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SE 500.00 Adjunct Professors

Click on the case numbers below to access cases which decide whether adjunct professors have reasonable assurance of re-employment for the subsequent academic period.

0017 6916 85

0017 6916 85 (Oct. 19, 2016) – In order to determine whether adjunct professors, who are paid by the course and hired one semester at a time, received reasonable assurance to teach under economic terms that were not substantially less, the appropriate comparison is to compare the offer with the economic terms of the most recent academic semester.

0016 2670 84

0016 2670 84 (Jan. 29, 2016) – The employer bears the burden of proving that a claimant had reasonable assurance of re-employment under G.L. c. 151A, § 28A.  Here, the employer did not present historical evidence demonstrating a long-term pattern of hiring the adjunct professor to teach 2 courses every fall and 4 courses every spring term.  Therefore, its offer of 2 courses for the fall semester did not constitute reasonable assurance.

0016 5329 77

0016 5329 77 (Jan. 20, 2016) – An adjunct professor, who was offered 2 classes for the fall semester, did not have reasonable assurance of re-employment in the subsequent academic term, because in the previous spring semester, she actually taught only one of the two offered classes. The employer failed to establish a reasonable likelihood of reemployment under similar economic terms.

0015 0839 71

0015 0839 71 (Oct. 29, 2015) – Without employer evidence showing that adjunct professor has been paid substantially similar wages for each course in prior academic terms, claimant’s undisputed testimony that his salary can and has been reduced due to low enrollment raised a question as to whether he would be employed under economic terms that were substantially lower.  He did not, therefore, have reasonable assurance.

0002 1339 07

0002 1339 07 (May 12, 2014) – Where adjunct professor was offered a greater number of courses for the upcoming academic term than he had taught during the preceding term, and there was a clear pattern of offered courses not being cancelled due to low enrollment, he was disqualified from receiving benefits between semesters.  He had reasonable assurance of re-employment under substantially similar economic terms and conditions within the meaning of G.L. c. 151A, § 28A.

0002 1339 03

0002 1339 03 (May 12, 2014) – An adjunct professor offered only two courses in the fall semester, after teaching five courses during the prior academic period, had reasonable assurance of teaching based upon a pattern of courses not being cancelled due to inadequate enrollment, but the offer was not under substantially similar economic terms and conditions.  Board distinguishes adjunct professors from substitute teachers.

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