Items

• NYS Dept. of Labor Unemployment Ruling: Ineligibility to Receive Unemployment Insurance

  This decision, dated July 19, 1979, from the office of the New York State Department of Labor Unemployment Insurance upheld an initial determination of claimants John Abreu's and Dinah Levine’s ineligibility to receive unemployment insurance as a result of a letter of reappointment that they had received and signed. The letter of reappointment was deemed "reasonable assurance" that the two adjuncts would perform such services for the same or another institution in the next school year.
• Vote for the PSC-BHE Contract

  This letter, written by Susan Prager in 1977, urged readers to vote in favor of the Professional Staff Congress - Board of Higher Education (PSC - BHE) contract. While the letter acknowledged that some members would be disappointed, it listed three wins including cost of living adjustments, observation waivers, and scheduled incremental raises after six semesters of employment.
• " But I'm only an Adjunct "

  "Part-Time Teaching at CUNY" was written by members of the Committee of Untenured Faculty (CUF) in 1976. Part I of the article included a collection of anecdotes culled from adjuncts' experiences of precarity and isolation across CUNY. Part II, called "Organizing from the Bottom-up," was an account of one member’s struggle to organize adjunct faculty at CUNY between 1976-77. The author concluded " that the only rational way to go about organizing at this time is to take a strong position on the union. . . ."
• PSC v. CUNY re: Dividing full-time positions into adjunct appointments

  This grievance, filed on September 17th, 1976, by the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), alleged that CUNY had replaced full-time faculty positions with adjunct appointments despite having sufficient course offerings to reinstate retrenched full-time faculty.
• PSC Newsletter to Part-timers

  This June 28, 1976 memo from Susan Prager, chairperson of the Committee for Part-Time Personnel, was addressed to part-time members of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC). It included the renewed retrenchment guidelines for adjuncts and stated that violations of these guidelines were grievable.
• Letter to Cantor, re: Retrenchment of Adjunct Faculty

  This 1975 letter from Stephen C. Vladeck, a prominent labor lawyer a to Mr. Arnold Cantor, Executive Director of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) expressed doubt about the wrongful termination of an adjunct professor and recommended that the union not take the case to arbitration.
• Arguments Relating to Adjuncts for Submission to Factfinders

  This October 10, 1975 memo, written by the Committee for Part-time Personnel and circulated among members and potential members, included both an agenda for an upcoming meeting and a list of arguments relating to adjuncts for fact-finders to present to the CUNY Board of Higher Education (BHE). The document stated that the first priority should have been to avoid a solution that would enable the BHE to decrease workloads or eliminate full-time faculty. Despite acknowledging the city's financial crisis, the memo argues for increased "Money for Adjuncts" as a way of addressing the pay disparity between full-time and part-time faculty.
• Part-Time Faculty Members of the PSC

  This September 29th, 1975 memo , written by David Allen of the Committee for Part-time Instructional Staff, announced a delay in the proposed strike and claimed that the decision to defer it made it unlikely that those who had been fired would be rehired. Allen provided additional information including the temporary formation of an institution of “associate membership” for those who had been laid off, the union’s intention to file a class grievance for all adjuncts, and the minimum requirements necessary to receive food stamps. The Committee for Part-time Instructional Staff was a standing committee of the Delegate Assembly. It was responsible for the consideration of problems facing part-time Instructional staff and made recommendations related to the part-time instructional staff.
• An Appeal to the Faculty to Vote for a Strike: Adjuncts will be the first to go but “you may be next."

  Written by the Adjunct Faculty Association, this 1975 flier argued for a strike, claiming that the budget cuts would result in the mass firings of adjunct faculty and increased workloads for full-time faculty. It also claimed that, according to the PSC, these new cuts would lead to the dismissal of 1,500 full-time faculty and that the adjuncts would be the first to go.
• The Parttimer: Committee for Part-Time Instructional Staff

  This 1974 issue of The Parttimer, a Professional Staff Congress (PSC) newsletter, announced the Delegate Assembly's official approval of a newly formed Committee for Part-time Instructional Staff. The Committee for P/T personnel was an organization representing the interests of union and non-union part-time staff. Those elected included David Allen, Chair, and Bill Leicht, Vice President for Part-Time Personnel. In addition, the issue featured a letter from a physics professor at Lehman College accusing the PSC of "[selling] the adjuncts down the river" in contract negotiations.The Committee for Part-time Instructional Staff was a standing committee of the PSC Delegate Assembly responsible for addressing problems facing Part-time Instructional staff.
• Adjunct Faculty Association Newsletter (v. 1. n. 1)

  This February 1974 Adjunct Faculty Association newsletter included an announcement of the formation of the Adjunct Faculty Association (AFA), the new organization's formal complaint filed against the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), several longer-form pieces on adjunct labor, and a calendar of events. The newsletter argued that the formal complaint would either force the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) to give fair representation to part-time faculty or allw AFA to establish a claim to PERB that there was no community of interest between full- and part-time faculty, which would establish the foundation for a separate bargaining unit. The newsletter also included "The AFA: a Brief History" by Sylvia Barnes, which claimed that after much discussion the organization ultimately decided that the best policy would be "to attempt to work with and through the PSC" for a contract that would "ensure better treatment of adjuncts."
• NY PERB: Improper Practice Charge

  This NY Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) “Improper Practice Charge,” filed in 1974 by David Allen of the Adjunct Faculty Association, alleged that the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) deliberately entered into an labor agreement that injured adjuncts. The charges included accepting “non-specific criteria” when discharging adjuncts, eliminating rehiring privileges, decreasing the workload to two courses, replacing a “semester hour” with “contact hour” and thereby reducing adjunct salaries. The PERB charge stated that “By these and other acts, the employee organization has violated its duty to represent all employees within the bargaining unit fairly. . . .”
• To "The New York Teacher"

  These 1974 letters concerned adjunct faculty job security and what constituted reasons for adjunct dismissasl. Included in this item was a request for PSC President Belle Zeller to respond to an editorial from PSC Deputy Vice President Israel Kugler, Kugler’s editorial and Zeller's response. Kugler stated it was an error to list "financial inability" and cited the precedent in Arbitrator Wildebush’s decision to pay and reinstate 15 lecturers from Brooklyn College who were fired due to a “change in personnel practices.” Zeller’s response concurred, and emphasized that appointments were subject to only two (not three) reasons: "insufficient enrollment or changes to the curriculum."
• PSC Adjunct Report (V. 1, N. 2)

  This 1974 Professional Staff Congress (PSC) Committee for Part-Time Personnel Newsletter included articles on adjunct faculty being threatened at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), maximum workload quotas, the election of convention delegates, an increased national interest in "part-timers." and notes on a meeting with CUNY Vice-Chancellor David Newton. Of particular interest, the article entitled "Adjunct Faculty Threatened at BMCC" covered the protest in response to the proposed massive layoff of adjuncts. The purpose of the picket line was to inform students, faculty and the community about the cutbacks and resulted in a follow-up meeting with BMCC President Edgar Draper who agreed to fund courses in order to meet registration needs. In preparation for the next contract, the Committee on Part-time Personnel requested data to clarify the inequities to the CUNY Board of Higher Education.
• Part-Time Instructional Staff: A Resolution for a Decent Contract

  This  September 7th, 1973 resolution was written by William Leicht, the VP of the Committee for Part-Time Instructional Staff of the PSC. It stated that a contract that "fails to benefit the weak as well as the strong, violates the basic principles of unionism." The reasons listed included a lack of salary increases, a failure to reduce the workload, and no fringe benefits. The resolution also noted that tuition exemption and job security weren't included in the contract. The Committee for Part-time Instructional Staff was a standing committee of the PSC Delegate Assembly. It was responsible for the consideration of problems facing part-time instructional staff and made recommendations related to the part-time instructional staff.
• Letter from the "Adjunct and Part-time Faculty Caucus"

  Posted on the walls of John Jay College in 1973, this letter from the Executive Committee of the "Adjunct and Part-time Faculty Caucus" called for broader support from the CUNY community for the dignity and rights of adjunct faculty. In addition to highlighting pay and fringe benefit disparities, it discussed the fact that adjuncts had been pressing the union to work more vigorously for their interests, which included pro-rata pay, health coverage, and increased job security. The "Adjunct and Part-time Faculty Caucus" was a group formed in 1973. Chaired by David Allen, the group published and circulated challenges to the contract the PSC had negotiated, which it alleged had failed to advocate sufficiently for the rights of adjunct faculty.
• Clarion: Professional Staff Congress (PSC) demands

  This 1972 PSC/Clarion article included some of the Professional Staff Congress's (PSC) demands for adjuncts. It called for adjunct tenure to be obtained after the tenth semester, preferential hiring rights for full-time positions, salary increases, and fringe benefits for adjunct faculty. The Clarion is the newspaper of the Professional Staff Congress, City University of New York.
• Vote for Unity: United Federation of College Teachers/Legislative Conference Merger Talks

  This 1971 memo, written by the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), described the merger talks between the UFCT and the Legislative Conference (LC) and the obstacles to consolidation into what would become the Professional Staff Congress. It faulted the LC for advocating "optional" affiliation, which would have allowed union members to join either the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) or the National Education Association (NEA), thereby splitting the faculty union and weakening its bargaining power. The UFCT advocated "joint" affiliation with the two national organizations to provide faculty with a single, unified representative in contract negotiations. During the 1960s, the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), and the Legislative Conference (LC) were the two main organizations that advocated for CUNY faculty. The UFCT represented part-time faculty and lecturers while the LC was the union of tenured professors. The groups merged in 1972 to form the Professional Staff Congress, which represents CUNY faculty today.
• Letter to Legislative Conference Members

  This letter from 1971, signed by Belle Zeller, the chair of the Legislative Conference (LC), was addressed to LC members. It requested that members identify part-time faculty represented by the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT) who would be "interested in the preservation of academic freedom, the extension of the principle of shared governance and the negotiation of a rightful package of economic benefits." This request was in response to opposition to the LC by the UFCT. During the 1960s, the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), and the Legislative Conference (LC) were the two main organizations that advocated for the concerns of CUNY faculty. The UFCT represented part-time faculty and lecturers while the LC was the union of tenured professors. The groups merged in 1972 to form the Professional Staff Congress, which represents CUNY faculty today.
• "Will You Listen to this Cry for Justice?"

  This flyer, produced and circulated in 1970 by the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), called for students and teachers to stand together and demand that CUNY honor the contract. It stated that despite 6,000 lecturers and teaching assistants (adjuncts) teaching 40 percent of CUNY's undergraduate courses and many more needed to accommodate CUNY's recently implemented Open Admissions program and the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program, lecturers were being fired and their hours and salaries cut.During the 1960s, the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT), and the Legislative Conference (LC) were the two main organizations that advocated for the concerns of CUNY faculty. The UFCT represented part-time faculty and lecturers while the LC was the union of tenured professors. The groups merged in 1972 to form the Professional Staff Congress, which represents CUNY faculty today.
• Draft of an Appeal to the City University Community

  This draft of a 1970 appeal to the CUNY community was written by the United Federation of College Teachers (UFCT). It accused tCUNY of paying teachers "sweatshop wages" with the objective of obtaining cheap labor for the open enrollment program. The document mentioned the hourly pay schedule established for adjuncts (a recently created title), which was intended to compensate people supplementing other full-time careers, and then noted the manner in which the administration was exploiting the Adjunct title for cheap labor. The appeal also described the conversions from lecturer positions to various Adjunct titles not being honored.
• Inside City Hall - CUNY Open Admissions and Standards (1998)

  This 1998 excerpt from NY1's Inside City Hall features brief news coverage on proposed state funding for CUNY as well as a roundtable discussion in response to recent city government proposals relating to remediation and admissions standards at the university. Among those participating on the panel are Sandi Cooper, John Calandra, and James Traub. During the 1990s, CUNY faced increased attacks at both the state and city levels. Budget cuts from the state threatened the university's ability to continue its previous course offerings, while city officials sought to upend CUNY's admissions standards and remediation programs.
• CUNY Forum - Future of Public Higher Education

  Airing on May 6, 1998, this episode of CUNY Forum features an hour-long discussion on the future of public higher education in New York City. Moderated by Brooklyn College Professor Ed Rogowsky, the forum includes several participants including Assembly members Ed Sullivan and Helen Marshall and CUNY faculty members Fred Lane and Sandi Cooper. Released during a time in which the university system faced intense criticism from city officials, the video covers many topics including remediation, assessment, adjunct labor, budget cuts, graduation rates, and university standards.
• NY Closeup - End of Remediation at CUNY (1/26/1999)

  This clip from NY1's NY Closeup focuses on the topic of remediation at CUNY. On the night prior to the show's broadcast on January 26, 1999, CUNY trustees approved a plan to remove remedial education at the university's eleven senior colleges. Moderated by Sam Roberts, this episode features a discussion between Roberts, Dr. Anne Paolucci and Herman Badillo, two members of CUNY's Board of Trustees who voted in favor of the move. As was consistent through much of Rudolph Giuliani's mayorality in the 1990s, city officials frequently leveled criticisms at the CUNY system focusing on its entrance standards and the remediation programs it offered. The move to eliminate remediation had long been a goal of the mayor, a staunch critic of the university system.
• Inside City Hall - End of Remediation at CUNY (1/26/1999)

  This clip from NY1's Inside City Hall focuses on the topic of remediation at CUNY. On the night prior to the show's broadcast on January 26, 1999, CUNY trustees approved a plan to remove remedial education at the university's eleven senior colleges. Moderated by Dominick Carter, the episode features a roundtable discussion between two in favor of the move, Thomas Borgese and John Calandra, and two opposed, Sandi Cooper and Roscoe Brown. As was consistent through much of Rudolph Giuliani's mayorality in the 1990s, City Hall frequently leveled criticisms at the CUNY system focusing on its entrance standards and the remediation programs offered at the university's senior colleges. The move to eliminate remediation, then, had long been a goal of the mayor, a staunch critic of the university system.