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Back Pay for Part-time Faculty
By Gwendolyn Bradley
The University of Washington in July settled a class-action lawsuit brought by Susan Helf, a part-time lecturer at the university, in May 2006. Helf claimed that, according to the terms of the faculty handbook, part-time faculty were entitled to the same 2 percent annual merit increases given to fulltime faculty. The university denied that the raises were required, but agreed to distribute a total of $500,000 in back pay to about a thousand part-time faculty members who have taught at least one quarter for two consecutive years since 2001, and to give 6 percent raises to members of that group who return to teach at the university during the next academic year (lawyers’ fees will reportedly reduce the raises to about 4.5 percent). Helf will receive an additional $10,000 as part of the settlement.
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