USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Adjucnts Form Group to Seek Wage Increase Among Other Demands
Adjunct Professors at USC School of Cinematic Arts unionized themselves, seeking pay increases, cost-of-living raises, and multiyear contracts that provide more stability in their jobs.
Many instructors are members of entertainment unions. The school has many famous actors as its alumni.
Adjuncts work unpaid hours to assist on committees, plan and monitor courses, and interact with students. The management is in charge of deciding which classes adjuncts will teach and when making the work complicated.
At the highly regarded film school, several adjuncts are trying to improve these and other circumstances. A group of educators requested on Wednesday that the administration voluntarily recognize the United Auto Workers as the collective bargaining agent for approximately 250 adjunct and part-time employees.
The group is also ready to submit a petition for a union election to the National Labour Relations Board, with a supermajority of members having signed union cards.
The cohort, which makes up more than 71% of the faculty for the fall semester, teaches both advanced and “core” curriculum courses, which are prerequisites for students. Despite this, the group maintains that their pay is comparatively low compared to that of peer institutions.
While the exact amount varies depending on the division and number of credits, some faculty members claim to get in the mid-to-low $40s per hour for courses worth two credits, and vice versa for courses worth four.
