USC School of Cinematic Arts adjunct professors voted heavily in favor of creating a formal union on Friday.
94% of adjuncts voted in favor of unionization, and only 13 adjuncts voted against it. Out of 281 adjuncts eligible to vote, 231 participated, and 219 votes were deemed valid. Adjunct professors compose 70% of SCA’s workforce.
This union was formed because adjunct, or part-time, professors claimed to feel underpaid. SCA adjunct professors teaching 20 hours a week make only $22,000 per year. In comparison, the average adjunct professor in Los Angeles makes $76,289 a year, according to Indeed. The average salary of adjunct professors at USC’s rival, UCLA, is around $104,000.
“I think [unionization is] wonderful. I think that they deserve to be paid for what they do,” said Justin Winnick, a senior studying film production. “My mentor has said that she made more as a TA at Berkeley in the ‘60s, including a parking spot, than she does now. As an adjunct professor at one of the most prestigious film schools in the world, I think that is outrageous and crazy.”
Winnick’s opinion seems to be widespread among other SCA students.
“Some of my favorite professors are adjunct workers. So, I think it’s totally valid for them to want a higher wage, especially because they’re taking so much time out of their day to also teach here,” said Tiffany Ho, a sophomore studying Film. “I think it’s going to encourage more teachers to come teach as well from the industry because we need that experience here.”
Caden Chung, a junior studying media arts and practice, said he was shocked to learn of the SCA adjunct professors unionizing. “Dang, I did not know they were getting paid so little… I would have thought they made more,” Chung said. “At a school like USC, they should get paid more for sure.”
“While SCA would have preferred to work directly with our adjunct faculty to address their concerns, we will respect their decision to be represented by a union and are committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a fair contract,” SCA said in a statement to Annenberg Media regarding the adjuncts’ unionization. “We hope to be able to continue to have a collegial relationship with them in the coming years, and we will work to do so.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article referenced Katy Garretson, an adjunct associate professor at USC and “Frasier” director, incorrectly. To rectify this, the quote has been removed.