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Adjunct professors at Howard University and the Maryland Institute College of Art are the latest Washington-area non-tenure-track instructors to vote to form unions affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, they announced Wednesday. Those adjuncts join others at George Washington University, American University, Georgetown University and Montgomery College who have formed chapters affiliated with SEIU Local 500. Adjuncts in eight other cities are organizing with SEIU, and unions already have been voted in at Tufts and Lesley Universities in Boston.
At Maryland Institute, adjuncts voted 163 to 75 in favor of a union. In a statement, adjunct instructor Katherine Kavanaugh said: "We were always clear that this process was not about a quick fix for salaries. There are many issues that are critical for educating some of the best art students in the country and we are hopeful that, as a union, we can begin to make those changes with the support of the administration." A spokeswoman for the college said it looked forward to working with the union and was "confident that our adjuncts will continue to join us in making their highest priority the academic and campus experiences of our students.” At Howard, a smaller unit, adjuncts voted 46 to 5 in favor. A spokeswoman for that university said it has an "enduring commitment to excellence in teaching, research and clinical service delivery," and a "long tradition of fairness, and will continue to negotiate in good faith with all represented employees to meet our mission." Both votes still must be verified by the National Labor Relations Board.
