Harper College, adjuncts ink 5-year deal

Harper College and the union representing some 500 adjuncts have inked a new five-year deal.

The agreement, retroactive to Aug. 22, calls for adjunct faculty and librarians/counselors to receive 1 percent salary increases in year one, and raises in subsequent years to be determined by the Consumer Price Index with a minimum of 1.5 percent and maximum of 3.5 percent.

Charmian Tashjian, president of the Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association, said the union would have liked to have been able to bargain for health insurance benefits, but the agreement overall is positive for members since it provides better pay equity with full-time faculty. Negotiations over the union's fourth contract started last April.

The deal, approved unanimously this week by the college's board of trustees, expires the day before the start of the fall 2021 semester.