Over the years, California community college districts have increasingly turned to part-time adjunct faculty to meet their mission of educating students. Adjunct faculty teach up to 75 percent of all community college classes in some districts. Adjunct faculty are required to hold the same minimum qualifications as their full-time faculty counterparts but are deemed temporary and have little job security. Community colleges also generally compensate adjunct faculty at a much lower rate than full-time faculty, sometimes even failing to pay adjunct faculty for the many hours of essential work that they do outside of the classroom on behalf of their employers.
As a result of these widespread and unfair compensation practices by community college employers, adjunct faculty across the state desperately struggle financial ly to make ends meet, despite their advanced academic degrees, professional duties, and many years of teaching experience. These compensation practices are not only a form of economic exploitation, but they may also violate California’s minimum wage laws. After a detailed investigation, in April 2022 CTA filed a lawsuit against Long Beach City College District, Roberts, et. al. v. Long Beach Community College District, for its failure to comply with minimum wage laws.
Under California’s applicable minimum wage laws, adjunct faculty who earn less than $5,200/month (in 2022) from a public employer are not exempt from the state’s minimum wage requirements. That...
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