'Emergency' decree worries college faculty union - Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press

The decision to declare a financial emergency at community and technical colleges in Washington state is drawing concern from the union that represents faculty at the schools. Last month's action by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges would allow individual colleges to declare their own financial emergencies and then have an easier time laying off faculty without having to adhere to some contracted job protections. "Individual colleges can invoke the law," said Sandra Schroeder, president of the Washington chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. "Then there's no longer any reasonable protections we can give to the people who have been targeted. Seniority becomes fairly meaningless in this process."