Non-tenured adjunct faculty at Saint Louis University’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education, represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1, have overwhelmingly ratified their first contract.
The five-year agreement will:
- Increase wages;
- Stabilize scheduling for the adjunct faculty members;
- Improve the lives of the faculty and students at Saint Louis University.
The contract follows months of pressure on the university from political leaders, other unions, students, faculty and staff, many of whom signed and delivered petitions to the university in support of the adjuncts.
‘A POSITIVE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION’
“This contract marks a positive step in the right direction for adjunct faculty at Saint Louis University,” said Jameson Ramirez, an adjunct faculty member of SEIU Local 1.
“This first contract is significant not just because it creates meaningful improvements in compensation, but it also enables adjunct faculty to have more continuity in their teaching assignments,” Ramirez said. “Up until this point, I always had in the back of my mind the fear that I may not be re-hired for the next semester, and this uncertainty neither benefited me or my students. Winning this contract gains me greater stability, and I know this can only result in a better situation for my students.”
A VOICE ON THE JOB
Local 1 has been working with college and university professors and graduate student workers throughout the Midwest to give them a voice on the job, address the low compensation for their work and ensure greater benefits and job security.
SLU adjunct professors voted to join SEIU Local 1 on May 23, 2016, joining adjunct faculty at Washington University, St. Louis Community College and St. Charles Community College, demanding a voice on the job and a better life for themselves and their students.
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