The longest adjunct strike in U.S. labor history continues, with academics at Columbia College Chicago locked in a fierce dispute over cuts to university courses and a host of complaints about poor working conditions.
The violent dispute began when Columbia College’s leadership suddenly announced plans to implement deep cuts in courses and course sections, and consolidate classes that had inflated class sizes, citing a $20 million budget shortfall.
The strike has highlighted how U.S. higher education increasingly relies on adjunct faculty, professors who often work with little or no job security and low wages.
Diana Valera, who has taught at the school for 15 years as an assistant professor of photography and currently serves as president of the faculty union at Columbia College, said the union immediately began pushing for more information while still trying to bargain for a new union contract. For the school’s assistant teaching staff.
“You can’t make unilateral changes to the mandatory subjects of bargaining. The employer doesn’t care. They keep referring to management rights. They don’t want to work with a union, but there is one, and they don’t want to be accountable to anyone,” she said.
Valera said 53 course sections were cut from the fall 2023 semester and 317 sections were cut for the spring 2024 semester.
The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Columbia College with the National Labor Relations Board, one of seven it has filed since August 2023, along with a vote to begin a strike on October 30 as contract bargaining saw little movement toward reaching an agreement.
The strike is now the longest in U.S. history, according to the union.
The union criticized the cuts while Columbia College executives continued to receive large bonuses to their salaries despite the school’s financial deficit problems as reasons behind the cuts.
Dr. Kwang Woo Kim, president and CEO of Columbia College, received a $300,000 bonus in 2022, in addition to a salary of more than $799,000, and more than $600,000 in bonuses were given to 14 other executive positions.
“The college is basically financially sound,” Kim said in a video message in November, when he downplayed concerns about the college’s finances amid the cuts.
“The administrators in that room were making decisions, and all their salaries were increasing because of the pandemic. It was disgusting,” Valera added. “The only people hurt by these money-saving takedowns due to years of mismanagement and a $50 million construction, the only people hurt are the most marginal. They have said over and over again that they cannot afford to work with unions. This is the growing union hostility. We We negotiate and they still feel they can do whatever they want.
Since August 2023, the union has filed seven unfair labor practice charges against Columbia College with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), all of which remain pending adjudication.
The allegations against the college include refusing to provide information required for bargaining, making unilateral changes to issues subject to collective bargaining, threatening or moving work outside the bargaining unit, asking workers to resign from the union and using the intellectual property of striking faculty members.
“If we accept the changes, two-thirds of our members will disappear, because they won’t take classes anymore if we accept what they originally gave us,” said Tim McKean, an associate professor of theater and working professional at Columbia University. College, which saw the number of students in one of his theater classes increase from 20 to 85 students.
He said that because of the large increases in the size of his classes, he has had to adapt his teaching because there are too many students to have a more personalized class for each student.
“If it was about the money, we would still be teaching. They would just be negotiating the contract. But it’s so much more than that,” McCain added.
The strike received support from many local elected officials and students who refused to cross the picket lines and even participated in strikes of their own as Columbia College sought to have adjunct faculty courses filled by other adjuncts crossing the picket line or entirely. Faculty time.
Many students criticized Columbia College’s decision to cut courses and the impact it had on their education.
“It’s always the people they are sworn to protect who ultimately bear the brunt. It’s an expensive college. It’s an expensive college. “Too many people can afford to stay here.”
Bria Hall, another Columbia student, said the cuts negatively impacted students’ ability to have one-on-one time and establish relationships with professionals, which was marketed to her in a mailer that ultimately led her to choose to attend Columbia.
“They don’t view us as individuals or growing professionals, they view us as dollar signs. “It’s heartbreaking and unfair,” Hall said. “If you’re going to take our money, at least give us the education we deserve, it doesn’t make sense to me.”
Columbia College did not comment on executive bonuses, but noted that the union and administration agreed to federal mediation and described the class cuts and consolidation as an adjustment to enrollment and financial hardship.
“At the heart of the suspension is the fact that the college asserts the right of its management to make decisions to address the financial deficit. “The union refused to end the strike because it insists on guaranteed employment for nearly all members of this faculty group and has sought veto power over class sizes and course offerings,” a Columbia College spokesperson said in an email.
They added: “The union’s demands would jeopardize the college’s long-term sustainability by limiting measures the college can and cannot use to restore its financial health.”
The longest aide strike in US history has put a spotlight on the dedication and determination of American unions. With the slogan “If it were about the money, we’d still be teaching,” the strike has revealed the deep-seated issues and challenges faced by education support staff across the nation. As the strike continues, it becomes evident that this is not just about financial compensation, but about the fundamental rights and respect for the workers who play a vital role in shaping the future of the next generation. This unprecedented event sheds light on the power and resilience of American unions in fighting for the rights and fair treatment of their members.