Transforming Higher Education

Movement Milestones and Victories

We’re working to improve learning and teaching conditions and access to higher education, while standing up to end the trend toward a low-road, corporate-business model for education. More than 50,000 faculty and graduate workers are already united through SEIU Faculty Forward. Every day more educators, students and community members across the country are joining our fight to transform higher education. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished together so far.

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University of Iowa non-tenure track faculty win health insurance and coverage for dependents

Despite national and local attacks on unions, including the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case, non-tenure track (NTT) faculty at the University of Iowa were able to win expanded benefits for ‘visiting’ faculty members, including health insurance, dependent coverage, retirement, and sick leave. The victory comes after a months-long direct action campaign, including a sit-in at the school president’s office, to secure meetings with high-level university leaders, including President Bruce Harreld, to improve wages, benefits and job security.

“This is a fundamentally important policy change that will make a positive difference in the lives of visiting faculty like me,” said Faye Bartram, a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at the university. “This past year, I spent nine months unable to sit down due to chronic pain. Ultimately, the issue was resolved after just one trip to the emergency room, which cost me $2,000 out of pocket without insurance. If I had had health insurance, as I would under the new policy, I could have simply gone to the doctor when the problem first arose. I am glad that we were able to work with the administration to improve the well-being of University faculty and their families so that we can have the stability and peace of mind we need to focus on our students and pedagogical methodology.”

This victory is the latest milestone for the NTT faculty who are prevented from forming a union through the traditional process because of a controversial state law that limits public sector workers from unionizing. In the face of attacks that seek to limit working people’s ability come together for change and bargain collectively, faculty at the University of Iowa have decided to become associate members of SEIU and organize for change by pushing the administration to do the right thing. Previously, NTT faculty marched on the president’s house and staged a 10-plus hour sit-in at the office of President Bruce Harreld to demand a meeting to discuss their need for better wages, job security, adequate health care and respect. Since then, the faculty have been meeting with administrators on an ongoing basis to address their demands.

Read more here.