It is never more clear than as the semester ends and we work to bring our classes to a close: our work makes the university work. This time of year, we feel all the more keenly our need for a union.

If you haven’t already, take a moment to add your name to our petition calling on NYU to respect our right to collective bargaining, institute meaningful protections around job security, and guarantee raises that keep pace with cost of living in New York City! 

It’s been an exciting semester for UAW academic workers in New York City and around the country. Here are some highlights: 

• In August, full-time, non-tenure track Barnard faculty with BCF-UAW ratified their second collective bargaining agreement, locking in guaranteed minimum salary increases amounting to 18% over the life of the contract, and bringing Barnard’s base salary to $89,000 by 2026.
• Our part-time NYU colleagues of ACT-UAW won a historic agreement in October that includes guaranteed pay for grading and prep work, and brings adjunct faculty compensation to parity with NYU contract faculty minimums by 2026.
• Just last week, New School part-time faculty with UAW 7902 announced that their three-week strike allowed them to leverage the new standards set by NYU adjuncts and win a tentative agreement that includes substantial salary increases and strengthens benefits and job security. Just like any contract we eventually negotiate, it is solely the choice of the union’s members whether to accept the tentative agreement. 
• Meanwhile, 48,000 UAW academic workers at the University of California are reviewing tentative agreements, and will vote this week on whether to continue their strike to secure badly-needed increases and job protections for the UC’s lowest-paid academics.

Higher ed is the fastest-growing sector in the UAW, and in a historic vote last month, members in our region elected Brandon Mancilla of Harvard’s HGSU-UAW to represent us in the union’s national leadership. Across the country, workers at academic institutions like ours are forming unions to reclaim power and ensure a guaranteed voice over their working conditions. Just in the past few months, our colleagues at Miami University of Ohio, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Santa Clara University, and Skidmore College won their unions. Indeed, this year’s six biggest elections for new unions in the country have all been at universities.

Do you want to ride this wave of academic unionization?

We’re excited to move forward with our own campaign. The coming semester is crucial for us, and we need your help to make the most of the momentum that our colleagues around the city and the country have built. Now is the time to get involved.  If you’ve already signed the petition, why not take the next step? Respond to this email to say you’re ready to get more involved in talking to your colleagues about why we need a union.