AFT releases updated report on adjunct faculty during Campus Parity Week

As we recognize Campus Parity Week, the AFT is out with an updated report underscoring the continuing crisis faced by millions of contingent workers at the nation’s colleges and universities—with little improvement to poverty wages and untenable conditions in the wake of the pandemic.

The AFT’s latest “Army of Temps” report, the third in a series, documents the troubling reality faced by millions of professional educators and illustrates how adjuncts struggle with low pay, inadequate access to benefits, little or no job security, and a lack of professional respect.

Among the many troubling findings, the report found:

More than one-quarter of respondents earn less than $26,500 annually.
Only 22.5 percent of respondents report having a contract that provides them with continuing employment.
For 3 out of 4 respondents, employment is only guaranteed for a term or semester at a time.
Two-thirds of part-time respondents want to work full time but are offered only part-time work.
Twenty-two percent of those responding report having anxiety about accessing adequate food.
Only 45 percent of respondents have access to employer-provided health insurance, and nearly 19 percent rely on Medicare/Medicaid.

Historic UESF settlement nets major salary gains

After months of successful organizing, and an overwhelming strike vote, the United Educators of San Francisco reached an historic settlement in their contract talks with the SFUSD last week.

Key issues at the bargaining table included securing competitive salaries for teachers, livable wages for paraeducators, and reduced caseloads for special education teachers.

"This is a historic win for San Francisco educators and students. With incredible support from parents and the community, we were firmly committed to ensuring that educators are valued and respected, that students get the kind of schools they deserve, and that the district will provide resources to enhance the recruiting and retention of educators," said UESF President Cassondra Curiel. "This historic agreement is the first time there was such an emphasis on giving paraeducators meaningful and equitable compensation to ensure that we can help stabilize our schools."

UESF members will discuss and vote on the settlement in the coming weeks, with results set to be announced on Nov. 9.

Congratulations to UESF members on the fantastic campaign!

New CFT poster available affirms our classrooms and schools are safe and welcoming spaces

CFT is out with a new poster available to all members that reaffirms our classrooms and schools are safe and welcoming spaces for all students. Hanging the poster in your classroom or office shows that we will not sit by while extremists across the state and country attempt to score political points by attacking our students.

Posters currently available in English and Spanish. Contact your local union to order one.

Free media literacy and AI resources for AFT members

The AFT is making available two fantastic free resources for AFT members who are interested in media literacy, accurate and truthful information, and maintaining students’ academic integrity. AFT is teaming up with NewsGuard and GPTZero to provide free access to:

NewsGuard’s media literacy browser extension.
NewsGuard’s “Disinformation Risk Briefings,” a weekly digest of the top misinformation and disinformation trends and narratives.
GPTZero’s leading AI identification tool platform and pedagogical writing tools.

Click here for more information and to sign up.