In 2015, adjunct professors at BU voted to unionize and begin negotiating a new contract with the university’s administration. More than a year later, no advances have been made and part-time faculty members have taken to the streets to protest.
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The adjunct faculty joined in solidarity with fast food workers, like Deanna (who asked not to give her last name) and healthcare professionals on April 14th to “fight for $15” as the new minimum wage. A crowd of over 500 people then marched on the State House demanding higher pay.
Deanna says working full time should be enough to support her kids. She says, “I shouldn’t have to keep telling them ‘no maybe next week or next month'” when they ask about going on family vacations or paying for college, “because next week and next month is never coming. In reality, mommy knows that it’s not going to happen.”
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Gregory Kerr (CAS ’18), a representative from the Student Curriculum Committee (SCC), says BU’s treatment of adjunct faculty is unacceptable. Kerr says he’s spoken to professors who have been “treated horribly by this administration,” and it’s time for the university to step up. Kerr says as a student, he wants his tuition dollars to go toward paying the people who give him his education.
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At BU, adjunct professors are paid on a course-by-course basis at an average rate of $4,000 per class according to a study put out by the labor union SEIU 509. Even with a full schedule of 6 classes a year (the same as many full time professors), the annual pay would fall around $24,000 with no benefits. The American Association of University Professors reports a full-time professor at BU’s salary as $122,200.
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Janet Bailey, an adjunct professor at MET and president of her own consulting practice, says the university has no excuse. Bailey says with an endowment of over $1.6 billion and a several million dollar surplus every year, BU should put some of that money back into its workforce.
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In response to the recent unrest, BU spokesman Colin Riley said in an email “we’re working hard to reach a fair agreement with the union and look forward to finalizing a contract.” Dr. Julie Sandell, the associate provost for faculty at BU said she had no comment.
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Barbara (who asked not to give her last name), a single mom who works full time at Dunkin Donuts and is trying to go back to school, says the education system is failing her. She says she wants to finish her degree but she can’t afford tuition when she is making minimum wage. She says she sees these highly intelligent, well-respected professors fighting alongside her and she is hopeful for her future. “We need to make our future better,” she says. “Let everybody live happy, and live free.”
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For more in-depth coverage of the adjunct faculty’s unionization process and the Fight for 15 movement, check out our feature posts here and here. Carly can be reached at csitrin@buquad.com or on Twitter @CarlySitrin.
An earlier version of this article had incorrectly cited the average pay for an adjunct professor as $3,000 per course with a full course load of 12 per semester. The actual numbers are closer to $4,000 per course and 6 courses per semester.