Letter from the Adjuncts Benevolent Association to Mr. Polishook
Item
ADJUNCTS' BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION
c/o Judith Bronfman or Ken Krauss, Department of English
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 445 W. 59th St., NYC 10019
19 November 1981
Mr. Irving Polishook
Professional Staff Congress
25 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Dear Mr. Polishook:
At our recent meeting, we had reports of two people who have
been "caught" teaching more than 9 hours in CUNY by combining
jobs at different branches. As you know, the consequences
are serious: the loss of one or both jobs.
We fully realize that the contractual provision that an
adjunct may not teach more than 9 hours is intended as a
protection against exploitation by the University, the
hiring of someone for full-time work without full-time pay.
However, in the present situation, with the use of adjuncts
heavily entrenched in CUNY, we believe this provision needs
rethinking.
First, the rule is widely disregarded by both sist ay bas and
employers. Adjuncts who support themselves by teaching must
have more than one job and generally two CUNY jobs pay more
than a combination of a CUNY job and a private school job.
Thus, second, adjuncts are happy to find two jobs in CUNY.
I am told, third, that in some disciplines the available
pool of good adjuncts is shrinking and thus the schools are
happy to have well-qualified people in their open positions.
Could we have some of your thinking on this problem?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sh hia
hs Judith Bronfman
UU
c/o Judith Bronfman or Ken Krauss, Department of English
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 445 W. 59th St., NYC 10019
19 November 1981
Mr. Irving Polishook
Professional Staff Congress
25 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Dear Mr. Polishook:
At our recent meeting, we had reports of two people who have
been "caught" teaching more than 9 hours in CUNY by combining
jobs at different branches. As you know, the consequences
are serious: the loss of one or both jobs.
We fully realize that the contractual provision that an
adjunct may not teach more than 9 hours is intended as a
protection against exploitation by the University, the
hiring of someone for full-time work without full-time pay.
However, in the present situation, with the use of adjuncts
heavily entrenched in CUNY, we believe this provision needs
rethinking.
First, the rule is widely disregarded by both sist ay bas and
employers. Adjuncts who support themselves by teaching must
have more than one job and generally two CUNY jobs pay more
than a combination of a CUNY job and a private school job.
Thus, second, adjuncts are happy to find two jobs in CUNY.
I am told, third, that in some disciplines the available
pool of good adjuncts is shrinking and thus the schools are
happy to have well-qualified people in their open positions.
Could we have some of your thinking on this problem?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sh hia
hs Judith Bronfman
UU
Title
Letter from the Adjuncts Benevolent Association to Mr. Polishook
Description
This November 19, 1980 letter , addressed to Irwin Polishook of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) and sent on behalf of the Adjunct Benevolent Association, enumerated why the 9-hour teaching limitation that CUNY had institutionalized was problematic for adjunct faculty. It acknowledged that despite the intention to curtail exploitation, the unintended consequences were numerous and affected CUNY adjuncts negatively.
Contributor
Professional Staff Congress
Creator
Bronfman, Judith
Date
November 19, 1981
Language
English
Rights
Copyrighted
Source
The Tamiment Institute Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Original Format
Correspondence
Bronfman, Judith. Letter. “Letter from the Adjuncts Benevolent Association to Mr. Polishook.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1398