Lecturers Protest Working Conditions at UC Schools

The University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) union, which represents lecturers, librarians, and K-12 educators across the University of California (UC), rallied in front of Geisel Library at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14. This protest raised awareness of working conditions lecturers face and their struggle to get the UC to address their concerns.

Lecturers are asking the university for better pay, improved benefits, more stable jobs, a more standardized workload, and a review process, as they do not currently receive regular performance reviews.

UC-AFT, which represents over 6,000 lecturers, are prepared to strike if their needs are not met by the UC.

“We can’t ignore the fact that lecturers teach on average more students and more classes but are paid significantly less than Senate Faculty,” wrote History Professor Simeon Man in a letter of support, which was read aloud at the protest. “The university depends on their labor but gives them no job security.”

Cal Matters reported that a a quarter of lecturers don’t return each year.

The average pay for a UC lecturer is $20,000 per year. Meghan Strong, who teaches Dimensions of Culture, told protestors “most of us have PhDs, right, we worked really hard to become educators and we make poverty level wages by all measures.”

Lack of full-time employment opportunities contribute to the prevalence of low salaries among lecturers. Stacy Steinberg who teaches Analytical Writing said many lecturers “are working second jobs, third jobs just to live in their communities.” Field representative for UC-AFT Larissa Dorman-Cobb told The Triton most lecturers “have to teach on multiple campuses to make ends meet.”

UC-AFT has been negotiating their contract with the UC for over two years. Their current contract with the UC expired in January 2020. In July of this year, the union declared an impasse in their negotiations. Since then, they have been in mediation with the Labor Relations Board and the UC.

On June 2, 2021, the union announced they had voted with a 96% majority to authorize a strike if they are unable to get their demands met in a new contract with the UC. In this announcement, UC-AFT president Mia Mclver wrote that “UC management’s negotiators have consistently refused to address lecturers’ key priorities.”

On Oct. 11, the UC emailed a proposal to UC-AFT’s membership, which Steinberg called “woefully inadequate” and “filled with loopholes.”

UC-AFT took issue with the proposed contract, saying that it allowed lecturers to still be fired after their first year without substantive review, which allows departments to fire lecturers after one year to avoid offering them multi-year contracts. The union is also dissatisfied with the UC’s proposed income not keeping pace with inflation.

Steinberg expressed concerns about the university’s method of delivering their proposal to union members.

“Normally, you’re supposed to pass official proposals on the record in an open bargaining session where our members can hear, and we can talk to them about it, we can ask questions and have them clarify. But, they didn’t do that … they just sent out an on the record proposal over email in the middle of the night,” Steinberg said.

Additionally, Steinberg claimed the proposals were sent alongside messages “trying to misrepresent what’s going on to our members” and “cherry-pick” from the new proposal.

During the rally, speakers emphasized that the impact of poor working conditions for lecturers affects the entire UC community.

“Our working conditions are your learning conditions,” Strong said in her speech.

In their proposal to raise tuition, the UC listed “a responsible compensation strategy to address faculty salaries that are substantially below market” and “follow[ing] through on the University’s collective bargaining agreements” as a reason behind tuition hikes.

UC-AFT feels the university has not spent funds from raised tuition effectively. Joel Day, a lecturer in the school of Global Policy and Strategy and UC-AFT member, told The Triton, “The university has made a promise to students that they’re going to increase their tuition, and in return, you’re going to get a better education. I don’t know how that happens unless you compensate lecturers to teach smaller classes … and have a mechanism to ensure that we retain good professors and get rid of bad ones.”

UC-AFT is currently prepared to strike if the UC does not incorporate their demands into their contract.

Kate Zegans is the Managing Editor of the Triton. Sarah Naughten is the Assistant News Editor of the Triton.