing to overcome this latest challenge.

To understand the issue, you need a little history of our talks with management over the past 6 months.
You will recall that last fall we informed you we had reached an impasse with the management’s bargaining team on several key issues: job security, course scheduling and wages. We initiated mediation with the college, and were able to come to some agreements in a number of key areas. Job security and course assignments were a major source of disagreement, but we managed to settle on mutually agreeable language in December. By the end of December, the only negotiations that were taking place between the parties were the exchange of proposed final offers, dealing solely with the issue of wages. From January through April, we exchanged a number of proposals back and forth with management until we finally agreed on the wage proposal that was presented to you at the end of April.
What we didn’t know at the time we were negotiating, but later discovered, is that in February and March, 2010, management was negotiating new contract language with the full-time union that would change the way courses were assigned within the centers. The system that had existed previously gave full-time faculty first claim to all courses up to their normal full-time load. The classes that remained after the full-timers had their full load were then assigned to part-time faculty, and in some cases given to full-time faculty as “overload.” The Deans and Associate Deans of the centers were responsible to decide how the courses were distributed and could take into account such things as their budget, the past assignments given to full- and part-time faculty members, the expertise of the full- and part-time faculty members, student feedback, etc. Under this system, the managers were responsible for making decisions that were in the best interest of the students, the college and the taxpayers.
Under the new agreement, the authority to make these decisions has been taken away from the managers. The infamous Appendix U (which we brought to your attention via e-mail in April) set up a course assignment process that functioned like this:

1.) Full-time faculty receive their normal course load.

2.) Non-probationary part-time faculty receive their base assignments.

3.) All remaining courses are then offered to full-time faculty to take as overload, up to an additional 40% load (2-3 additional courses). Full-time faculty are not limited to their own departments, but may take any courses for which they could potentially obtain temporary certification, regardless of whether they have ever taught the course before.

4.) Probationary part-time faculty receive whatever is left.

This was obviously a profound change in the course assignment process. Probationary part-time faculty comprise two-thirds of our membership, and this new scheduling process put them all at substantial risk of losing their courses. (Probationary faculty are those who have taught for the college for fewer than 6 semesters.) The college essentially gave the full-time faculty the right to assign themselves overtime.

The agreement itself boggled the mind. The full-time overload rate averages $6000-$7000 dollars per course, plus additional retirement contributions (compared to $2500 for a part-time faculty member). A huge number of full-time faculty (up to one third) are approaching eligibility for either regular or early retirement. Faculty approaching retirement have high incentive to maximize their income for their last three years of employment. The extra load increases the benefits they receive under the Wisconsin Retirement System formula. This overload option means the maximum financial exposure for the college is up to $15 million dollars per year. Actual costs are likely to be in the $5-10 million dollar per year range and is not an unrealistic possibility. (For comparison purposes, the total cost of the wage package they offered us is $300,000 to $400,000/yr.)
There are a number of shocking aspects to this proposal. The insane misappropriation of tax payer resources, the impact on students, and the philosophical position that it is more important for the well-compensated full-time faculty to receive overload than it is for our grossly-underpaid regular members to receive even their basic course assignments.
The union took the following action in response to this proposal. We contacted the Full-time Faculty Union, AFT-WI and ultimately brought our concerns to AFT-National. I addressed the MATC Board twice, drawing their attention to the implications of this proposal. We asked the full-time faculty not to ratify this provision that was so harmful to our members. Ultimately, none of these efforts did any good.
In the mean time, we negotiated our economic settlement with management. Management never brought the new course assignment process to the table and never even told us they were negotiating it with the full-time faculty. We only discovered it after the full-time faculty announced the agreement.
After reaching our economic settlement, and after the Board ratified the full-time tentative agreements, we evaluated our options with respect to the course assignment language.

Wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment are legally known as “mandatory subjects of bargaining.” An employer cannot unilaterally change the status quo in any of these areas without bargaining with the union. Clearly, management’s agreement with the full-timers has an impact on our hours and terms and conditions of employment. To implement that change without bargaining it with us is an Unfair Labor Practice, which we could attack in court. This is our option of last resort.
Our dilemma is that if we ratify our contract without bargaining over this issue, management could take the position that we waived our right to bargain it, thus harming our Unfair Labor Practice claim. They could take this position, even though they never disclosed their intent to change the status quo on the course assignment process.
In our discussions with management, management has insisted that we ratify the tentative agreements as they stand. We have proposed a memorandum of understanding

(MOU) to deal with the course assignment process. We have attempted to deal with this demand by seeking an agreement with management that acknowledges that the ratification of the other Tentative Agreements (TA’s) would not constitute a waiver of the course assignment issue. Management has rejected these efforts. Our last proposal to management asked for a mutual understanding that by ratifying the tentative agreements we were agreeing to change the status quo in the manner described specifically in the TA’s and that we were not agreeing to modify the status quo in any manner not described in the TA’s. Management’s rejection of that language sent a strong signal that they intend to make the waiver argument.
Our efforts to engage AFT-WI and AFT-National to mediate the issue with the full-timers have been unsuccessful. Our perception of these organizations is that they simply value the full-time faculty more than they value us, and the full-time faculty union has no apparent interest in discussing the issue. Worse, last fall AFT-WI made thinly veiled threats that it would attempt to impose receivership on our union if we didn’t stop upsetting the apple cart with the full-time union. We have taken measures to protect our union and the part-time faculty members against such action and will be providing more information on these matters in later communications.
So, as the situation stands now, we have brought in outside legal counsel for the Unfair Labor Practice claim. We are attempting to schedule a final meeting with management, including legal counsel on both sides. If we fail to come to an agreement, we will be seeking an injunction against the implementation of the new course assignment process.
It is possible that this course of action will send us to arbitration on the contract, and it is possible that MATC will revert to an earlier final offer. The executive leadership of the union believes, nonetheless, that the course assignment issue is too important for too many of our members to surrender.
We will keep you posted on this issue, and other issues the union is facing this summer. Until then, we remain loyally, faithfully and diligently in your service.

In Solidarity,

Mike Kent, President

MATC Part-time Teachers’ Union

Forward Our Motto Congratulates the Part-time Union

2010-05-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

and had this to say:

Part-time or not, the teachers should be treated fairly. Good to see them get a good deal.

Thanks for the support. Full post here.

Capital Times Coverage

2010-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Campus Connection Blog at The Capital Times has a lengthy article regarding the past few months of negotiations that link back to this blog. The author, Todd Finkelmeyer, brings up some items of interest for the public at large:

If you are an area homeowner wondering how this deal might impact the amount of taxes you'll be sending to MATC, Roger Price, the school's vice president of infrastructure services, said he expects it'll have a "minimal effect."
Kent notes that over the next two years, the part-time teachers' new deal is expected to increase the college's operating budget by just 0.3 percent.

He also added a bit of perspective for anyone in doubt of the unfair treatment we've experienced over the years:

The college employs roughly 1,200 part-time teachers and about 450 full-timers.

Although these raises are significant, especially during the current economic crisis, part-timers argue they are long overdue as the gap between what they make and what the full-time faculty earn had widened too far.

The average part-time teacher at MATC, who receives no benefits, will earn about $2,600 per three-credit course during the 2009-10 school year. A full-time faculty member, meanwhile, gets an average of nearly $13,400 in total compensation (pay plus benefits).

To add perspective, Kent notes full-time faculty members at MATC are required to teach the equivalent of 10 three-credit courses per year -- which comes to an average of $133,972 in total compensation. If part-timers were allowed to teach the same amount, their pay would be $25,825.

This pay discrepancy so infuriated the part-time union that its members voted in September to allocate $100,000 to fund a "public education" campaign about its plight. Among other things, the union produced print ads, purchased air time and put up yard signs in an effort to make people aware of what it viewed as an unfair situation.

This is great press and a fair view of our efforts.

PrettyImportant.org Sends Congratulations

2010-04-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

One of our earliest online supporters, prettyimportant.org, posted this gem today:

The MATC part-time faculty (early allies of Pretty Important) has made significant gains in their quest for fair(er) treatment, relative to full-time teachers.
Congratulations, you work hard and deserved it. Your job is important.

Thanks again for all of your support and exposure.

The Badger Herald Heralds Our Victory

2010-04-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

Full article here:

Part-time teachers at Madison College may be seeing pay increases thanks to an agreement the college reached with the teacher’s union earlier this week.

After nearly a year of deliberation, Madison College agreed to allow part-time teachers a 3 percent annual pay increase and for those who have been employed longer than 13 years, a 12 percent pay increase each year over the course of the three-year contract.
Madison College Part-Time Teachers’ Union Vice President Robert Curry said the bump is substantial, but it still does not get part-time teachers even up to half of what full-time teachers make.
He said before the agreement, a full-time teacher would make $1 for every 18 cents a part-time teacher would make.

A big thanks to Bob Curry for all of his work in these efforts.

Big News: Tentative Agreement Reached with MATC Administration

2010-04-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

From the desk of MATC Part-Time Union President Mike Kent:

Good Morning Part-Timers!

I am pleased to announce that on Friday, 4/23/10, the union entered into tentative agreements with management on our remaining outstanding issues and we have averted formal arbitration this year.

While we still have work ahead of us to achieve our goal of true equity with the full-time faculty, the concessions offered by management were significant and of sufficient strategic value that the bargaining team decided it was in our union's best interest to lock them in.

The key feature of the economic package is the expansion of the number of longevity steps from 3 to 13. Under the old system, part-time faculty got a 2.75% longevity bonus about once every 3-4 years. Under the new system, faculty will receive a longevity bonus every year for years 1 through 13. The bonus starts out at 1.25% and increases to as high as 2.6% over the three-year course of the contract. The net result is that the average employee will see a 5.5% raise for 2010-11 and a 6.5% raise for 2011-12. The actual raise will vary based on the faculty member's longevity. The newest employees will be seeing raises closer to 3% in 2010-2011 and 3% in 2011-12, while the most senior people will see total raises of around 10-12% per year over the same time period. This difference is due to the effect of the system being implemented, and the difference in raises between newer and more senior faculty should not be as dramatic in the future.

A decent gain, particularly in this economy.

There were three key aspects of this approach that the union found valuable: 1.) the new system rewards sticking around, and turnover is our single greatest challenge, 2.) the new system matches the FT faculty pay schedule in number of steps, making it easier to directly compare the wages received by an individual PT faculty member to those of an identically-experienced FT faculty member, (it was also a philosophical concession on the issue of part-timer/full-timer comparability), 3.) and most importantly... this new system will create a formula-based pay increase of 2-3% per year that will be over and above any other negotiated raise... every year... forever... from now on. If we are able to bargain a 3% raise, most of our members will see a 5-6% raise. If we bargain 5%, most members will see 7-8%. The future benefit to the union is substantial.

The union has an update to the Excel pay calculator that will allow you to project how much you will receive under the new system. This new pay calculator will be posted on the union's website later today. To use it, you need to know the number of contact hours for your class, the number of semesters you have worked for MATC, your education level, and the average enrollment for the course (data available on a sheet in the calculator workbook). The calculator will show you what you will make in each year of the contract, and will also show you how far we have come in the last two contracts. For people who have been here a while, we have improved pay by almost $1000 for a 3-credit course.

We made other important gains in this contract as well. We will be sending around complete details and we will be scheduling presentations at each of the major campuses. The ratification meeting will be in early June (after the 30 day notice period). Look for an e-mail scheduling both the campus presentations and the ratification meeting.

Our fight is not over, but our cause is advancing.

Hope you have a good day.

In solidarity,

-Mike Kent

This is an amazing achievement for all Part-time Union Members. We would like to extend an enormous thank you to everyone involved in negotiations over the past months.

We should note that this agreement shows that the administration has given ground and modified their stance regarding the status of part-timers, but our work is not done. We will continue to lay the groundwork for future negations over the coming year(s).

Thanks again for all of the community support!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

The MATC Part-time Union would like to wish a happy new year to the Madison area and the interwebs at large. After nearly a month long haitus, we are glad to be back in action. The holidays allowed time to reflect on the past year, make plans for the future, and relish our families and friends.
We will have updates on our current state of affairs in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Christmas Ad Campaign

2009-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

The first installment of our College Carol ad campaign was published in the Wisconsin State Journal last week. Are the administration scrooges year-round?

New Date Set for Board Meeting

2009-12-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

The MATC District Board meeting has been rescheduled for December 17 at 4:00 PM in Truax Room 148D. All part-time union members are encouraged to attend. Remember we have power in numbers.
The general public is also invited to support our cause.

Clarion Article Online

2009-12-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

The full text of last week's MATC Clarion article is now online. Again, leave comments letting the administration know how we feel and to allow students a chance to hear our individual voices.

On Learning

2009-12-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. - John Cotton Dana

Part-time Faculty Shares Her Story

2009-12-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

MATC p/t faculty member Sue Faber shares her story with the Capital Times.

Dear Editor: I teach an ESL (English as a second language) course offered by Madison Area Technical College twice a week at the Lussier Community Education Center. Students in ESL levels one through five may enroll at any time, with more than 25 students enrolled this semester.

Normally, between 15 and 20 attend, ranging from those who cannot read any language to those who test at level four. Students are not required to purchase a text. Instead, the instructor develops curriculum materials for each student performance level from a range of resources.

For example, for last Tuesday’s class, I assembled a grocery bag of food items for teaching food vocabulary to the pre-literate/level one group, wrote three pages of dialogs for the level twos, and prepared two reading/writing projects for the level threes/fours. Luckily, I kept the class on schedule (no new students showed up to register) and we got everything done.

Does this sound like a challenging course to teach? It is. And yet Madison College entrusts this class to me, a member of the part-time faculty, someone who earns far less than half the pay of a full-time faculty member for a course of equal length.

Unlike many others, I do not have to support myself on a part-time instructor’s pay. Still, I feel exploited and undervalued as I follow the contentious negotiations between Madison College and the Part-Time Teachers Union. College President Barhorst has said I’m “not serious” about my work. And the college board wants to make an already-huge salary discrepancy between full-time and part-time faculty even bigger.

Perhaps college board members are simply out of touch with what part-time teachers deal with, gladly and professionally, every day. Maybe that’s why they persist in a business strategy that demoralizes and causes financial hardship to so many.

Sue Fieber

Madison

Sue made clear what all part-timers feel - that the administration has little respect for the work that we do. More letters like this sharing personal stories will be the key to ensuring that the public understands what part-time instructors do for our community.

Does Madison College Really Change Anything?

2009-11-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

The following text was taken directly from an email from Diane Walleser to MATC staff.

I wanted to update you on the work that is being done with the implementation of the new college logo. As you can imagine, it is a significant project with many components. I will lead the conversion project but will be working very closely with Tech Services, Divisional Business Analysts and all other college work units so we can have a successful implementation. We are still assessing scope and will not have our formal timeline completed until after the first of the year. We know you have many questions, so here is what we can share at this point:
1. Yes, it is okay to start using the logo. Logo style and usage guides are being developed and will be posted to the web for downloading and use by January 1st. If you have an immediate need please let me know and we can get an art ready logo to you.
2. We have a tentative goal of introducing the logo on level one and level two of the converted to new logo by January 1st. The deeper levels of the web will be changed out by the content managers when time and resources permit. Our goal would be to have MATC references removed from the Web site by the start of the Fall semester.
3. Tech Services is working on a plan for the conversion to madisoncollege.edu. In the interim please list realworldsmart.com as the college web address in any printed or web materials. This address will always redirect to our homepage and will be our transition address until our new address is ready for use.
4. We are currently working on a transition plan for employee and student emails. This is a critical part of the conversion and Tech Services is researching available alternatives. Since our email address will be changing sometime in the next six months you will want to limit your supplies of any new materials that list email addresses. As we work out the details we can be more specific on timing of the change so you can plan appropriately.
5. New letterhead, envelopes will be available after the first of the year and letterhead templates will be available on line. We will order business cards for Lead ship Council once we have our new email address confirmed.
6. We will be meeting with all work units on the transition. We will train you on the use of the new logo and help you develop a workable transition plan for your area. We will try and make the conversion as easy as possible and will share the unit conversion schedule once it is completed.
7. We are currently developing a FAQ for the website and a fact sheet for you to share with internal and external stakeholders. This fact sheet can be shared with community members, advisory groups and other groups and will help explain the process and rationale.
We will keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Please share this information with your staff. Thanks! Diane

It seems like the MATC Administration is spending a lot of resources on what amounts to a nickname change. The obvious question here is why? Couldn't those resources be better spent on programs that will help students? We should all take the time to contact the administration to let them know our frustration over the time and money spent on this frivolous change.

Today's Clarion Article Misrepresents Key Data

2009-11-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

An article that appeared in today's MATC Clarion mostly gets it right with a couple of exceptions. Apparently the administration supplied data that misrepresents key points of contention in the P/t Union contract negotiation.

*1.) Gwen Torkelson is quoted as saying that 77% of the part-time faculty have a seniority level of three years or more. This is categorically untrue. [We] have the raw employee data from the past school year that lists the seniority level of each teacher who was assigned a course. This data was provided to us by the college's payroll department. The breakout is as follows:

0 to 6 semesters seniority- about 63%

7 to 13 semesters seniority- about 15%

14 to 20 semesters seniority- about 7 %

21 + semesters of seniority- about 15%

One of our main messages all along has been that we want to improve part-time instructor retention. This would save in both training & recruiting costs and provide a better education from more experienced teachers.

*2.) [The Clarion] was provided with "data" that was incorporated into your chart on page 4, and it was presented in such a way as to make the result grossly misleading. The averaging salary for a newly hired full time instructor between 2006 and 2009 was $70,070, plus benefits worth $37,357 per year. That instructor, if teaching a full load will spend 500 hours in the classroom. The part time hourly figures you were given apply only to classroom hours. We are not paid for any work outside the classroom, even though it is expected and necessary (preparing for lecture, grading, etc.). The full time compensation model assumes that over an hour is spent outside the classroom for every hour spent inside the classroom. Only 15 hours of their work week, maximum, is actually spent in the classroom.

In addition, bear in mind that the starting salary average has been increasing , even the $70,070 figure is significantly lower than the average 2009 starting salary.

If you take that $70,070 and divide it by the number of hours the full time teacher spends actually physically present in the classroom, the hourly rate is $140.14/hr. With benefits, it is $214.85/hr. If part time faculty members were paid for time spent outside the classroom, then your comparison might be valid. Perhaps another way to look at it, if you want to use your numbers, is that full time faculty are paid for 2-3 hours of work for every hour spent in class, while part time faculty are only paid 1 hour for every hour spent in class.

We spend just as much time preparing outside of class as full time instructors, so why aren't we compensated as such?

*Note: Retort data complied by P/t Union President Mike Kent.

New Radio Spot

2009-11-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

We have a new radio ad that will be playing through the Thanksgiving weekend on WMGN (98.1), WIBA (1310), WOLX (94.9), and WTDY (1670). The spots will run during morning and afternoon drive times, so listen in to hear about what the MATC Part-time Teachers' Union is thankful for.

Looking for a Few Good Tweeters

2009-11-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Any union members who are interested in joining the @MATCPTUnion tweet group can leave a comment below and an administrator will contact you with information.
We want to make this a group effort - so the more, the merrier.

Retention Issues are a Problem at all Levels

2009-11-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

NPR's Morning Edition ran this story today regarding new recruits for Teach for America. This program brings recent college graduates to the K-12 classrooms that need them most.
One of the interviewees mentioned that one of the most difficult issues for the program is fear of teacher retention. The monetary cost of training coupled with the time needed to properly train on the job should be familiar issues for the MATC administration. Apparently they don't mind, though, because part-time instructor turnover continues to hover around the 40% mark - an unacceptable level if we are keeping the best interest of our students and community in mind.
That begs the question: Is the MATC administration really doing what is best for the community?

Now On Twitter

2009-11-21T21:56:00.001-08:00

That's right, folks - the MATC Part-time Teachers' Union is now on Twitter. Find and follow us @MATCPTUnion.
This will be a collaborative effort with many contributors from various union committees. We had hoped to add another dimension to our public face and social networking was the obvious next step. Please leave any feedback on the Twitter functionality either here or as retweets so that we can work out any bugs.
Thanks in advance.

On Methodology

2009-11-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself. - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Deep Thoughts

2009-11-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

It is the time of year were we, as a nation, reflect on the past months and consider their significance. In November, this means Thanksgiving and well-deserved time with friends and family. The MATC P/t Union would like to share a few things that we are thankful for:

Students who continue to teach us as we impart our skills to them.
Colleagues who support, inform, and challenge us.
A community that values our efforts to make a positive impact on the local economy.
The P/t Union bargaining team & committees who have worked so hard this year to bring equity and fairness to part-time instructors.

The holiday season can be a busy time, but we still have to keep up the good fight. Don't forget to contact the MATC Board to voice your concern over part-time faculty inequality.

Madison Area Technical College embarks on series of changes, not all of them popular

2009-11-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

That is the headline from this Wisconsin State Journal Online article. It looks like the community at large has a lot to say to the MATC Board of Directors.

But inevitably, the public has pushed back against some of decisions leaders are making at MATC, now known as Madison College.

As the college struggles to manage an 11 percent increase in enrollment this fall, it has had to make some tough cuts.

That includes quietly eliminating some adult continuing education courses, which are non-credit, skills based courses. Sometimes considered hobby courses, administrators say they need to make room for programs that will help people get jobs.

The P/t Union also had a voice at the November Board Meeting.

If administrators hope to convince the public to fund a major facilities expansion, they need to make sure not to alienate the people they count on for support, said Mike Kent, president of MATC's part-time teachers' union.

For instance, many of the people who take the continuing education courses are seniors - the same people who pay attention to community issues and vote in local elections.

"The college needs to be sensitive to the needs of all the different stakeholders in the community," Kent said. "The folks taking these courses are definitely a group the college needs to be sensitive to. People who are paying property taxes. People who are going to be voting in every election."

The college is also butting heads with Kent's group, which argues that the pay gap between part-time and full-time teachers is too large.

Make Sure the Board of Directors Hears Our Voice

2009-11-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Remember there is a board meeting on December 9 @ 5:30pm (Truax Board Room in the Administration Building). If you can make it to support the P/t Union efforts, please do. A showing of solidarity in this setting can make quite an impact.
Otherwise, continue to inundate the administration with email:

President, Bettsey Barhorst - BBarhorst@matcmadison.edu
Vice President, Roger Price - RWPrice@matcmadison.edu
Vice President, Terrance Webb - TSWebb@matcmadison.edu
Asst. to the Board, Ellen Hustad - EHustad@matcmadison.edu

Or snail mail:
MATC Board of Directors c/o
Ellen Hustad
Truax Campus
Madison Area Technical College
3550 Anderson Street
Madison, WI 53704

Message From Mike Kent - Newsletter Edition

2009-11-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

AFT Faculty and College Excellence

2009-11-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

AFT's Faculty and College Excellence (FACE) initiative is a national campaign to reverse the crisis in instructional staffing at our nation's colleges and universities. Through organizing, legislative advocacy and collective bargaining, FACE is designed to achieve two goals simultaneously:

Achieving full equity in compensation for contingent faculty members; and
Ensuring that 75 percent of undergraduate classes are taught by full-time tenure and tenure track faculty and that qualified contingent faculty have the opportunity to move into such positions as they become available.

The campaign goals are designed to be phased in over time to ensure that there is no job loss for contingent faculty currently working at a college or university. For more information about the FACE campaign, read our Call to Action.

Halloween Radio Spot

2009-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

Part-time Math

This radio ad aired in the weeks before halloween - better late than never online, right?

On Expertise

2009-11-05T19:54:00.001-08:00

An expert is a man who has made all of the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field. - Niels Bohr

Teaching Future Colleagues

2009-11-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

Many part-time instructors have full time jobs outside of MATC. Be they in manufacturing, government, health care, or the service industry, these instructors are experts in their chosen fields. They bring with them a skill set that is a reflection of the current state of the work environment. This alone is of great benefit to students and the general mission of MATC.
But, part-time instructors also have the foresight to realize that they are teaching their future colleagues. They have a vested interest in ensuring quality education and training because they may well depend on their students in some capacity in the professional world. Is this purely due to self interest? Of course not. What is good for the students is good for the long-term stability of their industry and the community.
A strong, well trained work force is a hallmark of the new economy - for jobs that cannot be outsourced, jobs that bolster local markets. Part-time instructors know what they are imparting to the next generation of laborers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers will have a lasting effect. So, help us help you.
Support MATC P/t Union!

Fearless Leader Mike Kent's Op-ed

2009-11-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Part-time Teachers' Union President Mike Kent's op-ed piece appeared in The Capital Times today. Holding his own question and answer session, he laid out the repurcussions of MATC continuing with the status quo in regard to p/t compensation.

"If part-time faculty are really being exploited, they should quit," you might say. They do. Over 30 percent of the 1,200 part-time faculty leave the school every year. More than 60 percent of the part-time faculty have less than three years of seniority with the school. Good, extremely well-qualified teachers leave the school every semester.

"Well, even if they are quitting, they are easily replaceable in this area." Not really. The dystopian ethic of treating skilled, conscientious professionals as human commodities notwithstanding, it takes more than an advanced degree to teach academic classes in the technical colleges. Instructors must obtain Wisconsin Technical College System certification, which requires the completion of more than 300 uncompensated hours of coursework, and the fulfillment of certain industry
experience and expertise requirements.

The big picture here is that taking car of teachers is best for students and best for our region.

The status quo must change. A 40 percent graduation rate is not healthy for the region. A 30 percent annual turnover rate for part-time faculty is toxic to the quality of education. MATC's administration needs to spend less time and energy on changing the name of the college or planning building acquisitions and more time dealing with the real crisis affecting the institution right now. You can't build on a rotting foundation, and the deliberate disregard of these issues is like fiddling while Rome burns.

Well said, Mike.

President Obama in Madison Today

2009-11-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

And some are curious if he will have anything to say about community colleges in his Education Address.

Obama's American Graduation Initiative is aimed at helping people like Gary Ramthun go back to school.
After 35 years of working in manufacturing, Ramthun lost his job last December.
"I looked for work and decided I would try my luck at going back to school and starting my own business," said Ramthun.
Now he is a full-time student at Madison College, trying to get certified to
perform home inspections.
"My biggest reason for coming back was the opportunity to get the education to be able to move back into the workforce without taking four years out of my life," said Ramthun. "And at my age, four more years is going to make it that much harder to get a job."
The American Graduation Initiative would give $12 billion in federal funds to community colleges across the country. Madison College officials say a grant like this
would be the first of its kind.

Gary is exactly the type of student that part-time instructors are instrumental in helping. He is most likely taught by several p/t faculty currently in the field. He is gaining critical knowledge and perspective on an industry (home inspection~real estate) that has been in the midst of a difficult recession and dramatic policy changes. Part-time instructors see these changes real-time.
Help us help students like Gary. It's good for students and good for the Madison area economy.

*also, note the comments in the link above*

Badger Herald Gives Us a Fair Shake

2009-10-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

The Badger Herald ran this article on October 21. P/t Union Vice President Bob Curry was quoted extensively. I especially like this one.

“This isn’t something that can’t be done,” Curry said. “Now we’re just looking for some creative leadership within management. If you’re going to give full-time teachers $800 raise, give us the same, and not just a percentage. Two percent of dirt is dust.”

Good work Bob! Our cause is becoming more obvious to the public every day. Keep up with the comments on all online content so we can keep this story at the top of the heap for as long as possible.

Channel 3000 Segment

2009-10-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Channel 3000 recently aired a prime time news segment regarding the P/t Union.

On the Honor and Responsibility of Teaching

2009-10-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have. - Lee Iacocca

Wage Increase Comparison

2009-10-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Click the page to view larger.

What We Want is Respect

2009-10-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Click either page to view larger.

A MATC Part-time Instructor Tells Her Story

2009-10-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

This was submitted as a comment, but works well as a stand-alone post. This is one part-time instructor who intends to be heard.

I am a part time instructor for MATC. I attended the protest. While our turn out was small, the part time instructors are 1,400 strong. Some could not attend because they receive such low pay from MATC that they have to work additional jobs. First of all, Jon Anderson skews the facts. The part time union is mindful of the economy. We are not asking for a raise. In fact, we have requested to freeze wages. We are asking for job security, for the security of the ACE program, for the wage gap between full time and part time instructors to cease, and for respect from administration. I invite Channel 27 News to take a tour of the Part Time Faculty Office room 216 at the Truax campus. Visit the overcrowded closet that is called an office where approximately 1,400 part time faculty are allowed to squat at one of the 13 desks(only 11 of which have working computers). We have to purchase our own software. Not only are we required to have advanced degrees, but we are required to take additional courses from the Wisconsin College Technical College System. It is unpaid training. The President of MATC hasn’t taken all of the required certification classes.

Without the additional training, I spend 25-35 hours a week on a part time job that I love: teaching. If I’m lucky, I’ll receive $10,000 this year. I do not have any health benefits. I just received BadgerCare. I’m poor enough to receive food stamps, but I don’t ask for them. We are as qualified as full time staff. We stand in solidarity with our full time faculty. We pick up classes at the last foreseeable moment with an overflow of students (approximately 14% increase in enrollment this semester). We rearrange other jobs around so we can continue to do what we love: teaching. In our current request, we are asking for consideration in regard to scheduling of classes.MATC loves to put students first. In fact, if it weren’t for part time teachers who pick up at least 35% of the current teaching load, our students wouldn’t’ be able to take the classes they do. If MATC wants to focus on the needs of students, they must take a long, hard look at the way they treat part time instructors. MATC needs to stop being a revolving door for qualified instructors, over 30% of whom leave MATC for other opportunities. If MATC cares so much about the education of its students, it will do what it can to retain the qualified professional educators they employ. It costs thousands of dollars to train part time employees each semester. It costs students even more. Dr. Bettsey Barhorst has called part time instructors “dabblers” and implied that we are, in some unknown manner, baseball players who are not qualified enough to play in the “major leagues.” Put students first. Treat part time instructors with the appropriate respect we deserve. The benefits are immeasurable.

WKOW Covers Protest at West Campus

2009-10-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

Madison's WKOWTV.com has posted a short writeup regarding last nights protest at the West Campus ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We're not asking for any wage increase in this upcoming school year and we're not asking for benefits. What we're really asking for starting in 2011 that the college agree to lock in whatever the gap is right there an not let it get any bigger," says Part-Time Teachers Union Rep Mike Kent.

The MATC Administration gave their side of the story.

MATC's attorney Jon Anderson says they are working on resolving contract disputes.
Anderson says their part-time workers have salaries competitive to other Wisconsin technical colleges.
He says the school has to be sensitive to the condition of the economy and to taxpayers.

Again, we need to drive home that we not asking for a pay increase for next year. We, too, are sensitive to the condition of the economy and taxpayers. Also, we should not be compared to other technical colleges as our point of reference is the steady gap in compensation with full-time faculty at Madison Area Technical College.
Please go to WKOW's site and comment on this issue. We must ensure that the public knows that we are not trying to rip-off taxpayers during a recession and that our issues lie with the steadily growing wage gap.

More Media Attention

2009-10-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

This time from the Wisconsin State Journal.

The union has been wrangling for higher wages with the MATC District Board, citing the widening pay gap between full- and part-time faculty.

To further call attention to the cause, the union also hopes to purchase air time, produce print ads, and buy billboard space, according to an article in The Cap Times. There's even an MATC part-time faculty blog dedicated to the issue.

Make sure to visit the site and leave comments. More comments = more exposure.

Remember, Yard Signs are Still Available

2009-10-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

For contact info. click here.

On the Value of Education

2009-10-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive - easy to govern, but impossible to enslave. - Henry Peter Brougham

And Now with Video

2009-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Part-time Teachers' Union now has a youtube channel where we will be getting feedback on our negotiations from students, faculty, and the public at large.
We hope to update often. If you have any ideas for video content or an existing video you would like to upload, leave a comment with contact information.
Thanks for your support!

Words of Wisdom and Gratitude

2009-10-08T06:56:00.001-07:00

We appreciate your support. We think the more people know about the situation the better the chances that we'll be able to change the attitudes of the current leadership. We have the advantage of having the truth on our side. The more we can spread the word, the better. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

-Part-time Teachers' Union President Mike Kent

For Anyone Interested in Yard Signs

2009-10-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

We have hundreds available. Union members and the general public can get signs by visiting the p/t union office @ Truax Room 215E or by writing our Sign Czar Jill List at MJList@matcmadison.edu. Jill has been doing a great job of arranging sign distribution. Thanks, Jill!

Also, letters to the MATC Board of Trustees can be sent to:

MATC District Board

c/o Ellen Hustad

3550 Anderson St.

Madison, WI 53704

or e-mailed to ehustad@matcmadison.edu

If you choose to send an email to the board, please cc the p/t union as well at mkent@matcmadison.edu.

Local Blogs Get the Word Out

2009-10-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Forward Our Motto has linked to our blog here and has some nice things to say.

It's good stuff. Too often, I feel that labor unions don't put contract negotiation in a wider-societal context. While I could go on and on about solidarity, and mutual aid in detail, I'd rather simply say: I want to live in a world where part-time teachers at the MATC are treated fairly and receive reasonable pay. That would be a nice world, yes?

Fair is fair. Thanks for your support!

Support from One of Our Own

2009-10-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

One member of the MATC Part-time Teachers' Union has his own blog and a few things to say regarding our contract negotiations.

Overall, the effort seems positive and well-supported, but it seems the (well-paid) MATC administration really wants to maintain the status quo. This situation is not limited to MATC by any means, which I must stress; this is a national situation, affecting all higher learning institutions. Mostly, this is facilitated by the degree-farm mentality that allows universities to accept more grad students and grant more degrees than there could possibly be jobs: all to keep balanced budgets by using grad students as cheap labour.

Well said, Carl! This is something else to keep in mind: we are not just fighting for us. We are fighting to set a precedent that may affect p/t teachers down the road both at MATC and other institutions. The future of our colleagues is ours to shape.

In solidarity!

[again with the] Love from the Local Blogosphere

2009-10-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Blogging Blue gave us a hat tip in this post.

By my estimation, part-time teachers do the same work as full-time teachers, just on a smaller scale, so why shouldn’t they be paid at a level commensurate with what full-time teachers are making? It’s good to see the part time teaching staff at MATC standing up for themselves, and I hope they’re able to get some resolution to their situation.

Again, this outpouring of support is outstanding. Thank you!

Samuel Clemens Speaks

2009-10-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made school boards. - Mark Twain, Following the Equator

Bad Press

2009-10-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Looks like one of the commenters from the Capital Times article has his own blog and is making some nasty accusations in this post. Let's make sure we set buckleywheatstone straight before he does any more damage to our cause.
Remember - we fully support the current and future compensation levels of Full-time Faculty. We simply want our own wages to keep pace.

Badger Herald Article

2009-10-06T09:08:00.001-07:00

This article appeared today in the Badger Herald.

After discovering a growing gap between the pay of part-time and full-time instructors at Madison Area Technical College, the college’s Part-time Teachers’ Union began bargaining to address the salary discrepancy.

“We looked at the trends for the part-timers at MATC and the trends for the full-timers at MATC, and what we found is that over at least the past 10 years, the gap in compensation is getting wider and wider on a per-course basis,” said Mike Kent, president of the MATC Part-time Teachers’ Union.

This wave of good press is exactly what we need. Bob Curry displayed the heart of the issue with this zinger:

“You go to school, earn your degrees, bring valuable real-world experience into the classroom, keep up with your certification and you can make more money as a fry cook,” Curry said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.

Take Bob's line as an example. We need to continually comment and email ALL print and online media sources. The more noise we make and feathers we ruffle the more press we get.

[even more] Love from the Blogosphere

2009-10-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Sconz has added a post regarding our contract negotiations.

The outpouring of support from the online community has been great! To all union members out there - support your local bloggers.

A Little [more] Love from the Blogosphere

2009-10-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jim @ Pretty Important Politics has added us to his blogroll and written a nice post regarding the contract negotiations.

Making less money for doing the same job as someone else sucks, I’ve been there, which is why I am happy to publicize the part-time faculty’s cause. The image in this post conveys the essence of the problem.

We couldn't agree more, Jim. Thank you for your support!

A Little Love from the Blogosphere

2009-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

Caffeinated Politics posted this a few weeks ago.

Recently, though, President Barhorst has decided to take the already unfair situation and make it demeaning and condescending as well. She informed the Union that “… if part-time faculty were serious about a career in teaching, that they should apply for a full-time position, here or someplace else.” She suggested also “…for part-time faculty, teaching was just some extra thing they do in their lives.” Hobby Teaching Professionals!? Do you suppose that these people went to obtain an extra six to ten years of expensive university training beyond high school for a HOBBY? Wouldn’t stamp collecting have been cheaper and with fewer headaches! And, can anyone imagine that these people, many of whom have PhDs in their field, aren’t already applying for the scant number of full-time tenured positions offered across the country?

Well said, indeed!

Yard Signs

2009-10-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

You should be seeing these go up around Madison in the coming weeks.

MATC Clarion Ad

2009-10-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ad comparing compensation of p/t and f/t instructors. Can you tell the difference?

(.pdf version available here)

1998 Interview with Bettsey Barhost

2009-10-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

This interview shed a little light on what our current president has said in the past regarding Technical College Teachers.

Information received from four-year colleges and universities tell us our transferring students do better than students who entered those institutions as freshman. ICC students have the advantage of faculty with master’s and doctorate degrees, rather than having teaching assistants teach classes. Our small size allows faculty to know students as individuals, not as Social Security numbers.

Seems as though 11 years has changed our president's feelings toward community and technical college teachers. Wait, do part-time faculty have the same qualifications as full-time faculty? Of course. Well, then something must have changed in the general perception of how advantageous it is to have master's and doctoral level faculty teaching students...

The third obvious difference is that in the majority of cultures other than our own, there is very high respect for faculty and education in general. Teachers have high pay and high status.

So, high pay and status set us apart from our European counterparts. How then, is it proper to pay part-time faculty significantly less than full time? We share the same qualifications and upkeep requirements.

Perhaps it is Bettsey's perspective that has changed. MATC is a fine institution with VERY well qualified full- and part-time faculty. As she has said in the past, it is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. Let's keep it that way.

Fair pay for all faculty. This is the only way to ensure equality.

Compensation Visualization

2009-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Above is a visualization of the total compensation per course at 500 contact hours per year (i.e. 5 three-credit courses per semester). As can clearly be seen, the wage gap has been steadily increasing for over a decade and shows no sign of stopping.

The Part-time Teachers' Union is only asking that this gap remain the same. In other words, we would like the same dollar amount increase as the full-time faculty, not a percentage. To this end, we have even offered to suspend any wage increases until 2011 due to the current economic climate. Has the administration budged? What do you think?

Part-time Teachers' Union Website

2009-10-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

The main page can be found here.

The 2009 Bargaining Information page can be found here.

Making Our Case

2009-10-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

We have our first proper media coverage in this Capital Times Article:

According to the union's figures, the average part-time teacher at MATC, who receives no benefits, will earn about $2,600 per three-credit course during the 2009-10 school year. A full-time faculty member, meanwhile, gets an average of nearly $13,400 in total compensation (pay plus benefits).

This level of disparity will only increase as raises continue to be given on a percentage basis.

MATC generally employs about 450 full-time faculty and some 1,200 part-timers in a given year, with more than a third of all classes being taught by part-time teachers.

"Part-time and full-time teachers need the same education requirements, the same certification requirements, the same in-the-field requirements to be able to teach," says Kent, who has taught everything from employment and business law to labor relations, ethics and college success. "So everything is the same between the groups -- except the pay."

It is obvious from the above statement that the MATC administration is balancing its budget through the part-time faculty.

*if you comment on the cap. times website, we can keep this story at the top of their news feed, so get on it*