This weekend, adjunct faculty members at The New School reached an agreement with the university, bringing an end to more than three weeks of striking. The agreement came shortly after clashes between the university and strikers seemingly reached a fever pitch, as the university threatened last week to suspend pay and healthcare benefits for adjunct faculty members who continued to strike. The union’s victory, during a time of renewed activism amongst labor groups seeking to hold employers accountable within academia and beyond, could prove instructive for underpaid workers in higher education across the country.
In the face of crippling inflation and looming fears of a recession, adjunct faculty members (who make up 87% of The New School’s faculty) have argued that the university’s wage of $5,753 per 3-credit course is not enough to cover the high cost of living in New York City. Announcing their intention to strike, Zoe Carey, president of ACT-UAW 7902, the union representing the adjunct faculty, noted that part-time faculty members had not received a pay raise for four years—when factoring in inflation, this amounts to a decrease of 18% in earnings in that time period. While the union’s press release further alleged that The New School pays bloated salaries to upper administration while allocating meager funds to instructors, the university has insisted that meeting the strikers’ demands could require an increase in tuition.
The New School and the striking adjunct faculty members on Saturday was heralded by labor activists and those in higher education as an important step towards fair compensation for all members of the university community. The strikes at both The New School and the UC system promise to bring new waves of labor activism on college campuses—earlier this year, the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, two of the largest unions in higher education, banded together to strengthen their advocacy for university workers, and Yale University graduate students are currently in the process of holding an election to form a union. Historic wins for unionized faculty and grad students on both coasts will almost undoubtedly embolden faculty and other academic workers and further stoke the flames of advocacy and activism in the months to come.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/12/15/the-new-school-faculty-reaches-landmark-agreement-is-it-a-sign-of-more-reform-to-come/?sh=5f56566f39c9
Poor poor Dr. InExcessivePain. He can never win, can't he?
In the face of crippling inflation and looming fears of a recession, adjunct faculty members (who make up 87% of The New School’s faculty) have argued that the university’s wage of $5,753 per 3-credit course is not enough to cover the high cost of living in New York City. Announcing their intention to strike, Zoe Carey, president of ACT-UAW 7902, the union representing the adjunct faculty, noted that part-time faculty members had not received a pay raise for four years—when factoring in inflation, this amounts to a decrease of 18% in earnings in that time period. While the union’s press release further alleged that The New School pays bloated salaries to upper administration while allocating meager funds to instructors, the university has insisted that meeting the strikers’ demands could require an increase in tuition.
The New School and the striking adjunct faculty members on Saturday was heralded by labor activists and those in higher education as an important step towards fair compensation for all members of the university community. The strikes at both The New School and the UC system promise to bring new waves of labor activism on college campuses—earlier this year, the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, two of the largest unions in higher education, banded together to strengthen their advocacy for university workers, and Yale University graduate students are currently in the process of holding an election to form a union. Historic wins for unionized faculty and grad students on both coasts will almost undoubtedly embolden faculty and other academic workers and further stoke the flames of advocacy and activism in the months to come.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2022/12/15/the-new-school-faculty-reaches-landmark-agreement-is-it-a-sign-of-more-reform-to-come/?sh=5f56566f39c9
Poor poor Dr. InExcessivePain. He can never win, can't he?