Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1535219
CASE CHRONOLOGY APRIL 4, 2022: CTA filed a class action wage-and- hour lawsuit against Long Beach City College District (LBCCD) in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of more than 650 LBCCD adjunct faculty. The lawsuit seeks the maximum damages of three years back pay and the unpaid retirement benefits owed for uncompensated work hours, as well as penalties and interest. FEB. 19, 2025: L.A. County Judge Stuart Rice issues ruling granting declaratory relief to plaintiffs. Judge Rice rules on essential questions of part-time faculty being non-exempt (due to the district not paying sufficient salary to qualify as exempt from minimum wage laws) and the district's obligation to pay minimum wage for all hours worked by part-time faculty, which he found the district was violating. APRIL 9, 2025: Hearing scheduled for next phase of litigation on compensatory relief, which includes the determination of back pay and back benefits. Seija Rohkea advocates for pay parity in 2022. d i s t a n c e l e a r n i n g y e a r s , c a l l i n g i t exploitation — with massive amounts of unpaid work required of part-time faculty, including meetings, certifications and trainings, in addition to their course-re- lated responsibilities. "All these trainings and things we have to do, we never get paid for any of it," says Rohkea. "That needs to change and I'm hoping that's what comes of this win." e victory is just the beginning. Our union continues to organize to change part-time faculty compensation laws to win parity for part-time community college faculty. Kaljumägi points out that while paying a vastly lower wage to a "perpetual underclass of employees is wrong, it is still legal." Previous attempts to fix this problem in the Legislature have been unsuccess- ful but the fight continues. Kaljumägi is hopeful this decision will bring momen- tum to the movement. "Part-time faculty across the state will benefit from this ruling and I am glad for it, but our struggle for pay equity is not over," he says. 'This is All of Our Victory' Roberts and Rohkea say th e ongoing support from CTA legal staf f and fel- low members across the state has been integral to their win in court. e profes- sors said the win is a shining example of the power of us. "It's a collective effort — nobody can be out here by themselves doing this. is is all of our victory!" Roberts says. "It meant so much to us to know that people were cheering us on. Knowing that there's a bigger picture was everything," Rohkea adds. " When we fight, we win. We have to stay united and in solidarity and keep our eyes on the prize of a livable wage and better quality of life." "At times when I was scared, (our CTA staff attorney) kept saying 'how would it feel if you could help set a legal precedent?' Those words were so encouraging." —Community College Assn. Member Seija Rohkea 31 M AY 2 0 2 5