California’s Legislature Classifies State’s Adjuncts as Exempt Professionals—Here’s What That Means

Over the past several years, California colleges and universities have chosen to settle faculty overtime violation lawsuits filed by a California law firm. Last year, Stanford University settled for nearly $900,000 in a class-action suit filed on behalf of instructors in its continuing studies program. Attorney’s fees amounted to one-third of the settlement. The adjuncts each received $1,417. Public institutions in California are protected from the wage-hour suits and this legislation now extends the same protection to the state's private college's and universities.