David Milroy, Carol Whaley, Carlynne Allbee, and Arnie Schoenberg, members of the HELU Contingency Task Force
Over 10 thousand people marched through downtown San Diego on Labor Day, with demonstrators calling for stronger labor protections and government investment in essential services. The rally and march, organized by several labor unions, including SEIU and other groups, was part of a nationwide demonstration with the main message of “Workers over Billionaires.”
Carol Whaley and David Milroy carried the banner of the San Diego Adjunct Faculty Association, SDAFA. SDAFA was established 10 years ago to give adjunct/part-time/contingent faculty in the eight community colleges throughout San Diego County a greater voice in bargaining their local contracts and in promoting legislative changes in Sacramento. The SDAFA motto is “Adjuncts Helping Adjuncts!” and is proud to be a supporting member of HELU.
SDAFA is working closely with CPFA (California Part-time Faculty Association) and other faculty groups to promote the One-Tier Model for higher education. Establishing a one-employment-tier policy would eliminate the longstanding injustices of the two-tiered practice of hiring 30%-40% well-paid, full-time, tenured faculty and then filling in the majority of classes with low-paid and precarious temporary teachers, who often have little to no employment security or benefits, a right that should be afforded to all workers.
The funding for such a change in higher education would come from the billions of dollars being redirected by the current administration into the hands of billionaires. Clearly, this hateful policy is being rejected by people all over the country who showed up to demonstrate their outrage over the destruction of our country’s principles of justice, equality, and promotion of the common good of all.
For more information on SDAFA, please see our website at SDAFA.ORG