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To Our Fellow Part-Timers:

We are a group of part-time faculty who seek to improve our working and
living conditions. Part-timers are paid low wages and receive none of
the benefits that accrue to full-timers. By hiring one adjunct to carry
a full-time load CUNY saves close to $30,000 in salary and _ benefits
(pensions, social security annuity fund, unemployment compensation;
health plan, welfare fund, sick leave, vacation, sabbatical, and tuition
waivers). Because of our love for teaching and scholarship, and our lack
of organization, CUNY has taken advantage of us.

We are "represented" by the Professional Staff Congress(PSC), a union
that has done little to meeé the needs of part-timers. For three years
we have urged PSC President Irwin Polishook and Executive Director Arnold
Cantor to press for better wages and benefits. Their response has’ been
"You may live in poverty but at least you reside in the upper levels of

poverty."

The new benefits negotiated by the PSC in 1984 are outlined in a _ recent
memo to part-timers. These "benefits" are extremely limited. Very few
adjuncts will qualify to enroll in the PSC health plan; adjuncts must
teach at the same school for ten consecutive semesters to qualify.
Part-time employment is increasing so fast that in the next few years we
will comprise a majority of the faculty.

The wholesale replacement of full-time faculty with part-timers raises
very important questions for the future of higher education. . Are those
of us who are not full-time going to remain on the lower rungs of the
university? What impact will this have on academic freedom, affirmative
action, and on the quality of higher education?

We must educate and organize ourselves. We cannot depend on others to
fight for us. Our best interests are served by forming an independent
part-time instructional and research staff union--the PTU. Currently we
are known as the Graduate Students' Union(GSU), based at the CUNY
Graduate Center. With your affirmative response we will have
university-wide power to achieve our goals:

*Pro-rated pay - Equal pay for equal work($4,500 per course

instead of the current $1,650)

*Basic professional benefits such as comprehensive health
- insurance coverage, child care, tuition waivers, cumulative

sick pay and unemployment compensation (Over)



*Full rights to participate on university and departmental
decision-making bodies

*Job Security: supportive grievance procedures, one year or
longer contracts, seniority system for promotions, timely
notification of appointment and receipt of pay checks

*Full faculty privileges at university facilities: labs,
libraries, computers, adequate office space and materials, and

gyms.

We have made several important contributions to improve our conditions
over the last two years. Keeping pressure on the PSC and CUNY, securing
representation for part-time faculty on the University's Affirmative
Action Committee(UAAC), and facilitating communication among part-timers
where none existed before are just a few. We would be glad to share our
other accomplishments with you.

What You Can Do: JOIN US!

The union needs volunteers: writers, editors, researchers, artists,
typists, and organizers. If we pull together we can make a difference.
Sign the card below, spread the word, and become part of the effort. Any
monetary contribution will be greatly appreciated. We look forward to
seeing you at the next general meeting: Friday, March 14, 1986, on _ the
17th floor of the CUNY Grad Center at 4PM. Refreshments will be served.

Signing Up!:

1) Your card is confidential.

2)Be sure to include your CUNY college, department, and job title.
3)Please include your phone number. (Cut out card and return to Graduate

Students' Union at the Grad Center.)
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Asbestos Bulletin:This past summer, asbestos, a known health hazard, was
discovered by library employees in significant quantities at the CUNY
Graduate Center library. The Doctoral Students' Council (DSC) learned via
internal University memos that high-level University officials knew of
its presence in the library as far back as 1980, but took no action to
remedy the situation. We should all be aware of the facts concerning
asbestos; for more details about the dangers of asbestos, please ask for
the pamphlet supplied by the White Lung Association, available in the .DSC
office in the mezzanine of the Grad Center (BM04).