By Sandi Burnett

    The notion that all SMC faculty have a contract which outlines fair working conditions is apparently not known by all who teach here.  This is not surprising, given the truly abysmal percentage of workers in the U.S. who have any such written agreement.  You may work multiple places, some of which have a collectively bargained contract (like SMC), some where each individual instructor works out a separate deal (yes, that does exist).  Even those of you who have some vague idea about this thing that regulates your pay, your benefits, your class size, the ways you are evaluated, etc., have never really spent much time reading it.  Hey, I’m not the ratty teacher who calls out slacker students.  I’m speaking from experience.
    So, in the spirit of education, we have an incentive program for knowing more.  No, not a class with tests and grades, rather, a contest with real prizes! Here’s your chance to win two AMC Gold Movie tickets by correctly answering the following questions:

Am I allowed to take a paid personal necessity leave day off to attend the funeral of a close friend?

Whom do I contact if I think my contractual employment rights have been violated?

How do I become a member of the faculty union bargaining unit?

All the answers can be found in the contract at the www.smcfa.org website. This is an open book quiz!  Submit your answers and contact information via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 5 PM, November 17.  The names of those with correct answers will be entered in a prize drawing held at the next Representative Assembly meeting. All faculty are welcome.