By Geoff Johnson, At Large member of HELU and President of the AFT Adjunct/Contingent Caucus
At the AFT National Convention in Washington, DC on July 16-19, 2026, the Adjunct/Contingent Caucus will present a resolution calling for AFT to create model language and legislation for Due Process rights for Contingent faculty.
This resolution is backed by contingent activists and has been endorsed by both the CFT and PSC CUNY Exec. It will go to the convention higher ed committee. If approved and prioritized, it will go to the floor of the convention.
“Due process” is what constitutes job security. It means that someone cannot be disciplined or discharged without a good reason. The right to due process is what tenure provides.
Due Process is at its core about Academic Freedom. Having due process means you have a right to:
- Clear Policies: Establish and communicate clear policies regarding faculty rights and responsibilities.
- Notice of Allegations: Provide faculty members with written notice of any allegations or charges against them.
- Opportunity to Respond: Allow faculty the opportunity to respond to allegations before any decisions are made.
- Impartial Hearing: Ensure that any hearings or reviews are conducted by an impartial body or individuals.
- Right to Representation: Allow faculty members the right to have representation or an advisor during proceedings.
- Written Decisions: Provide written decisions that outline the findings and rationale for any actions taken.
It is a core principle associated with academic freedom and one rarely if ever fully granted to contingent faculty. How then can we say contingents have academic freedom?
In this climate of contingent faculty being fired for speaking out on Charlie Kirk, Palestine, or ICE actions, it is essential this issue be brought forward not simply as one of fighting for contingent rights or job security, but for the very right to engage in critical thinking core to the democratic process.
When the majority of faculty lack true due process connections by simple job classification, it means that academic freedom is and has been tenuous, and is now in danger of being lost altogether.
This is where you come in. We need people to talk up and promote the resolution, and encourage your state Feds and locals to support it. I’m trying to reach out to folks in AFT New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Texas, and Minnesota, and I’ve reached out to members of the AFT Higher Ed PPC. This message is also going out to HELU members. If you’re going to the AFT convention, get on the higher ed committee and help move it forward.
Beyond getting the resolution passed, there is a larger goal—making the need to address academic contingency a central and clearly stated component of future AFT National higher ed campaigns, and one which does not simply offer up the idea that hiring more full-time faculty is solution, but rather equalizing working conditions and unifying faculty as a whole.
Contingency is not a higher ed issue, it is the higher ed issue, as I more or less expressed here. Let’s get this done.
Geoff Johnson, AFT Adjunct/Contingent Caucus President