Contact: Jeff Cech - jcech@usw.org, 412-339-4843
PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) congratulates adjunct faculty at Robert Morris University on becoming members of the Adjunct Faculty Association (AFA-USW). The instructors voted for AFA-USW representation by a 2-to-1 margin, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced today.
“We are thrilled with today's outcome. For months, we've been hearing our colleagues at Robert Morris University call for improved working conditions, so the vote to instigate those changes through collective bargaining comes as no surprise,” said adjunct instructor Patricia Droz. “We are hopeful that the administration will see this as a sign that immediately negotiating in good faith is the wisest course of action.”
“Academic workers deserve to be treated with fairness and respect. Getting paid a decent wage is part of that for all workers, no matter what sector they are employed in,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “The Robert Morris adjunct faculty should proudly celebrate their victory. The Steelworkers are pleased to have them as members.”
“These instructors contribute to the diversity that makes the Steelworkers strong,” Gerard said.
AFA-USW organizer and academic labor expert Robin Sowards said adjunct faculty members at Robert Morris are among the lowest paid in the region. “At Slippery Rock, which has just two-thirds of the revenue per student that Robert Morris does, the unionized adjunct faculty earn between two and five times more per course,” Sowards said.
The typical salary for a Robert Morris adjunct faculty member is $2,400 per 3-credit course. A maximum load of three courses each semester would yield an annual income of $14,400, which is below the federal poverty line for a family of two.
The Robert Morris instructors are the third such group to join the AFA-USW, joining faculty members at Duquesne and Point Park universities in Pittsburgh. The USW is continuing its campaign to organize adjunct faculty throughout the Pittsburgh area and encourages part-time faculty members at all colleges and universities to contact the union.
The Adjunct Faculty Association is organizing faculty in Pittsburgh and elsewhere to unify and empower the people who do the work of higher education. The AFA is affiliated with the United Steelworkers, whose 850,000 members include men and women working in many different industries, including metals, paper and forestry, rubber, manufacturing, energy, health care, pharmacies and pharmaceuticals, civil service, finance, law, transportation, and education.
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