Adjunct Faculty Protesting in Buffalo

Dear Commons Community,

Adjunct instructors joined low-wage workers yesterday in a national protest to demand higher pay. The Fight for 15 campaign — in which fast-food, retail, and health-care employees demanded a $15 minimum wage and adjuncts demand $15,000 per course — was organized by the Service Employees International Union(SEIU), which represents many part-time instructors.

Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and Seattle were among the cities where adjuncts joined low-wage workers in other industries to protest for better wages as part of the SEIU’s “Fight for 15” campaign.

Recent data demonstrate that faculty across the country are unable to make ends meet. Despite ever-rising tuition, nearly a third of part-time faculty are living below or near poverty.

We wish the adjuncts and other low-wage workers well and support their efforts.

Tony