SCA adjuncts start voting today.
If over 50% of them vote yes before February 22nd, USC is legally obligated to negotiate a contract with the Adjunct Faculty Alliance-UAW.
Adjuncts bear the brunt of course workload, making up 70% of Cinematic Arts faculty, according to the Adjunct Faculty Alliance. Union organizers say diminishing benefits and low wages are unsustainable as the cost of living rises.
James Savoca, an adjunct professor in the Film and Television Division, said SCA has disproportionately high rates of adjuncts compared to other schools at USC which fosters an exploitative environment.
Savoca: I was doing so much work, and so much unpaid work. You know, that I just started reaching out to fellow adjuncts and say, hey, let’s ... We’ve got - we’re 75%. We have all the power. Let’s just get together ... And then all of a sudden, I got a phone call from a union representative. And I basically said, oh, you’re talking to the right person because I’m already trying to do something, but why not do it with the union?
Savoca said organizers meet at least three times a week to coordinate their response and communication with the university through the National Labor Board, in addition to updating the other adjuncts on the coming vote.
Here’s Jody Wheeler, adjunct professor of screenwriting.
Wheeler: And at USC, if you are an adjunct professor and you teach two or more classes, you were entitled, you get health insurance and, and a lot of people, because being an artist, being a filmmaker, director, writer, health insurance is a tough thing to get. It’s usually gig based. Once the gig ends, you don’t have the insurance anymore if you got it in the first place.
Wheeler continues to describe the lack of support and stability from USC.
Wheeler: There were a lot of people that were losing their second class. And I was one of those so that, you know, taking a look at, some of the, you know, the pay levels, the pay wasn’t, the pay wasn’t that great. But, you know, you’re a professor, you love teaching, so you kind of do it.
Wheeler and Savoca both expressed feeling like they aren’t able to service their students anymore, which is why they hope to gain a supermajority in the union vote that gives the alliance more bargaining power with USC.
Here’s Savoca again.
Savoca: In the 11 years that I’ve been teaching here, going on 12, I have never once told my students, you know, I’m an adjunct. I get paid this. I, you know, I really can’t meet you with office hours this week because I’ve already maxed my hours out, and I’m a part time employee, and they don’t pay me very well. I have never once done that. That has been my burden. And I’ve never shared my burden with the students.
The alliance first delivered an intent to unionize to the USC Provost’s office in November. Since then, several students joined adjunct faculty during their walk through on campus in solidarity.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Yana Savitsky.