Contract negotiations are about much more than budgets and numbers—at MSJC, the stakes are as high as they get

UPTE members at Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) have been in contract negotiations for the last several months, and have been calling the college out on their misguided priorities and unfair proposals. These adjunct faculty members teach a majority of the college's classes, and although there has been movement on many of our priorities including a retroactive raise of 10.5%, catastrophic leave, union rights, and more, members are still fighting over crucial priorities. 

MSJC management has taken on over one hundred million in new construction costs, including a $41-million-dollar athletics complex—all while crying poverty at the bargaining table with the people who keep the college running. Meanwhile, our outstanding priorities remain unresolved including raises and longevity step increases, an improved grievance process, paid office hours, seniority rights, and healthcare. 

Negotiations are about so much more than numbers in a budget, as UPTE member and adjunct professor in the music department Emily Collins can tell you. The stakes are always high in bargaining but they're higher than ever for Emily, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Like the rest of her colleagues, Emily doesn't receive health insurance through her job.

"After my diagnosis, I had to go through the process of qualifying for Medi-Cal because I wasn't earning money during the summer months. If I had health insurance, I could have begun my treatment sooner. Instead, I had to wait for Medi-Cal to process everything, which in turn meant a delay in my treatment. My oncologist said that if I had waited a week or so longer, my cancer could have spread to other parts of my body. That's really scary to think about. This is my life we're talking about, and I have children and a family," said Emily. "Now, I will need to go to the healthcare marketplace to purchase a PPO plan, which will cost around half of my paycheck, and then I still have to figure out how to make ends meet."

Adjunct faculty may not have tenure or work full-time, but they work just as hard and care about their students just as much—and students deserve to have instructors who are respected and supported by their college.

Emily reflected on her situation further, saying, "Unfortunately because I am part-time, I don't even qualify for disability and I can't afford to take a leave of absence. I am in the classroom working through this illness while also undergoing chemotherapy. I love to teach and I love my students. I'm not in this line of work because I want to become a millionaire, but it hurts to feel as if my health or my life don't matter to my employer."

Last week, members partnered with allies on campus to organize a call-in action to the office of the President and left hundreds of voicemails demanding that the college agree to a fair contract. "I just think about how many other adjuncts are potentially out there skipping physicals or putting off medical care because they can't afford it. It shouldn't be this way. When our personal health and well-being is such a low priority for our employer, something has to change. I hope management will realize this, and respond accordingly at the bargaining table," said Emily.

Click here if you'd like to donate to Emily's GoFundMe to help pay for her cancer treatment.