Oregon Set to Adopt Legislation That Helps Adjunct Faculty Members

The governor of Oregon is expected to sign a bill that includes principles of the American Federation of Teachers’ Faculty and College Excellence campaign. The legislature approved the bill over the weekend, as the State Senate voted unanimously to make Oregon the first state to enact such a law.

The union’s national campaign, which began in early 2007, urges colleges to hire more full-time faculty members, to give part-timers health benefits, and to adopt policies of “equal pay for equal work.”

Oregon’s bill would require colleges to document just who makes up a college faculty — many adjuncts fall between the cracks when it comes to official data — and would give part-timers access to the state health-care plan. —Audrey Williams June