The University's “Last, Best, and Final” Offer Does More Harm Than Good

On Sunday, November 21 the university’s negotiations team walked away from the bargaining table, demanding that part-time faculty accept a deal that does more harm than good.

This “last, best, and final” offer by the university is an incredibly aggressive union-busting tactic that one would expect from employers such as Amazon, Starbucks, and John Deere, not a progressive, social justice institution like The New School.

Though adjunct faculty across the country have gone on strike countless times, The New School's level of aggressive union-busting is unprecedented in higher education.

While we’ve won meaningful benefits such as a 150K professional development fund and 12-weeks of paid family leave, the university’s statements about its offer have been purposely misleading, and much of what is contained in it would hurt part-time faculty.

Here’s why the University’s “last, best, and final offer” won’t work for part-time faculty:

On Healthcare

The university would have unlimited authority to hike your out-of-pocket costs and increase your premiums by up to 61% over the next five years. Any raises you receive could be wiped out by increases to our out-of-pocket costs and premiums.

The University would force some faculty and their families from our current insurance plan onto a costly and risky High-Deductible Health Plan.

Compensation for Hours Worked as Teachers Outside of Classroom

Faculty at CUNY and NYU won $1,000 to $2,000 in compensation for the hours they work as teachers outside the classroom. 

The New School is offering $0.

Job Security

The university has proposed language that would allow it to more easily terminate long-time faculty by determining that they are not qualified to teach.

The university can continue the practice of hiring faculty for only 8 semesters only to terminate them.

The university can continue to whittle long-time faculty members' baseloads down over time

Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination

The university is refusing faculty the right to file union grievances with the help of a union rep and lawyer if they experience harassment or discrimination. This is a right to which adjunct faculty at Fordham, NYU, and Barnard are entitled. Even other employees at the New School such as teaching assistants and custodians are entitled to this right. The New School, a social justice university, is refusing to provide its faculty with real recourse against harassment and discrimination despite the fact that doing so would cost the university nothing.

On Compensation

The university’s 7% raise this year and 2.5% raises in subsequent years might seem like a sweet deal, but it’s not. 

Part-time faculty haven’t had a raise since 2018. This contract would end in 2027. That’s 9 years total. 

The university is offering a 17% raise over the lifetime of this contract. Averaged across those 9 years, that's 1.8% raises per year, less than the 2% to 3% raises that other union employees at the university such as Librarians and Making Center Techs won in their contracts.

The University’s Finances

Curious about how the university spends its money? A breakdown of its budget here.

Member’s Meeting: Monday, November 21 at 8 pm

Please join the bargaining committee and your part-time faculty colleagues at tonight's membership meeting.

If you did not receive the email version of this post with the Zoom link, please contact a member of the Bargaining Committee.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee:

Alice Eve Cohen, SPE
Angela Hanks, Lang
Annie Lee Larson, Parsons
Dianca London Potts, Lang
Elizabeth Torres, Parsons
Erika Doering, Parsons
Greg DePaul, SPE
Jaclyn Lovell, Parsons
Jason Hudspeth, Parsons
Jerzy Gwiazdowski, Drama
Lee-Sean Huang, Parsons
Laura Mount, Mannes
Mary Barto, Mannes
Oliver Kellhammer, Parsons
Peter Mallo, Parsons
Stanley Dorn, Mannes
Steven Sacco, Mannes
Victoria Manganiello, Parsons