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Seniority faqS

How does seniority work for Adjunct Faculty at CCP?

For every semester you work at the College you can earn one seniority unit, with a maximum of two seniority units per academic year. As long as you teach at least 23 contact hours or work 69 scheduled hours (for hourly employees), you earn a seniority unit. Details are spelled out in Article VII of the current Adjunct/VL Contract. 

What about summers? Can I earn seniority then?

Summer Sessions are treated just like Fall & Spring semesters for purposes of seniority, with Summer I and Summer II treated as separate terms. If you’ve already earned your maximum of two units in Fall and Spring, though, you won’t earn any additional seniority over the Summer.

How do I find my seniority?

Seniority lists are updated three times per year (March 15, July 1, & Nov. 15, up through the last completed semester). There are separate lists for Adjuncts, Visiting Lecturers, and Instructional Aides. See our Seniority page for links to the most current lists.

Okay, I’ve found my seniority. What does it mean?

Seniority determines the order of preference for work assignments at the College, as well as your pay grade and benefits eligibility. More senior faculty get first shot at course & hourly work assignments: after FT Faculty have been assigned courses, courses/work assignments are offered to faculty in the highest Adjunct Pool, followed by the next highest Pool, and so on.

In terms of pay grade and benefits, see the breakdown in Appendix A of the Adjunct/VL contract.

Wait, what are these “Pools” of which you speak?

Adjuncts are grouped into seniority Pools: faculty with 0-3 seniority units are in Pool I; faculty with 4-7 units are in Pool II; currently the highest Pool is Pool XIV (64 or more seniority units).

For the purposes of course/work assignments, all faculty in the same Pool are considered to have equal seniority. See Article VII, Section 2 for full details.

What’s the difference between Adjunct and VL seniority?

VL seniority units are earned the same way as Adjunct units: work at least six full weeks as a VL during any term to earn a VL unit. VL seniority is accrued separately from Adjunct seniority and is published as a separate list.

While VL seniority units are counted as Adjunct units on the Adjunct seniority list, the reverse is not true: only VL seniority units are accrued on the VL list.

Can I lose seniority?

Article VIII addresses loss of seniority. All seniority is lost if you do not work for 30 consecutive months. After 30 months inactive, you lose all seniority. Faculty with fewer than 8 seniority may also be removed from the seniority list without cause (see Article VIII, Section 2 for details).

I teach in two different departments. Do I have the same seniority levels in each?

Yes - seniority is College-wide. Whatever your seniority level is in one department is your seniority level in any other department in which you work.

Here’s an example: Let’s say I teach in the Department of Basket Weaving. I have 13 seniority units, putting me in Pool IV. I ask the Department of Imaginary Technologies to add me to the seniority list in that department, since I meet all the qualifications to teach one of their courses, Applied Hydroplastics. The head of that department agrees, and I am added to Imaginary Technologies’ seniority list with 13 seniority units, the same as in Basket Weaving.

What do I do if I think my seniority has been skipped over or ignored? If someone less senior was offered work before me, say?

It happens: classes or work assignments are sometimes offered to faculty lower on the seniority list before being offered to more senior faculty. Usually it’s a mistake, and the easiest thing to do is to point this out to your Department Head as soon as possible. Mistakes can be corrected - as long as they’re addressed in due time. Once the semester has started and a class has met, that course can’t be reassigned - so be sure to address the problem early on.

Of course, some faculty may not be able to contact their DHs in time, or may not feel comfortable challenging their DH’s decision. In that case, you should contact your Departmental Representative (if you have one) or one of the Co-chairs. Be sure to have your documentation in hand when you do: your Availability forms for the semester, the info on the course you believe has been wrongly assigned, and any communication from your DH on the matter.