Beginning in the Spring 2016 term, Point Park’s adjunct faculty will receive incremental pay raises and other union protections including benefits, after ratifying their agreement with the University.
On Thursday, Nov. 5, members of the Adjunct Faculty Association of the United Steelworkers (AFA-USW) voted to ratify the contract via mail-in ballots by an overwhelming 93 percent margin.
The Globe has obtained – via a source who wishes to remain anonymous – an electronic copy of the agreement that was recently ratified. Robin Sowards from the United Steelworkers; Jessica Toro, an adjunct photography professor and another adjunct professor at PPU who wishes to remain anonymous have all confirmed the validity of the document.
The document’s preamble states, “The Union, the University and part-time faculty members strive for constructive collaboration in support of the Mission of the University. To that end, the purpose of this Agreement is to set forth the terms and conditions of employment of part-time faculty members. Nothing in this Preamble shall create any rights that may be subject to the provisions of Article 7, Grievance and Arbitration Procedure.”
Adjunct professors working at Point Park will receive incremental pay raises of five percent over the three and a half year term of the contract.
The contract states, “Effective the Spring, 2016 academic term, part-time faculty members shall be compensated according to the following schedule, except as otherwise provided in this Article.”
It goes on to say that these are the minimum rates and the University “shall not be precluded from compensating part-time faculty members above the minimum rates.”
The contract lists the new pay structure by position, or rank, for adjuncts teaching undergraduate courses; professors will now earn $878 per credit, associate professors will earn $835 per credit, assistant professors will earn $785 per credit and instructors will earn $732 per credit.
It also lists the new pay structure for adjuncts teaching graduate courses; professors will earn $954 per credit, associate professors will earn $920 per credit and assistant professors will now earn $887 per credit.
According to Sowards, last year adjunct professors teaching undergraduate courses earned $836 per credit, with associate professors earning $795 per credit, assistant professors earning $748 per credit and instructors earning $697 per credit.
Adjunct professors teaching graduate courses made $909 per credit, associate professors made $876 per credit and both assistant professors made $845 per credit.
Sowards also made the point that almost all adjuncts currently working never reach professor status.
“It is not the sort of thing most faculty ever get to,” Sowards said. “Most adjuncts are either associate professors or instructors, keeping them in the lower pay scales.”
The contract also raises the compensation of adjunct professors teaching private voice and piano lessons, dance technique courses and independent studies – all of which are integral with the importance and demand of PPU’s Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) program.
Compensation rates effective as of the Spring 2016 term will be $42 per hour for private voice and piano lessons, $45.15 per contact hour (length of the class) for dance technique instructors and $52.50 per credit for independent studies.
This represents an increase from last year’s numbers also according to Sowards; private voice and piano lessons paid $40 per hour, dance technique instructors made $43 per contact hour and independent studies paid $50 per credit.
Appointments are detailed in Article 12 of the contract. It states, “Appointments shall be made on a per course basis based on a particular academic term for which the faculty member is assigned to teach the course.
“It is understood that appointments may include preparation and follow-up work performed outside the academic term, such as orientation, course preparation, course assessment, and resolution of in complete or disputed grades.”
The agreement also indicates that the University has sole discretion which courses will be offered and which faculty members will be appointed to teach those courses. The University also retains the right to assign full-time faculty members or other staff members not apart of the new agreement to teach any course.
Preferential treatment status is also detailed in the contract. It will be given to adjunct faculty members within their academic department depending on the number of credits an adjunct professor has already taught at Point Park.
Adjunct faculty members given preferential treatment must notify the head of their respective departments, in the manner that is determined by the head of the department.
It also notes that, “Nothing herein shall be interpreted as a guarantee that any part-time faculty member shall be appointed to any specific courses or number of credits.”
A new benefits package has also been included in the new agreement. The University will provide tuition remission for undergraduate courses for the spouses and “dependents” of an adjunct professor, which means adjunct professors families’ also benefit from the contract agreement. The remission will be equal to how many credits are taught by the adjunct in that semester. Undergraduate remission will cover 100 percent of the tuition.
The agreement reads, “If a part-time faculty member, spouse or dependent is eligible for both tuition remission and institutional financial aid, the higher of the two benefits shall be awarded.”
The contract also stipulates that in the event that a course is canceled by the University, the school “shall make a good faith effort to offer the affected part-time faculty member an alternative course that the affected part-time faculty member is qualified to teach.”
Adjuncts will also be eligible to participate in Group Supplemental Retirement Annuity (GSRA) plan offered by the University.
Also included is an additional $50 per credit payment for an adjunct faculty member if the University designates that the professor will teach an honors course.
The deal also includes improved job security for adjunct professors.
photo by Ty Smith
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Supporters of adjuncts unionization march down Boulevard of the Allies through Point Park’s campus on Sept. 1, 2014 in the Labor Day parade. After about 10 months of negotiating, the Adjunct Faculty Association of the United Steelworkers ratified the tentative agreement made on Sept. 23, 2015.
Union members must pay an agency fee, according to the document, “The amount of such agency fee shall be determined by the Union in accordance with applicable law.”
It says the agency fee will go toward “the cost of administration of this agreement and representation by the Union.”
The contract also details the process for the “discipline and discharge” of an adjunct faculty member, stating that discipline and discharge will be for a just cause, also giving the University the discretion to place an adjunct faculty member on paid or unpaid administrative leave. It specifies further, “Being placed on paid or unpaid administrative leave is not itself a disciplinary action.”
Another article within the deal indicates that during the life of the contract the Unionized members will not “engage in, authorize or threaten any mass absenteeism.” Meaning that under the new agreement, members of the union will not be able to participate in or start a strike, work stoppage, sit-down, sit-in or any other such stoppage of work.
It continues to state that the union must be accessible to the University to take measures to prevent any violation of this clause.
Article 15 of the contract provides a list of services the University is required to provide to adjunct faculty. This list includes materials the University determines are necessary to each course, access to computer workstations, free access to printing and photocopying services, administrative support services and access to space to meet with students.
The University will also provide a bulletin board strictly for the posting of notices regarding Union matters.
Another article in the contract states that the Union and University will create a Labor-Management Committee (LMC). It says, “The LMC shall consist of four (4) members, two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the Union and two (2) appointed by the University.” Agenda items for each meeting will be designated two weeks before the meeting.
The last article in the contract provides room for the contract to be amended in the future.
This agreement, ratified Nov. 5, is the result of ten months of negotiating between the University and USW after adjunct professors voted to unionize – initially in June 2014.
Upon request for comment from the University, the original press release from the September agreement between University adjuncts and USW was sent again.
“Point Park University maintains great respect for its part-time faculty and fully appreciates their strong commitment to academic excellence,” University President Paul Hennigan said. “This agreement is a reflection of the entire University community’s focus on teaching, learning and student success.”
