“We won a seat at the table…” Loyola adjuncts declare victory

Last year, Loyola adjuncts won their first ever contract and became members of SEIU Local 73. This year, adjuncts continue to claim victories and show us what is possible when we organize and fight for the treatment we deserve.

After a one day strike, adjuncts won a contract that awarded a 51% raise to many of the lowest paid faculty. This increase subsequently created an Adjunct Instructor position which, when earned, provides faculty with a two year contract as opposed to the previously unstable semester-to-semester scheduling. Adjunct faculty also won professional development funding, which offers them $600 a year to travel and experience educational enrichment opportunities that benefit them and their students. Most importantly, Loyola adjuncts won a seat at the table, an opportunity to make their voices heard on issues that matter to them, and the opportunity to weigh in on decisions that impact the University community as a whole.

Adjunct Faculty, Alyson Paige Warren shared what this win means to her,

“We organized and bargained for three years before we won our first contract, so we had many smaller victories on the way to our biggest triumph. Every time one of my fellow part-time faculty speaks out about their own experiences and uses that to better their own situations, I feel that is a win. Adjuncts so often feel invisible that feeling seen  – by the University, by your colleagues and by your union – often feels victorious.”

Alyson speaks out on April 15, 2016 in solidarity with a Fight for 15 Protest at Loyola University

Before finalizing their CBA, adjuncts had not seen a raise since 2007. They campaigned diligently for years to assure that adjuncts would not have to face this sort of treatment in future years.