(Credit: Pedro Wolfe, 2022)
A letter encouraging union membership hangs on the Skidmore campus.
Non-tenure track professors are trying to unionize at Skidmore. A press conference held last Friday saw tenured and non-tenured faculty come together alongside students and union organizers to discuss an upcoming vote, which is expected to happen within the next month.
Gregory Spinner, a non-tenured professor of Religious Studies who spoke at the rally, says change is long overdue.
“People who teach at an illustrious institution like Skidmore should not have to worry about whether they have medical coverage, should not have to worry about putting food on the table,” he said.
Non-tenure track faculty, often called adjunct faculty, teach at Skidmore, but have their position renewed on a year by year basis. Tenure-track professors maintain an ongoing position, though may be released before they are awarded tenure. The process can take seven years.
Spinner says that about 50% of instructors at Skidmore are non-tenure track. Of those instructors, 65% have already signed union cards stating that they would vote yes if unionization came to vote.
“It is a complex grouping of people, who range from professors who’ve taught at Skidmore for over 20 years to people who have only taught a single course once,” he said.
Plans to unionize have been underway for 3 years, but Spinner says that the administration has repeatedly deflected inquiries regarding pay equity, insurance, and benefits brought forth by these adjunct professors.
Now, adjunct faculty are publicly voicing their concerns, and calling attention to a vote which they hope will take place within the next month.
Liana Heath, a student organizer, says that this issue is of importance to the entire Skidmore community.
“Every student can relate to having an amazing professor who has left. We're only here for four years typically, so it's easy to not see the big picture. But when there's this turnover, so rapidly, it really impacts how students are able to receive support,” she said.
The school’s administration says that they are open to dialogue, and will welcome the results of the upcoming vote. Skidmore President Marc C. Conner says it will be important to hear all concerns on this complex issue.
In an email, Connor wrote: “Some non-tenure track faculty have said they believe a union would better represent their interests. Others have said they disagree. But the choice of whether a union would serve the best interests of our NTT colleagues is theirs to make and theirs alone.”
Conner reiterates that the school will uphold the results of the union vote.
“We will abide by and respect this process every step of the way,” he said.
Within the coming weeks, union representatives and the school will meet to discuss voting procedures.
Spinner is wary of pushback from the school, but has faith in the community's intentions.
“The people in the administration have the school's best interest in mind. But we also have the school's best interest in mind. We think more stability in the NTT cohort, more continuity, will be better not simply for the people who work at Skidmore, but for their students,” he said.
Correction: We identified Gregory Spinner's position at the college. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.