Category: Union Drive
-
The How and Why of Faculty Unions
In US higher education, faculty unions are quickly on the rise. According to one recent report from the Washington Post, faculty at over 120 campus have formed union chapters since 2013, with more than half of those at private schools like Skidmore. But why do academics need a union? For more on that question and on the…
-
Election Agreement Announcement
Supporters, Exciting news! After the clear showing of support from non-tenure-track (NTT) and tenure-track faculty at last week’s faculty meeting, the College administration has agreed to withdraw its managerial objection to our union. We’ve reached an election agreement with the College administration, who have insisted that voting be held in the fall from September 12th-26th,…
-
Skidmore Faculty Forward Organizing Committee Statement
Dear Skidmore Colleagues: Today, Skidmore College filed its Statement of Position (SOP, attached) with the National Labor Relations Board, responding to the non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty’s petition to hold a union election. In its SOP, the College asserts the following: Skidmore’s full-time non-tenure-track faculty have managerial responsibilities which would exclude them from coverage under the National…
-
An Open Letter to the Skidmore Community
To the Skidmore community, Non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty are a vital part of Skidmore. Counting part-time faculty, nearly half of all Skidmore’s faculty are NTT, and NTT faculty account for more than a third of the College’s full-time faculty.1 We are some of the first faculty Skidmore students encounter in their journey on campus. We serve…
-
Why We are Organizing a Union
We are organizing a union because we heard too many stories of non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty at Skidmore being given terminal one-year contracts for ten years and more in a row, despite filling obviously long-term curricular needs. Lacking any assurance of future employment, faculty on iterative contracts must constantly be on the job market, drawing their…