Organizing the Academic Precariat in the United States

The Benefits and Limitations of Contingent Faculty Unionization: A Comparison of a Union and Non-Union Institution

“…A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that among contingent faculty who primarily teach, part-time contingent faculty are paid 75% less per course than tenure-track faculty and full-time contingent faculty are paid 40% less per course than tenure-track faculty (U.S. GAO 2017). In addition to lower overall salaries, contingent faculty salaries do not generally increase with experience, unlike tenure-track faculty (Atkins et al 2018; Hoeller 2014). Contingent faculty, especially those with course loads considered part-time, are also much less likely than tenure-track faculty to receive health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plans (Atkins et al 2018; Hoeller 2014).…”

“…In addition to lower overall salaries, contingent faculty salaries do not generally increase with experience, unlike tenure-track faculty (Atkins et al 2018; Hoeller 2014). Contingent faculty, especially those with course loads considered part-time, are also much less likely than tenure-track faculty to receive health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plans (Atkins et al 2018; Hoeller 2014).…”

The communicative power of trade unionism: labour law, political opportunity structure and social movement strategy

“…Nevertheless, there have been several initiatives and collective attempts in many countries including the joining of existing bigger unions as well as autonomous campaigning and strikes. These have occurred both in the US where the adjunctification of academia is most advanced (Gilbert, 2013;Atkins, Esparza, Milkman & Moran, 2018) and in European countries (European Trade Union Committee for Education, 2018; Gallas, 2018;Martinez, 2018;Precademics, 2019). Campaigns included a wide range of issues and repertoires of action including struggles of recognition of academic and employee status, informing colleagues and the wider public about prevailing conditions, symbolic protests and sit-ins and articulating sets of demands to university and state authorities.…”

Listening to Those That Matter: Deans' Responses to the Barriers that Latiné/x/a/o Contingent Faculty at HSI's Face

“…Knowing how to navigate these roles can be difficult at best. There have been many highly accomplished scholars in the role of dean that "have been pushed out of their positions, not realizing that there must have been a disconnect between what they believed about themselves and their role and what their constituencies wanted and expected" while not also being fully aware of "the consequences of their actions on others and having time to reflect on ways their values and goals were affecting their work environments" [p. With respect to contingent faculty, previous research has defined contingent faculty as "non-tenure-track positions that are contract-term bound or temporary" [p. 76,9]. Contingent faculty face some barriers that their tenure-track colleagues don't: job insecurity, lapses in health care and benefits if even provided, low course pay not commensurate to their worth or labor output, a sense of not fitting in the department and institution on a whole based on the lack of support, and under-resourced working conditions [9]- [15].…”