The Affordable Care Act and Adjunct Faculty: A Community Conversation

March 6, 2013 6:00-7:45pm Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Squirrel Hill, Room B Sponsored by the Adjunct Faculty Association of the United Steelworkers and the Battle of Homestead Foundation Open to the public
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, goes into effect on January 1, 2014, with the goal of expanding healthcare coverage to all Americans. But Pittsburghs colleges and universities are already setting up barriers to prevent their adjunct faculty from taking advantage of its provisions. The Community College of Allegheny County has decreased the number of courses an adjunct faculty member can teach per semester, making it even more difficult for the majority of CCACs teachers to earn a living. Higher education institutions across the country are following CCACs lead and changing employment policies to avoid the PPACAs rule that large employers must provide healthcare coverage for full-time employees or pay a fine. The PPACA defines full time as 30 hours per week, but adjunct instructors working time is usually measured by the course rather than by the hour. As a result, the IRS is collecting testimony this March and April to help them develop a formula for measuring adjuncts working time, and the voices of Pittsburghs workers should be part of the debate. The Adjunct Faculty Association thus invites adjunct teachers and community members to come together and discuss questions raised by the application of the 30-hours rule to adjunct faculty. Our hope is to gather commentary and opinions on what the PPACA will mean for adjunct faculty, what healthcare coverage means for part-time or contingent workers (academic or not), and how teaching work should be measured. We hope to see you March 6 for a lively community conversation! For more information and to view our preliminary draft of a formula for adjuncts working hours, please visit www.adjunctfacultyassoc.org or email us at dafa.voc@gmail.com. You can access the draft directly at http://goo.gl/7m0hb or by scanning this QR code:

This program or event is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.