The adjunct faculty group has returned to Plymouth State after a particularly eventful winter break, having held an election to unionize. The vote took place in December, and passed with 60 adjuncts in favor and 43 against in a secret ballot.
“About fifteen years ago,” said adjunct instructor Joan Bowers in a Clock article published last spring, “PSU adjunct salaries were so good relative to salaries at Keene State College that adjuncts there eventually decided to unionize to improve their pay and working conditions.” The adjuncts at Keene State were able to unionize by comparing their pay to adjuncts at sister school PSU.
Today, it’s the Plymouth adjuncts who are unionizing.
Adjunct English professor Burrett McBee said of the decision, “here at PSU, our continued second-class status compared to Keene State adjuncts urged us to move forward to unionize if we ever expected to reach parity with Keene adjuncts, who, as a union, can negotiate from a position of strength that without a union, we can’t.”
Adjunct English professor and Speaker Jay Knower mentioned the goal from the start was to establish a strong contract to create a “more stable” situation for adjuncts, as opposed to hoping that the University would uphold standards on good faith alone.
The adjuncts are hoping that a stronger adjunct community will be one of the results of the union, along with job security and longevity of contract. Knower believes that a stronger adjunct community means a stronger university because students can expect professors to be there the following semester. “I’ve known fantastic teachers who have had to leave because of financial concerns,” said Knower.
“Having teachers working for wages that are insufficient to keep the heat and lights on and food on the table is unacceptable. We hope to remedy that,” McBee said. “Having teachers who can’t afford to go to the doctor when ill is unacceptable.”
Passing the vote to unionize is a big step forward in a process that began last spring with adjuncts raising awareness. Knower emphasized how, just because they won the vote to unionize, doesn’t mean that a union is suddenly formed.
“The forming of a union is a process,” McBee elaborated. The stage of forming the union is a legal process and cannot begin until a contract is drawn up that all of the adjuncts agree on.
They’re currently in the process of recruiting adjuncts for membership. McBee brought up the fact that “even adjuncts that were not part of the election process back in December are encouraged to voice concerns.”
All positions in the union will be filled by adjuncts and run by adjuncts, as opposed to the misperception that outside professionals will bring in their own agenda. By electing adjuncts to officer positions they hope to create an internalized and democratic union, surveying the priorities of adjuncts in mind.
Not all are on board with the decision. Adjunct Steve Whitman, who was against the unionization, said, “I am not against all unions but feel having one here may be overkill. I was also very unhappy about the union’s tactics in trying to drum up support from adjuncts. Many people were harassed at home and it was handled very poorly. Not a good indication of what is to come.”
What is to come, in the recruitment process, is uncertain. Out of the 103 who voted in regards to unionizing, 43 voted against. It was by no means a landslide.
Adjunct Krisan Evenson believes that it’s a great opportunity for all adjuncts to be heard even if they voted against, saying “I’d rather speak than not speak.”
“We hope all adjuncts become involved in the process,” Knower said, so that it is easier to reflect all of the adjuncts’ desires and goals. As for what is to come, Knower mentions how it is a continuing process.