Q: Are my professors going on strike?
A: Not necessarily, we’re just taking a step in that direction with a strike authorization vote. If the vote is successful, the part-time faculty bargaining team can call a strike if necessary. We want to avoid a strike, but at the end of the day, it’s in the university’s hands and how they show up to bargaining.
Q: Why are my professors taking a step toward a strike?
A: We’ve been negotiating with the university since June, hoping to reach an agreement before our current one expires on November 13th. Unfortunately, the university has rejected most of our contract proposals, so it’s unlikely this will happen. They’ve left us with no choice but to begin preparing for a strike.
Q: What will happen to classes if part-time faculty strike?
A: If part-time faculty strike, all classes (even online classes) taught by part-time faculty will cease for the duration of the strike.
Q: Will a strike impact my ability to graduate or get my grades?
A: Over the last couple of years, graduate-student instructors at NYU and Columbia have gone on strike at the end of an academic term. In each instance, the university has figured out ways to ensure students graduate.
Q: Does this have to happen during finals?
A: No! If the university starts meaningfully showing up to the bargaining table, a strike becomes increasingly less likely. However, if part-time faculty deem a strike necessary, it will likely happen during finals. It will be disruptive, but that’s exactly the point of a strike.
Q: Why does this matter to me?
A: Our working conditions are your learning conditions, plain and simple. A few examples:
We want to be paid for the work we do outside of the classroom, like grading, holding office hours, mentoring, writing letters of recommendation, and more. We will continue to do our absolute best with the limited resources we have, but imagine how much more we could support you if the university supported us?
We want to know well in advance of each semester whether or not we’ll be teaching any classes just as much as you want to know who “Faculty TBA” is before registration.
We want to be able to pay expert guest speakers we bring into class.
Q: Will this affect my visa status?
A: No. This will have no effect on your visa status. When academic student workers at the New School went on strike in 2018, no one suffered any visa consequences.
Q: How can I help?
A: Students, whose tuition the New School relies on, have incredible power to impact change. Because of this, the university’s administrators may try to drive a wedge between you and your professors, especially if they force us into a strike. Here’s how you can make sure that doesn’t happen:
Talk to your friends about why it’s so important part-time faculty receive a fair contract now!
If part-time faculty deem a strike necessary, it’s important that students don’t cross the picket line. This means not attending classes, even if they’re not taught by part-time faculty.
Get involved with Student Faculty Solidarity! They always need help organizing actions, making buttons, flyering, and more.
GLOSSARY OF UNION TERMS
Union - A democratic, organized group of workers leveraging their collective power to make their workplace and their jobs better.
Collective bargaining -Unionized workers negotiate with their employers about their pay, working conditions, benefits and more. The collective bargaining process can last anywhere from a few months to a few years and ends (ideally) with a union contract.
Strike - When the collective bargaining process stalls, workers may choose to temporarily withhold their labor by striking. A strike is the most powerful tool a union has in its collective bargaining toolkit, but it’s important to note it’s a last resort.
Strike authorization vote - Unionized workers cannot call a strike unless a majority of those workers are on board. A strike authorization vote allows the workers to express whether or not they want to go on strike. To be successful, at least 2/3rds of those who vote must vote “yes”. A successful vote, however, does not mean a strike is inevitable. It just means the workers are ready to strike if necessary.
Picket line - A demonstration where striking workers publicly communicate their dissatisfaction with the collective bargaining process. Workers gather outside the workplace with banners, signs, chanting, marching, music, and more.
Crossing a picket line - Choosing to work while other employees at that workplace are on strike. For students, this could look like attending a class taught by a substitute instructor while faculty are on strike. Refusing to cross a picket line is an important way to show solidarity with striking workers.