Adjunct faculty are the foundation of our teaching mission, yet they are treated as expendable by administration, denied job security, fair pay, and a voice in decision-making. Our Union treats adjunct faculty as an afterthought, only reaching out when elections roll around. It’s time to challenge a system that profits from their precarity and fight for equity, respect, and stability for all who teach here.

Adjunct faculty deserve:

• Pay Parity: Advocate in the next contract cycle for equal pay by ensuring that adjunct faculty pay aligns with Non-Tenure Track Professors (NTTPs), in line with other bargaining agreements in NJ. Right now, WP adjuncts receive nearly half the compensation of adjuncts at Rutgers for the same course. This is unacceptable.
• Job Protection: Gather and analyze data to address the reduction in adjunct positions. Address issues such as higher course thresholds, cuts to Assigned Release Time (ART) and Non-Credit Release Time (NCRT), and the impact of flexible scheduling on adjunct opportunities. Develop systemic policies to reduce confusion over seniority for course appointments, including tracking seniority, and providing this information to Department Chairs and Program Directors.
• Full Membership Rights: Adjunct faculty members, whether or not their courses are canceled, and regardless of the session they are teaching (e.g., WPO sessions), should have full membership, participating, and voting rights in the Union for the academic year.
• Transparent Communication: Ensure greater inclusivity for adjunct faculty by streaming all union meetings. Schedule 1-2 meetings per semester at alternative times, such as evenings, to accommodate the diverse schedules of adjunct faculty members.
• Organizing: Only 29% of our adjunct faculty are members of the Union. This makes us weak at the local and state bargaining table. We need a team to drive membership in this key area.
• More steps: Currently, adjunct faculty max out after 6 years (12 semesters), with only a small $75/credit increase (4% per class). An adjunct faculty member could teach for another 20 or 30 years without an increase!
• Job security: Long-term adjunct faculty should receive long-term contracts, at least for the academic year, and multi-year contracts for the most experienced, highest-step adjunct faculty.
• Advocate at the state level for real unemployment benefits: Adjunct members should not be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits.
• More information from our Union about adjunct faculty rights.
• More opportunities to be included in professional development, decision-making, and community-building in our local.

“After a car accident that left me hospitalized for two weeks and required multiple surgeries, I still fought to keep teaching. I offered to teach online while recovering. I was told no. And after 21 years at William Paterson, I was suddenly told there were no classes for me. No options. No support from the union. This is what ‘job security’ means for adjuncts. Our dedication is punished, our lives disposable. Something is very broken.” — Adjunct Member

“After over 10 years of teaching, I was injured on campus. I was completely left to fight for myself. They denied me the chance to keep teaching. I lost my income and had to fight for my basic benefits and support. When I turned to the union for help, I didn’t get protection. I got indifference. That is not job security. That is abandonment.” — Former Adjunct Member, Michele Murphy, Esq.