Dive Brief:
- Members of the City University of New York's Professional Staff Congress say a proposed labor contract accepted by the university and its board of trustees does not do enough to address pay disparities between full-time and adjunct faculty members.
- The agreement proposes a 10% salary increase, qualifiers for insurance, leave and grievance benefits for nearly 25% of the adjunct faculty body, and extends contract term minimums to three-years.
- Critics say the deal creates tiers of compensation among the faculty, and could complicate the ability for CUNY to attract, retain the largest percentage of its academic workforce.
Dive Insight:
Some observers say the most effective strategy to stop adjunct unionization is to make every effort to pay a fair wage, a prospect feared by most campus business officers and virtually impossible given current budgeting constraints for most institutions.
Adjunct unionization could balloon salary budgets from $4 billion to $24 billion nationwide. When combined with decreasing support from public appropriations and shrinking numbers of students attending college, leaders will have to consider alternatives for teaching and instruction which could alter how many students are entering school, and how engaged they will be in completing a degree.