Tensions are rising between part-time faculty and administrators at The New School as they negotiate the terms of a new union contract, with the two sides making divergent claims but declining to specify many details of the talks. The University’s 1,500 part-timers, also known as adjuncts, comprise about 85 percent of the faculty. Since voting to unionize in 2002, they have been represented by the Academics Come Together-United Auto Workers Local #7902 [ACT-UAW].
“We have offered a contract to the UAW that provides part-time faculty with salary increases and lump sum payments, strong health benefits with no change in eligibility criteria, and continued job security measures,” said Tokumbo Shobowale, Chief Operating Officer at The New School, in an email last week.
Union officials took strong exception to that account. “The raises they’re offering are miniscule,” said Marie Dormuth, ACT-UAW New School Unit Chair, on Saturday. “They’re talking about an increase of 1.5% across the board. In the previous contract, it was much better. Now they’re talking much less. We can’t see any reason for this.”
According to Dormuth, who has served on the union bargaining committee since the The New School joined the union in 2002, the previous contract included a 2% raise across the board during both Fall 2013 and Spring 2014.
Another sticking point is health-care coverage. At the moment, all part-time faculty who have taught for more than two semesters receive health insurance for themselves and any dependants, but the cost is set to increase at least in part, the administration says, because of a fee hike mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
“For individuals, they’ve more than doubled the premium that we have to pay and for families it’s through the roof,” Dormuth said. “Anyone with a wife and children, it’s gonna be unaffordable for them.”
Irwin Chen, a part-time faculty member who teaches communications design and journalism classes at both Lang and Parsons, said health insurance was one of the biggest reasons he came to The New School.
“If they cut health insurance for my family and kids then I’m not going to teach here anymore,” Chen said. “I’m gone.”
Other faculty expressed frustration with the lack of information from both the union and the administration.
“Right now, I’m as much in the dark about what’s going on as anyone else who isn’t at the negotiating table,” said James Fuerst, a part-time faculty member at Lang.
Currently, part-time faculty are working under the terms of the former contract, which expired on August 31, 2014. Last fall both administration and the union agreed to extend that contract till March 31.
According to the administration, the talks are on track. “We have been and continue to be active participants in negotiations with the UAW on a new agreement for our part-time faculty,” said Shobowale. “There have been no reservations or delays on the part of the university.”
Dormuth disagreed. “Administration is offering much less than in 2009 and putting up a much bigger fight, she said. “We’re not going to accept givebacks. President Van Zandt has really been trying to gut the terms and working conditions that we’ve established.”
A rally is planned for Monday, March 16 at 11 in front of the University Center. Follow the story on our website.