1 FORMULATING PRIORITY & SENIORITY LISTS Los Angeles Southwest College July 2008

2 General Guidelines Seniority lists guide the process for selecting instructors to teach fall and spring semester classes Priority lists guide the process for selecting instructors to teach summer and winter intersession classes Seniority & priority lists are prepared by discipline as defined in Appendix E of the contract The lists are formed differently but the penalties for failing to construct them properly or follow them are the same

3 WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES? If an instructor is found to have been passed over when they should have been offered the opportunity to teach a class: The college has to pay the instructor wages equal to what he/she would have earned had he/she been given the opportunity to teach the class(es)

4 What does this mean to me? As the dean or the department chair, you will be evaluated and/or reprimanded based on your failure to comply with the terms of the contract The department in question will lose funding since the college has been forced to pay wages for which no services were received (currently the cost of a 3 unit class is estimated at $5,500)

5 FORMULATING PRIORITY LISTS (Article 15) Priority lists are determined separately for winter and summer (summer has only 1 list regardless of number of sessions) What is a full assignment for summer and winter? A full assignment = 5 or 6 standard hour class/es

6 DEADLINES FOR PRIORITY LISTS By October 15 for winter intersession February 15 for summer intersession(s) Note: A priority list will be established for each discipline by the department chair. A copy will be forwarded by the department chair to the dean by the due date

7 In what order are priority list assignments made? 1. Regular faculty teaching a portion of their regular fall or spring load 2. Regular faculty 3. Adjuncts on the Seniority List 4. All Others

8 Exceptions to Priority Calculations Probationary Faculty See Article 15(B)(5)(c) for more detail Adjuncts on the seniority list who have never taught intersession See Article 15(B)(6) for more detail

9 How is the Priority List formulated? The goal is to compile a numerical chart which will list the faculty members ranked in ascending order, separated as follows: Regular faculty Adjunct faculty on the seniority list All others

10 Numerical Assignments Numbers are assigned based on the following: 0: No assignment offered, accepted or taught ¼: Taught > 0 to <.40 of a full assignment Standard Hours ½: Taught.40 to.60 of a full assignment 3 Standard Hours 1: Taught >.60 of a full assignment 4, 5 or 6 Standard Hours

11 How is the Priority List formulated? (cont) o Faculty who have not taught for the longest period of time will have the smallest numerical score assigned to them = higher rank on the list o NOTE: If final numerical score is a tie, priority goes to the person with the lowest rank in the most current year o Failure to accept a class does not affect the faculty members ranking at the top of the list (i.e, their numerically assigned rank would remain low and keep them at the top of the list) o As a faculty member comes to the top of the priority list, they are entitled up to a full assignment before the next person is offered an assignment

12 What does a Priority List look like?

13 FORMULATING SENIORITY LISTS (Article 16) The seniority lists are blendedcontain both regular faculty and adjunct faculty

14 DEADLINES FOR SENIORITY LISTS The department chair shall provide (in electronic format) the departments updated list/s to the dean by each semester census date The VP shall review the list for accuracy and post electronic copies…by the sixth week of the fall and spring semesters

15 GETTING ON THE SENIORITY LIST First semester of eligibility is determined by the first semester of employment in the discipline An adjunct gains a semester toward seniority when s/he accepts and completes an adjunct assignment An adjunct not on the list shall be placed on the list if s/he serves in the discipline for 3 semesters and is offered and accepts an assignment in the discipline for a 4 th semester All 4 semesters occurring within a period of 8 consecutive semesters (Article 16(B)(8))

16 GETTING OFF THE SENIORITY LIST An adjunct employee shall lose all seniority rights and his/her name shall be removed from the seniority list(s) if s/he refused to accept an assignment for 3 consecutive semesters or for 4 semesters out of 5 consecutive semesters (Article 16(B)(5)) An adjunct employee already on a seniority list and not assigned a class due to reduction in class offerings shall remain on the seniority list and shall retain the right to be continued for six semesters (Article 16 (C)(3))

17 GETTING OFF THE SENIORITY LIST, cont For cause: Adjunct does not meet the standards of performance required of academic employees of the college based upon the results of two evaluations For cause: One or more of the causes listed in Education Code Section 87732

18 DESIGNATIONS ON THE SENIORITY LIST These symbols are not in the contract but are local (LASC) normal practices. Our lists should be consistent These Symbols Count as a Semester of Seniority These symbols do not count as a semester of seniority Actual number of hours assigned and taught C: Class cancelled B: Bumped PL: Paid Leave of Absence G: Grievance Filed and Paid R: Refused assignment 0: Not offered a class UL: Unpaid Leave of Absence

19 MAKING ASSIGNMENTS Assign regular faculty to their full load prior to offering assignments to adjuncts Adjunct faculty are to be made written offers based on the seniority list in seniority list order (Article 16(a)(5)) Those with the most semesters of adjunct teaching have the greatest level of seniority Written offers must be mailed (or ed with a return receipt) by the end of the 10 th week of the preceding fall or spring term

20 MAKING ASSIGNMENTS, cont Adjuncts are to be given the same assignment as previous semesters whenever practicable If not the same assignment, then a comparable assignment. Comparable is defined as the same number of hours Beginning Fall 2008, an adjunct employee who is on the seniority list prior to Fall 2008 is entitled to a class with the same number of hours as established by Spring 2008 (subject to contract ratification) For adjunct employees gaining seniority Fall 2008 and later, seniority is set at the highest number of standard hours assigned based on two or more of four semesters (also subject to contract ratification)

21 SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SENIORITY LISTS AND PRIORITY LISTS The contract provides no allowance for separate lists for off site classes or high school classes If you receive a request for a specific instructor, you can only honor it if you can do so without violating the terms of the contract There are no ties on the seniority or the priority lists

22 Differences between Seniority Lists and Priority Lists Refusals to teach intersessions do not place a faculty members priority position in jeopardy but refusals do place seniority position in jeopardy 3 consecutive refusals will result in removal from the seniority list For priority list ranking, you actually remain near or at the top of the list until you accept an assignment

23 Differences between Seniority Lists and Priority Lists, cont The order of the seniority list remains constant while the order of the priority list changes each intersession The seniority list is blended while the priority list treats regular faculty and adjunct faculty as two separate groups teaching in the same discipline

24 IN CONCLUSION This is only a summary of the major points of the contract. There are far more details contained in the actual contract, and you should be familiar with them as well. Should you have any questions or concerns, the AFT Chapter officers are available to assist you.