Note: NFM does not provide legal counsel, nor should its advice be understood as legal advice.
NFM does compile information about legal issues and resources, and when possible facilitates contact between individual contingent faculty or contingent faculty groups and legal resources.
NFM seeks to create a legal assistance fund to which individuals may donate. Please contact us for more information, or to volunteer to assist either through fundraising or locating pro bono legal support, or to suggest additional resources or links.
Resources
Cervisi v. Unemployment Unemployment Ins. Appeals Bd. (1989) (CA) - writ of mandate guaranteeing access to unemployment benefits for CA contingents.
"Contingent Faculty and the Courts" by Donna Euben (AAUP)
Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006) - US Supreme Court Case on free speech protections for public employees
Mader vs. Health Care Authority 2004 (WA) - provided access to healthcare for adjunct faculty - class action lawsuit
MLA on Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006)
NFM's Unemployment Compensation Initiative
National Employment Law Project
Employment Justice Center -- advocates for low-wage workers in the Washington DC metropolitan area
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
"Legal Contingencies for Contingent Professors" by Donna Euben (AAUP; at Chronicle of Higher Education) - subscription required
Washington State Senate Services Report on Part time Faculty at Colleges and Universities (Summer 2011) by Ailey Kato - see pp. 33-35 "Statutory Law Regarding Part time Faculty" and pp. 36-40 "Litigation"
Adjuncts and the Law -- News Stories
2012: IL court rejects joint adjunct/tenure line union at U Illinois Chicago
2012: Michael Kinsley on law professor age discrimination case
2011: Judge rules lawsuit by adjunct over sexual orientation discrimination will proceed
2010: San Jose College Pays $100,000 to Settle Adjunct's Lawsuit Over Dismissal
2010: Part-time instructors take full-time union to court at Madison Area Technical College
2009: Lecturer awarded settlement in age discrimination suit in California
2009: Massachussetts adjuncts healthcare lawsuit: Inside Higher Ed; Boston Globe; Salem News
2007: Adjunct wins age-discrimination suit in Chicago
2006: Transgendered adjunct loses discrimination suit against Estrella Community College (AZ)
