FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The California Part-Time Faculty Association (CPFA), representing the interests of 30,000 community college contingent faculty statewide, will host a National Conference on Contingent Academic Labor in San Jose, California, January 12-14, 2001. 

In association with the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL), which has
sponsored earlier conferences in Boston and New York, CPFA is organizing the third
national COCAL conference, the first such conference on the West Coast. 

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), UC-AFT Lecturers, and the
CFA Lecturer Caucus are already committed as co-sponsors of the Conference, with
additional major academic and labor group sponsors to be announced shortly. 

The formation of NAFFE, the National Alliance For Fair Employment, the recent GAO
(Government Accounting Office) report on contingent labor and related legislation
sponsored by Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts, successful organizing efforts in
Massachusetts, California and Washington, and the impressive Action 2000 (A2K)
statewide efforts in California community colleges indicate the clear emergence of
contingent labor issues onto the national agenda. 

Among those expected to speak and/or lead breakout groups are Jane Buck, newly
elected President of the AAUP, Rich Moser, organizer for the AAUP, Gary Zabel who
helped organize the successful efforts at UMass Boston, and Joe Berry, organizer in the Chicago area. Also expected will be state and national legislators, representatives from NAFFE and other contingent labor organizations, and a few surprises. 

The Conference will kick off plans for a National Equity Week, modeled on the A2K
effort that collected 40,000 petition signatures from 86 California community college
campuses. It will showcase the successful organizing game plans used in Boston,
Washington, Chicago and elsewhere, and explore progress in non-academic areas of
contingent labor, both for the lessons that can be learned and the strategic alliances that can be formed. 

The Conference is thus likely to be the agenda-setter for a true national breakthrough for contingent labor. Future announcements will set out the complete Agenda and Speaker List, Conference fees, and Housing and Transportation Information. 

For further information, to contribute ideas and/or suggested speakers for the Conference, and/or to join the Advisory Committee, please contact: 

Mary Ellen Goodwin, Conference Steering Committee Chair, CPFA, 
              408.378.7888, megsplace@earthlink.net 
              or 

Chris Storer, Executive Council Chair, CPFA; 
              650.949.2287, cms2425@tiptoe.fhda.edu

Martin M. Goldstein, Public Relations Director, CPFA; 
              310.452.3777. goldstein_martin@smc.edu