Losses in Longevity

After ten years of state service, we are eligible for Longevity Pay. (Note that this state service need not be exclusively in the community college system, that part-time state employment counts on a pro-rated basis, and qualifying military service time may also be included.)

Different campuses handle longevity pay notification differently, but the bottom line is we must notify our Human Resources offices if we believe we are eligible for Longevity Pay. Once H.R. confirms our eligibility, we will automatically receive Longevity Pay. Thereafter, twice per year in the fall and spring, we will receive a bonus. The amount of this bonus is determined by our pay grade and our service time.

To find the current 4C’s and AFT longevity rates, go to this page of the 4C’s website and click on “2006-7 Longevity Rates.”

Looking at the 4C’s Longevity Category II, a full professor with 25 years of service receives $1712 in Longevity Pay twice per academic year, for a total of $3424.

In the AFT Bargaining Unit Longevity Pay chart, we see a full professor with 25 years of service receives $2316 in Longevity Pay twice per academic year, for a total of $4632.

In other words, an AFT member with the same rank and length of service as a 4C’s member receives $1208 more per year than does the 4C’s member, or $100 more per month.

By the way, our current union leaders downplay this difference by comparing $1712 with $2316 and claiming our member “only” earns $600 less than does an AFT member. Leaving this bit of misinformation aside, whether the difference is $1200 per year, $600 per year, or $20 per year, why do 4C’s members receive less?

We are first-class professionals, so why do our current union leaders allow us to be treated as second-class employees?

NEXT: The Trouble with Tenure.