Significant Movement on Contract Offer for Part-Time Faculty
A Message from Dr. Dwight A. McBride, President and University Professor
To The New School Community:
We are at an extraordinary moment for our university. Our students are, and always will be, our north star. Their academic journey must not be jeopardized because of the ongoing negotiations with the union representing our part-time faculty. For this reason, we are taking the extraordinary step to agree to all of the union’s compensation demands, with the addition of an administrative services fee to compensate part-time faculty for their work outside of the classroom – a key issue the union has raised repeatedly. In addition to agreeing to the union’s compensation demands, the university will also be providing a supplemental bonus of $2100 for each part-time faculty union member who taught during the pandemic.
The university also made substantial movement on all of the union’s demands to bring this strike to a quick end, including:
- Input on health insurance plan design by including two part-time faculty on the university’s Benefits Committee;
- Achieving annualized status after 10 semesters, down from the current contract threshold, something that we do not believe any other university provides;
- A new mechanism by which part-time faculty may grieve any disciplinary decisions stemming from an internal sexual harassment investigation; and
- Enhanced retirement and tuition benefits.
This is an excellent contract that demonstrates the deep respect we have for all the contributions of our part-time faculty at The New School, as well as one that sets new standards for part-time faculty nationwide.
We want nothing more than to get back to our mission of teaching, learning, and creating, and this contract reflects the deep understanding of and respect for the value that part-time faculty bring to The New School. We know that our faculty miss teaching their students, and students in return miss the knowledge and engagement they gain from their instructors, both full-time and part-time. The time is NOW to come together in support of our students. Let’s end the strike and return to the classroom so that our students can finish their semester with confidence.