Title: An act relating to the accumulation an use of sick leave accrued by part-time faculty.

Brief Description: Modifying the accumulation and use of sick leave accrued by part-time faculty.

Sponsors: Senators Kohl-Welles, Schmidt, Pridemore, Keiser, Franklin, Thibaudeau, Spanel and Jacobsen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce, Research & Development: 1/16/06, 1/24/06 [DPS].

Ways & Means: 2/2/06, 2/6/06 [DPS(LCRD)].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6396 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Kohl-Welles, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Parlette, Ranking Minority Member; Brown, Honeyford and Keiser.

Staff: Alison Mendiola (786-7483)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6396 as recommended by Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Prentice, Chair; Fraser, Vice Chair, Capital Budget Chair; Doumit, Vice Chair, Operating Budget; Zarelli, Ranking Minority Member; Brandland, Fairley, Kohl-Welles, Parlette, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rockefeller, Schoesler and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Steve Jones (786-7440)

Background: In 1996, the Legislature passed SB 6583 directing the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to convene a task force to conduct a best practices audit of compensation packages and conditions of employment for part-time faculty. The Best Practices Task Force reported to the Legislature in January 1997. One of the report's best practice states, "The best practice is to develop/bargain a policy that provides some sick leave to adjunct faculty who have a continuing relationship with the colleges."

As a result of this finding, the Legislature passed 2SSB 6811 in 2000, which established a sick leave policy for part-time faculty on a pro-rata basis, as recommended by the Task Force.

Currently, part-time academic employees may accrue sick leave after their first quarter of employment. There is no standard among the state community and technical colleges as to how much leave may be accrued or whether the leave may be transferred.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Part-time academic employees accumulate sick leave and are permitted to take accrued leave at any time.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: Part-time academic employees accumulate sick leave.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: Currently, academic employees may accrue sick leave but lose it when they transfer to another college. Part-time faculty may teach at more than one college and often one college offers sick leave while the other may not. This bill will address that inequity and provide uniformity between part-time and full-time faculty and among the various institutions of the community college system.

Testimony Against: None.

Testimony Other: The bill doesn't address the ability to donate sick leave hours. The bill changes how part-time faculty may use sick leave ("at any time") which differs from the language for full-time faculty; both part-time and full-time faculty should be treated the same.

Who Testified: PRO: Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, prime sponsor; John Boesenberg, State board for Community and Technical Colleges; Sandra Schroeder, Association of Federated Teachers AFT-WA; Phillip Jack. AFT-WA; Wendy Rader-Konofalski, AFT-WA; Ruth Windhover, Washington Education Assoc.; Dana Rush, WA Part-Time Faculty Association; and Keith Hueller, citizen.

OTHER: Doug Collins, WA Part-Time Faculty Association; and Teresa Knudsen, WA Part-Time Faculty Association.