The Reality of Adjunct Faculty Members at SAIT
Note: This is the first in a series of posts highlighting major bargaining issues.
Not all instructors have equal rights at SAIT.
The higher education environment has produced an increasing number of contract instructors working in extremely precarious positions. SAIT is no exception—currently 1/3 of instructors at SAIT are working under a contingent contract. The continuing expansion and privatization of classes at SAIT (i.e., non-grant funded education and corporate training) has resulted in a multi-tiered system of rights for instructors. Only two positions– Permanent Full time and Permanent Part time – have full rights under the collective agreement. SAFA is working to change that.
Instructors on a SAIT contract with a pre-determined end date find themselves vulnerable in ways that permanent instructors do not – little or no job security, no severance pay, no professional development funds, no illness benefits, no LTD benefits, no health plan benefits, no paid holidays, restrictive or no annual vacation leave, and no employer-paid maternity leave. Since Alberta’s Employment Standards do not apply to these employees, the only protection contingent instructors have is that which is negotiated into their collective agreement.
That’s why SAFA is fighting for adjunct rights.
SAFA has been working for years to ensure that adjunct faculty have the same rights as other faculty. During the last round of collective bargaining, SAIT and SAFA agreed to bring “fee for service” into the collective agreement as “adjunct instructor”– prior to that, it had been outside the terms and conditions of the collective agreement. This means, for the first time, that the terms and conditions for adjunct faculty becomes subject to collective bargaining. This round of bargaining, a primary goal of SAFA’s Negotiating Team is addressing issues specific to adjunct faculty, such as improved pay scale, more transparent and consistent processes for hiring and performance reviews, and access to benefits. As well, the Team is working to maintain casual instructor status.
Contingent instructors are dedicated professionals with years of experience teaching in the classroom. Many instructors in so-called “part-time” positions actually teach the equivalent of a full-time course load or more. They often teach the same courses, with the same students, as permanent instructors. And yet, 72% of them report never receiving a pay increase, in some cases for over a decade. This, combined with no notice for course cancellation and unclear processes for course assignment, leads to a chronically precarious position. SAIT can, and must, do better.
Adjunct rights are important for all members.
SAFA’s success at the bargaining table is founded on the solidarity of our faculty. Adjunct faculty are our colleagues, our friends, our equals in all ways – except in the way they are treated. The current way SAIT treats adjunct faculty is also a threat to permanent faculty. Pay inequality, hiring inequality, benefits inequality are all areas of concern for permanent faculty, but they are experienced most acutely by adjunct faculty members. And, if unchallenged, these issues will spread across all faculty. The success of our Association requires all members to be equitably included and to share in the benefits of working at SAIT. Over the past decade, SAIT has invested heavily in infrastructure – new buildings, technology, etc. Now SAIT needs to move from investing in things back to investing in people.
How permanent faculty can help.
Wondering what you can do to support your contingent colleagues?
- Openly support SAFA’s positions on contingent faculty benefits and procedures.
- Ask your Academic Chair and Dean how many contingent instructors teach within your program.
- In program and school meetings, recognize that not all members are able to attend. Ask how information and access will be provided for all – recorded sessions, meeting notes, extended time to provide feedback?
- Ask contingent instructors about their teaching and research. They may have published articles or presented at conferences. Their experience teaching at other institutions may provide a new perspective on pedagogical practices, assessment, and course organization.
- Advocate for contingent instructors to be compensated for time outside the classroom. Ask if they are paid for meetings, trainings, and other “opportunities”.
There is an Adjunct Faculty member on SAFA’s bargaining team – Adrienne Jones ([email protected]). She welcomes your thoughts / suggestions regarding these topics.
I also encourage you to visit more of the SAFA website where you can find out more about SAFA, view copies of our collective agreement and constitution and read past issues of the SAFAGRAM. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at [email protected].
In Solidarity,