Marcial Gallimore, adjunct professor of business, received the Dr. King Meritorious Service Award from the First Baptist Church of Riverhead as well as a certificate of appreciation from the Town of Babylon. (photo courtesy of Marcial Gallimore)

Welcome back, adjuncts! I hope your spring semester started well and your schedule and duties are running smoothly.

New Adjunct Orientation

Right before the semester began, I welcomed new adjuncts to SCCC and the FA at the spring 2020 new adjunct orientation. My presentation focused on the reasons it is so important to join a union:

• Wages, benefits and working conditions are protected by a legal contract
• Salary for each member is clearly stated in the contract
• Unions negotiate salary, wages and benefits among other issues during contract negotiations, and members have the right to vote for it if they think it’s fair or vote it down if they think it is unfair
• Unions provides due process during disciplinary hearings
• Unions provide members with various benefits.

I also highlighted the following benefits offered to SCCC adjuncts:

• Ensure assignments follow the contract
• Provide a faculty peer during observations
• Resolve faculty/administration disputes
• Enable the ability to earn more through adjunct promotion
• Provide access to adjunct-only professional development fund
• Offer adjunct tuition reimbursement as well as dependent tuition reimbursement
• Give the ability to purchase EHMP health insurance
• Provide access to FA Benefit Fund (reduced cost dental, free legal services)
• Provide access to NYS Teacher Retirement System/tax-deferred annuities (e.g., TIAA/CREF)
• Offer great savings through the NYSUT Member Benefits and AFT Member Benefits

I urge any adjunct who is not currently a member to join the FA—to ensure representation at any disciplinary hearings and to be eligible for the adjunct Benefit Fund benefits and adjunct NYSUT/AFT benefits.

One adjunct who understands the benefit of union membership is our EC rep Marcial Gallimore. Gallimore notes, "I have been a member of the FA since I was hired as an adjunct six years ago. Membership is important because we stand together as issues arise that affect equality and fairness in the workplace."

I'd like to congratulate Marcial on receiving two awards recently: the MLK Jr. Meritorious Service Award from the First Baptist Church of Riverhead as well as a certificate of appreciation from the Town of Babylon. Congrats, Marcial!

Contract News

Moving on to contract negotiations, I am pleased to announce that the FA and the college passed a three-year contract proposal that includes 2%, 2.5% and 2.5% increases for adjunct/overload rates at each respective year and increases the contribution to the adjunct faculty development and retraining fund to $50,000/year by the end of the contract. The FA now awaits approval from the Suffolk County Legislature. Stay tuned.

Collegewide Seniority

With continuing low enrollment and course cancelations, adjuncts are being offered fewer assignments. Remember that adjunct seniority is collegewide. So, if you don’t receive an assignment, contact your academic chair or supervisor to see if there is anything available to you on another campus that you have listed on your NORA within your stated time preferences.

Contact me immediately at kimn@fascc.org or at 631-451-4646 if you have any questions or concerns or if you think your rights may have been violated by cancelations or bumping so that I can help you.

Upcoming Adjunct Deadlines