At our 10th bargaining session on Wednesday we presented NYU with our compensation article, which seeks significant raises for all adjuncts in line with MLA recommendations which suggest national adjunct pay rates of $11,500 for a 3 credit course. In addition we are seeking one paid “administrative hour” per class per week for the work adjuncts do outside the classroom. These extra hours have only grown over the years of our previous contract and need to be addressed in this contract.
NYU has asserted throughout the bargaining process that they needed our compensation proposals in order to fully respond to our demands. Now they have them. The university may activate their public relations machine to label adjuncts as “greedy” or “out of touch.” But adjuncts and contingent faculty teach the vast majority of classes at NYU so this is simply fair pay for the most important work at the school, teaching students. NYU boasted its endowment increased by 23 percent to 5.8 billion in the last year. They can afford to pay adjuncts what they are worth but have chosen not to do so. It is going to take all of us banding together to achieve this economic recognition of our value.
NYU has responded to some of our non-economic proposals, and we were able to reach a tentative agreement on a few of those with others only needing some minor clarification. Progress is being made, but the university has yet to respond to the major issues of COVID pay, reappointment rights, and benefits.
In conjunction with our latest bargaining session the organizing committee held a rally outside the NYU Human Resources building at 105 East 17th Street. The NYU negotiating team left the building with the shouts of our members ringing in their ears.
Join us for Cocktail Conversations Thursday, July 28, at 6pm at Vol de Nuit (148 West 4th Street). Get a bargaining update and get to know your fellow NYU adjuncts. And don’t miss our final summer Contract Conversations session: Contract Conversations – Pay Rate, on Monday, August 15, at 6pm on Zoom. Zoom link.
In solidarity,
The NYU Bargaining Committee
