IMPORTANT: Fill out the Averaging for Health Benefits form immediately (due by 5pm on 6/14/24).
24-25 Application for Averaging (PDF)
Health Benefits
When am I eligible for benefits? (pg. 109)
Adjuncts are eligible starting the second quarter of teaching a 50% or higher class load; summer does not count and you do not lose benefits if you do not teach in the summer (see below).
Will I keep health benefits if I don’t have classes this summer or any other quarter?
If you have longevity or associate status, it is likely that you will receive benefits through August if you have averaged 50% of a full-time load over the last 6 quarters, not counting summer (Mader).
After that you will have to self-pay your benefits.
Contact HR and ask for an averaging form to make sure your benefits will be covered.
CAUTION: You must opt in to averaging every academic year. If you do not submit the averaging form to the Benefits office by the due date, you may not be covered.
If I have the option to cash out my sick leave, should I?
If you think you will come back, hold onto your sick leave because it is cashed out at a ratio of 4 to 1. (25%) You cannot get sick leave back once it’s been cashed out.
If you get another job and don’t expect to be back, fill out the separation paperwork with HR and cash out your sick leave.
CAUTION: At the end of one year (with no CCS employment), you will lose unclaimed sick leave.
Unemployment
Unemployment Benefits Workshop Highlights PowerPoint (5/21/21)
Can I apply for unemployment if I don’t have classes this summer or any other quarter?
All adjuncts are eligible for (but not necessarily guaranteed) unemployment benefits. Those adjuncts with associate and associate plus status (contract pg. 114) are more likely to have the claim challenged than those who have are not.
Anyone interested should apply starting on the first business day after the last day of the quarterly contract.
Employment Security link here.
Can I apply for unemployment if I return to teaching but my load is less than 50%?
Yes for those with associate and associate plus status. If you have questions, please contact your school AHE Vice President or the AHE President.
What if I am denied unemployment benefits?
Apply again. Sometimes the application isn’t approved until the third submission. In that case, you will receive benefits from the time you first applied.
CAUTION: In some cases, people have been receiving benefits, but the college challenges it. If the college wins the challenge, you will be required to pay back any money you received. It would be prudent to put money aside in case that happens.
Job Searches
When applying for unemployment, you will have to report on job searches. Keep in mind that you are only required to seek work in your field. Check out universities and other professional opportunities that relate to your field. In other words, you don’t have to apply at McDonald’s.
Will my benefits be cut if I take a part-time job?
You will not lose benefits, but you will receive less money, thereby extending your unemployment benefits over time. This turns out to be a good thing!
There may be limited hours available for advising at SFCC. Will this hurt my benefits?
No. Just make sure you claim the hours with the weekly unemployment submission.
Longevity Status and Stipends (pg. 113 & 114)
What is the difference between longevity, associate and associate plus status?
Each status represents length of service as adjunct. The following rules apply to all levels:
- Summer does not count as an employment quarter
- Adjunct must be in good standing
- Adjunct must average a quarterly load of 50% over the given time frame of that status
- Includes temporarily annualized employees
- Status is determined and announced Fall quarter following attainment of status
- You should receive a letter advising you of your current status
LONGEVITY:
- Time frame: 9 of the last 12 quarters
- Stipend amount: $600 per quarter
- Status ends when adjunct attains next status
ASSOCIATE:
- Time frame: 18 of the last 21 quarters
- Stipend amount: $1350 per quarter
- Requires fulfillment of additional professional responsibilities defined in Section 2, Paragraph D
- Receives scheduling priority over other adjunct contracts
ASSOCIATE PLUS:
- Same rules and requirements of Associate status
- Time frame: 27 of the last 30 quarters
- Stipend amount: $1900 per quarter
Adjunct Leave Types (pg. 110 & 111 )
The AHE has bargained for different types of leave for our adjuncts. Beginning January 2019, employees of Washington State began paying into FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) but cannot be taken as such until 2020. The payment is proportional to your hourly workload.
SICK LEAVE and state FMLA
- Begins accruing following the first quarter of employment
- Can earn up to 7 hours of sick leave per month
- Accrues from year to year without limit as long as you are employed
- Teaching at least one class during 1 of 4 quarters (summer is included)
- Sick leave will follow you if you are employed with another state agency but always check with HR (human resources)
- Can be used for maternity, personal appointments, family member medical appointments, etc. Use is defined in Article 7, Section 1, Paragraph B, 1 through 7
- Adjuncts completing a time sheet will accrue sick leave at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. The combination of the sick leave accrued from the contracted assignment and the hourly time sheet sick leave earned may not exceed seven (7) hours per month
SHARED LEAVE
- Adjuncts can participate in shared leave program
PERSONAL LEAVE
- Adjuncts can earn up to 4 days of personal leave per year (1 per quarter)
- Request approval from your supervisor.
- Leave time earned at 20% of normal weekly contact hours defined by the quarterly contract
- Leave can be taken hourly and if you don’t use it, you lose it
- Your courses should be self-sufficient on that day (assignment given) and cannot have a substitute hired to cover the course.
- Leave accrues quarter to quarter for Associate and Associate Plus status
- Accrual ends at the end of that academic year
- NOTE: Do not trust the accuracy of leave balances in ctcLink. Contact payroll for an accurate number before putting in for leave.
CIVIL DUTY LEAVE
- Adjuncts receive time off with pay for jury duty or subpoenaed testimony.
- Refer to Article 7, Section 5 in the contract (pg. 44 )
DEVELOPMENT LEAVE
- Leave with pay to conferences or meetings may be allowed at the discretion of the College President or designee as long as it is for the purpose of improving instruction and/or service to students and it is within your academic discipline or occupational specialty.
Adjunct Project Stipend (pg. 112 )
Adjuncts not annually contracted are eligible to earn a stipend for selected projects. The limit is $3000 per employee per year. The project can be one completed within a quarter or it can take the academic year with deliverables each quarter. Check with your supervisor for more information.
BEST PRACTICE: Take your idea and discuss with your supervisor in the Fall when monies are first allocated.
Training (pg. 117)
Adjuncts have required training to complete the first quarter during which you are assigned six (6) or more credits. You are required to complete two (2) 30-minute modules. HR will send you the link (OTHRS). Compensation is $50.
BEST PRACTICES: Don’t do at home, on a mac or too early in the quarter as completion of the module may not be recorded. Take a screenshot and/or print out the certificate at the end of the training. If you do not receive the certificate at the end of the training, take a screenshot and/or print out the last slide showing the red checkmark in the checkbox.
Adjunct Office Hour (pg. 109)
I heard adjuncts can get a paid office hour. Is that true?
Yes but it is a little complicated. If you are contracted for 15 or more contact hours per week, the contract currently states, “Adjunct…shall be eligible for one (1) paid office hour per week”. The keyword is “shall” and the decision to pay is up to each individual department. However, this hour does not count against your maximum load.
If you are eligible for an office hour, an EAN (Employee Action Notice) must be processed by your department asking HRO to add a PTH (part-time hourly) job for you. You will report time on a timesheet using your Adjunct Office Hours job title (what gets set up in ctcLink)
Class Cancellations (pg. 109)
If a class has been officially assigned to you two (2) weeks prior to the start of the quarter, that class may not be taken from you to accommodate a full-time supplemental contract. However, it can be taken in order to fill a full-time load or due to low-enrollment.