California adjunct faculty filed lawsuits alleging they weren’t properly compensated for work performed outside “classroom hours,” including preparation, travel, grading, and ongoing student communications. The Sacramento Bee reported that plaintiffs are suing the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and multiple community college districts, seeking pay owed for “uncompensated work.” The wave of suits follows an $18 million settlement reached earlier this year with the Long Beach Community College District on similar claims. Plaintiffs say the system relies heavily on part-time labor—more than two-thirds of academic employees—while part-time pay and benefits lag behind full-time faculty compensation. The litigation matters for higher education workforce planning and governance because it challenges contract enforcement and compensation structures at scale, potentially reshaping how districts define workload, office-hours expectations, and faculty time outside scheduled teaching.