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Harris warns a lack of checks on Trump administration could lead to a "constitutional crisis"; Report: NYS faces high risk of PFAS in drinking water; Mississippi rape kit tests reveal serial offender patterns as backlog persists; Lack of affordable child care costs Colorado $2.7 billion annually.

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President Trump acknowledges the consumer toll of his tariffs on Chinese goods. Labor groups protest administration policies on May Day, and U.S. House votes to repeal a waiver letting California ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

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Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

College Staffers Lay Out Priorities for WA Legislative Session

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Tuesday, October 4, 2022   

Community and technical college faculty members are preparing for the legislative session in Olympia, and among the top priorities for the American Federation of Teachers of Washington is pay parity between adjunct or contingent professors and their full-time peers.

Jacqui Cain, contingent faculty at Pierce College and vice president for contingent faculty issues for the Federation, said some colleges are doing better on pay, but at others, adjunct professors make about half what full-time faculty make, doing the same work.

"We are having a hard time keeping contingent faculty in the workforce, and one of the number one reasons I hear is the fact that these jobs are not sustainable," Cain asserted. "A lot of the faculty start out doing this for a few years with the idea that it's going to result in full-time work. For many people, that just doesn't happen."

Cain pointed out because adjunct teaching jobs are low-paid, it also can hurt diversity in the profession. She stressed her organization will also be pushing lawmakers to approve more wraparound services for students and removing barriers for DACA students.

The pandemic has affected students' performance across the board. Cain noted it can be seen in lower test scores from high schoolers, who were relegated to remote classes. In light of this, her union would like to see free college tuition for students' first two years of school.

"Because of COVID, and because of the damage that was done to the educational experience, we're going to be advocating for free college for those students coming out," Cain emphasized. "So that they won't be disproportionately impacted by what we've gone through for the last two years, and can sort of make up that work."

Cain added the union has worked with a coalition of groups in the past in Olympia, including the Washington Education Association and the student-led Communities for Our Colleges. The legislative session starts in January.

Disclosure: The American Federation of Teachers of Washington contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Early Childhood Education, Education, and Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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