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Cerritos College Faculty petition providing equal pay for equal work and fair working conditions hits 1,000 signatures

STAFF REPORT

 Norwalk, CA — November 6, 2017 — In a little more than a week, over 1,000 students, teachers, and community members have signed a petition asking Cerritos College Superintendent, Dr. Jose Fierro, and the Board of Trustees to support the teachers, counselors, librarians, and instructional specialists who work at the college by providing equal pay for equal work and fair working conditions.

 The Cerritos College Faculty Federation (CCFF) launched the petition using Change.org in order to publicize the poor working conditions of many teachers due to the inequalities between full-time and part-time pay and the lack of a contract that specifies teachers’ duties and responsibilities. The union also wanted to make sure members of the community understand that for the next few years the college will receive more money from the state than ever before. 

 According to Stephanie Rosenblatt, CCFF President, “This year’s budget means the college has the chance to start fixing the inequality between full-time and part-time pay. Right now,  if you have two people teaching the exact same class, the part-time teacher will be paid $3,450 for the entire semester. A full-time teacher will be paid $5,868 for just her time in front of the class. She will also get an additional 18% in salary to compensate her for preparing the lesson, grading student work, developing and assessing programs, and other duties in service to the college. Full-time faculty also have health insurance that is at least partially-paid by the college. Part-timers do not. It’s not fair.” 

 This year, Cerritos College will receive approximately $14 million more in state revenue than last year, an increase of almost 15%.  This increase in revenue is projected to be ongoing for the next three years. The College also has more than $70 million dollars in reserve — far more than the 5% recommended by the state.

 “It seems that this administration would rather inflate its bank account than ensure fair pay for the faculty who serve our students or spend the money needed to improve student success,” said history professor George Jarrett.

 A copy of the union’s petition can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/signccff . CCFF will present the petition to the Board of Trustees at their meeting on November 14.

 As former CCFF president, Dr. Ted Stolze, observed, “Hundreds of students and community members have already publicly expressed their solidarity with faculty and their desire to see better working conditions at Cerritos College.”

Contact:

Stephanie Rosenblatt

[email protected]

1110 Alondra Blvd., CB 112
Norwalk, CA 90650

347-623-9907