Almost a decade ago, (September 1991) Lantz Simpson penned an Advocate article about "empowerment." He built it around "ten excuses that hourly faculty used for self-DISempowerment." Now, in the first fall semester of the (arguably) new millennium, let's review some of those excuses and see if we've made any progress. If you're interested, drop into the office and check the original piece.

Excuse # 1. Trying is useless _ nothing changes. Hold it! We have a new contract! We got a raise _ part-timers too. Plus, starting next fall part-timers with four years of service and two good departmental evaluations will automatically receive "Associate Faculty" status. That means a full year contract as opposed to a semester contract. It could make a difference when it comes to credit applications, mortgages, etc. Plus, we now have some health coverage. No, it's not full medical coverage, but my family has saved over $5,000 in dental bills in the year we've been on the plan. Sure, we're still fighting some issues — paid office hours, for example, but we've made progress.

Excuse # 2. Full-time faculty dominates the Association. Check the numbers: 291 full-time faculty members (96% of FT faculty) and 428 hourly members (46% of PT faculty). The majority of our members are hourly. Moreover, the complaint seems to imply that the Association works for the full-timers, to the exclusion of the rest of us. I can tell you from my personal experience of the last couple of years this just ain't so. We have real solidarity between full-timers and part-timers within the Association. A gain for full-timers doesn't mean a loss for hourly. Nor have I ever felt a lack of respect within the FA because of my part-time status. Neither has Gloria Heller, co-chair of the Part-Time committee, who's been at SMC for 12 years. Still have doubts? Join up! Imagine the strength we'd have if even 75% (about 600) of the hourly faculty joined the almost 300 full-time members.

Excuse # 3. I'm a professional. I don't join unions. Is it professional to have to work out of our cars? Is it professional not to receive compensation for the time we spend outside of class helping students? Have you checked the doctors lately? Even they're unionizing. The FA is a professional organization and it insists that Administration treat Faculty as professionals. Administration would prefer to treat us as labor.

Excuse # 4. It's too expensive Compare our Association dues (which, for part-timers, have dropped) with those of the CTA or the AFT? Ours are .06% of income. And hey, we're paying anyway. SMC is an agency shop: money comes out of each of our paychecks. It doesn't cost a penny more to become a member. And as a member, you have a say in how we conduct our business _ all of it, from negotiations at the bargaining table to job actions. What are you waiting for? Join up! The new collective bargaining agreement is posted on the Faculty Association website, www.smcfa.org. Printed copies are available upon request. This fall the Hourly Committee will be soliciting suggestions and requests from hourly faculty leading into next year's contract negotiations. (See meeting schedule.)