Heartland part-timers recently landed a four-year contract

Part-time teachers at Heartland Community College will get raises of 3.5 percent to 4 percent in coming years. The college’s trustees voted unanimously in October to approve the contract with the adjunct faculty union.

“I think it’s a good contract,” said Heartland President Jon Astroth, who also was pleased with the contract’s length. “Four years—I think it’s an advantage for everybody.” The Heartland Adjunct Faculty Association already has approved the deal.

The contract offers a 3.5 percent pay increase for the first, second and fourth years, and a 4 percent raise in the third year. Adjunct faculty members will receive two personal leave days per semester per class they teach; they currently get one.

“It would be nice if we had health care,” said Terry Baggett, a negotiating team member. But Baggett was pleased about a new seniority provision.

Senior adjunct teachers now will have first pick among part-time teachers for the classes they want to teach.

Adjunct faculty members can teach up to 12 credit hours worth of classes each semester.

Heartland has 75 full-time faculty members and about 190 adjunct teachers.

Negotiations began in April.

The board also unanimously OK’d a fiscal 2007 budget that calls for $38.6 million in operating expenses.

That is a 6 percent increase over last year, said Rob Widmer, Heartland’s business vice president. He cited increased costs for employees, technology and utilities as reasons.

Employee salaries and benefits account for more than 70 percent of the budget, he said.