Friday, 24 August 2012
The working conditions of U.S. adjunct and contingent faculty—and, by association, the learning conditions of American college students—came under fire in a report issued Aug. 23 by the Center for the Future of Higher Education. The report, based on a 2011 survey of 500 adjunct faculty, finds two significant issues for those who make up the majority of the higher education workforce. Many are hired "just in time" to teach courses that are to begin three or fewer weeks after faculty are notified, and they have limited access to pedagogical resources.
For example, two-thirds of those responding to the survey reported receiving three weeks' notice or less to prepare for their classes. Almost all (94 percent) of survey respondents received no departmental or institutional campus orientation. In terms of sheer logistical support, respondents reported inadequate access to such basic materials as copying services, library privileges, office space, sample syllabuses and curriculum guidelines.
News Link: http://www.aftface.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=41
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After the above blog post, some new articles appeared elsewhere:
Last week, I wrote that collectively, faculty need to deal with the terrible market for professorships by producing fewer potential professors: admitting a lot fewer students to graduate school. Graduate school doesn’t exploit students the way that, say, a third-tier law school program does -- the students are paid, not paying vast sums for degrees they can’t use. But by wildly overproducing graduate students, academia is doing something just as bad, in a different way: encouraging overoptimistic (OK, maybe arrogant) kids to spend their formative years in the labor market pursuing jobs they aren’t so likely to get, then hiring the excess students as essentially casual labor at low wages.
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After the above blog post, some new articles appeared elsewhere:
Last week, I wrote that collectively, faculty need to deal with the terrible market for professorships by producing fewer potential professors: admitting a lot fewer students to graduate school. Graduate school doesn’t exploit students the way that, say, a third-tier law school program does -- the students are paid, not paying vast sums for degrees they can’t use. But by wildly overproducing graduate students, academia is doing something just as bad, in a different way: encouraging overoptimistic (OK, maybe arrogant) kids to spend their formative years in the labor market pursuing jobs they aren’t so likely to get, then hiring the excess students as essentially casual labor at low wages.
June 30, 2009
First UCONN Health Center, then UC Campuses and now it is Rutgers turn to Unionize!!..
The latest news among the PostDocs Union activity is released by the Rutgers AAUP/AFT. It was not in the news at all prior to this one, as my blog follows all the postdoc unionization activity in US and around the globe, I was bit surprised to see an advanced stage of unionization already in progress at Rutgers University, it is a great news!. I wish the Rutgers PostDoc all success and great benefits from their struggle to get better recognition...!This image is from the Rutgers website: http://www.rutgerspostdocs.org/questions.html
Rutgers Postdocs We need a union
First UCONN Health Center, then it was UC Campuses and now, it is the Rutgers turn to Unionization of PostDocs.......it is just the beginning of fruition of what UCONN PostDocs did few years ago...............!
Postdocs voted in favor of unionization with AFT Rutgers, AAUP-AFT. Working together with great solidarity in a timely fashion, we have been able to file our petition for union representation with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) on June 12, 2009!
| Greetings, We did it! |
April 02, 2008
University of Alaska PostDocs-Finalized UNION CONTRACT!!
Congratulations to
Alaskan PostDocs!
Three instersting "PostDoc News" caught my eyes & attention this week. One is the news from Canada, where postdocs are in the process of getting labour board approval to unionize....!!. The second news is the University of Alaska PostDocs finalized negotiation with the university through the union.
The third news, some universities are making huge changes to PostDoc Policies by increasing salaries and benefits as much as $9,000 to 10,000 increase in salary and benefits (I lost the reference, I will list it soon). At the outset, thought things are happening bit slow, I am very delighted to see that postdocs are slowly getting their due recognition. And, appropriate steps were taken to compensate their toil and their educational qualifications. But, who does the initiative and leg work for PostDocs??, check out.
(Image courtesy: Stephen Nowers / Anchorage Daily News)
PostDoc Union news:
The latest of those three news is from "newminor.com" an alaska local news site. Staff Writer Christie Hang (Contact staff writer Christi Hang at 459-7590) writes about the contract negotiations took place between University officials and the local union represented by AFT. This same very American Federation of Teachers was the gem of our UCONN Postdocs when we got unionized few years ago. Good Job University of Alaska and Local AFT!..
University of Alaska finalizes contract negotiations with unions
Four groups agree to contracts through 2010
By Christi Hang
Originally published Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:22 a.m.
"Members of United Academics-AAUP/AFT, which represents 940 university faculty, counselors, librarians, Cooperative Extension agents and post-doctoral fellows primarily employed at the main campus, will receive an annual salary increase of 3.3 percent over three years".
UA approves union contracts
Alaskan PostDocs!Three instersting "PostDoc News" caught my eyes & attention this week. One is the news from Canada, where postdocs are in the process of getting labour board approval to unionize....!!. The second news is the University of Alaska PostDocs finalized negotiation with the university through the union.
The third news, some universities are making huge changes to PostDoc Policies by increasing salaries and benefits as much as $9,000 to 10,000 increase in salary and benefits (I lost the reference, I will list it soon). At the outset, thought things are happening bit slow, I am very delighted to see that postdocs are slowly getting their due recognition. And, appropriate steps were taken to compensate their toil and their educational qualifications. But, who does the initiative and leg work for PostDocs??, check out.
(Image courtesy: Stephen Nowers / Anchorage Daily News)
PostDoc Union news:
The latest of those three news is from "newminor.com" an alaska local news site. Staff Writer Christie Hang (Contact staff writer Christi Hang at 459-7590) writes about the contract negotiations took place between University officials and the local union represented by AFT. This same very American Federation of Teachers was the gem of our UCONN Postdocs when we got unionized few years ago. Good Job University of Alaska and Local AFT!..
University of Alaska finalizes contract negotiations with unions
Four groups agree to contracts through 2010
By Christi Hang
Originally published Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:22 a.m.
"Members of United Academics-AAUP/AFT, which represents 940 university faculty, counselors, librarians, Cooperative Extension agents and post-doctoral fellows primarily employed at the main campus, will receive an annual salary increase of 3.3 percent over three years".
UA approves union contracts
Associated Press - April 1, 2008 6:54 PM ET
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Three union contracts have been approved by the University of Alaska Board of Regents. A union representing 940 university faculty, counselors, librarians, Cooperative Extension agents and postdoctoral fellows primarily employed at the main campus will receive an annual salary increase of 3.3% over three years. But the university's contribution to net health care will be reduced.
A separate union representing more than 1,000 part-time non-benefited faculty negotiated a contract giving them a 4% raise each year for three years.
A separate group of about 260 custodians and maintenance employees will get a 1-time $800 transition payment as the union's salary schedule is compressed. The university's health care contributions also will be reduced.
Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com/
