The
following letter gives a brief historical outline of CEW's development
and a rational for participation at institutions of higher education
where such activity has not been attempted.
To Members of the International Academic Community,
My Name is Chris Storer. I am the Central
Coordinator for Campus Equity Week, 2003 (CEW), a week of higher
education faculty activism scheduled for October 27th to the 31st.
This letter is to encourage all faculty to consider participating
in CEW. The issues of contingent academic labor use in higher education
are, we believe, universal.
CEW has its roots in a coalition established
for a common week of action throughout California's 107 community
college campuses (CCCs) in Spring 2000 (A2K). The motivation then
was a common interest in specific state legislation and the California
state budget. There developed active participation on 85 campuses
and gained strong support in the legislature and from our Governor.
However, many long term benefits of the week of action were not
really goals (though some of us hoped for and predicted these outcomes).
1st, we found that local campus groups used the week to focus on
current local issues in addition to the state wide themes. As a
result, they increased the involvement of contingent and tenured
faculty in their local faculty organizations.
2ndly, we found that the core group of statewide
faculty organizers was greatly expanded, and that new organizations
on campuses that had no history of activism developed. Several moribund
union locals were invigorated. Successful union organizing campaigns
were initiated at other colleges. California community college faculty
continue to make strong gains at both the state and local levels.
Average salary gains statewide for contingent faculty were over
13% in the 2 years following the Action 2000 campaign. Contingent
faculty also gained health benefits and some due-process rights
at many colleges.
3rdly, the California campaign came to the
attention of a nascent coalition of faculty on the East Coast of
the US (the Conference on Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL - later
becoming the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor), leading to
the establishment of ties among several centers of faculty organizing
that were confronting the increasing abuse of contingent assignments
in higher education. Fueled by internet listservs and email communications,
various faculty leaders throughout North America agreed that the
A2K model of loosely coordinated but locally motivated and controlled
action was worth attempting throughout US and Canadian higher education.
At the COCAL IV Conference, Jan. 2001, San Jose, CA, a decision
was taken to coordinate CEW 2001 across North America. CEW coordination
was financed by support from 24 national, state and local faculty
organizations (unions and professional associations). During the
week of Oct. 28th to Nov. 3rd, actions took place at many of the
original CCCs, as well as at colleges and Universities in 6 Canadian
Provinces and over 30 of the 50 United States. Most of the faculty
involved in local organizing of CEW activities were making their
first contacts with the growing North American coalition, and about
10% were making their first forays into faculty activism on their
campus.
4thly, since CEW 2001, Chicago-COCAL was
formed as a strong regional coalition, COCAL V drew well over 200
participants to the Conference in Montreal, Canada, Oct. 4-6, 2002,
and COCAL-California has been formed as a regional coalition among
contingent academic labor throughout California's system of public
higher education (The University of California, California State
University, and California Community College systems).
The benefits of coordinated activity lie
particularly in the increased visibility of local action through
its connection to the greater whole. This has strong motivating
force in drawing new faculty activists into the movement, helps
provide training through information sharing and community building,
increases press and public interest, teaches local administrators
that their actions will no longer remain invisible but will become
the object of public discussion throughout higher education, and
strengthens our arguments through an extended common voice. We have
been able to shift the focus from narrow labor issues to broader
questions of institutional integrity and educational quality through
the simple recognition that: 1. "Faculty Employment Conditions
are Student Learning Conditions" and 2. "Equitable Educational
Experiences for Students Require Equitable Institutional Support
of All Faculty." Also, such broadly connected activities create
a strong incentive for state and local politicians to become visibly
involved with the issues.
I hope that you can join us in CEW 2003,
and that you will forward this message on to other faculty leaders
around the world who you think may be interested. The threat to
quality higher education and academic freedom created by the growth
of for-profit colleges, the corporitization of private and public
non-profit colleges and universities, and the corresponding increased
use and abuse of contingent academic labor (now over 50% of faculty
positions in the United States), is a world-wide problem. We strengthen
each other by joining our voices. If you have questions, please
visit <www.cewAction.org> and/or contact me by email or phone.
In Solidarity,
Chris Storer
<storerchris@fhda.edu>
(650) 949-2287