Adjunct faculty from Boston University and Northeastern University receive a Boston City Council resolution that calls for fair wages and a free and fair union elections.
On Friday, the Boston City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of adjunct instructors, calling for colleges and universities in the Boston area to improve pay and benefits for adjunct instructors and to also allow them to unionize without interference.
“The current system for paying adjunct professors is hurting these individuals and their families
but also the classroom experience for our students,” Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley said. “With a mounting student loan debt crisis, families want to know what they’re getting for their money. With a compromised teaching force, I believe their dollars are not being maximized.”
The resolution is another way students, full-time professors, community leaders and elected officials are coming together to support Boston-area adjuncts as they help build a nationwide movement to improve standards for the profession by forming unions with SEIU/Adjunct Action.
Judge Isaac Borenstein (retired), Lecturer in Law, Northeastern University School of Law: “Northeastern adjunct faculty are excited about our upcoming election to join our colleagues at Tufts, Lesley and other universities across the country who are winning a voice in their work. I also appreciate that Boston City Council, along with many Northeastern students, alumni and full-time faculty, expect a ‘free and fair election’ where adjuncts alone make the decision, freely and independently, without interference from anyone.”
Higher education is a vital part of the Massachusetts economy and our state’s future. Over half a million students are pursuing a degree at Massachusetts post-secondary institutions. Colleges and universities account for a greater share of employment and payroll in Massachusetts than in almost any other state in the country and post-secondary instructors are among the fastest growing occupations in the state.
