From Chris Broniak, Membership Chair

A new adjunct asks why the bargaining agreement between Roosevelt University and Roosevelt’s Adjunct Faculty Organization (RAFO) forces adjuncts to join the union. Just to be clear: RAFO doesn't force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. Some adjuncts choose not to join our organization - but they also understand that they will not be eligible to teach more than a second course at Roosevelt if they do not at least complete the paperwork needed by the end of their second term of teaching.

My experience has been that many of the new adjuncts who object to joining our part time faculty union more often than not have a full time non-academic job outside of teaching at Roosevelt. Now when your company respects you and the work you do, you don’t need a union. But adjuncts who don’t have a full time job, who patch together part time teaching at two or three or more area colleges and universities, without the benefits of a full time job, need an organization that “forces” their employer to respect them and what they do. That’s where RAFO comes in.

You most likely won’t notice the respect our bargaining agreement earns its members until you see that Roosevelt’s compensation for an adjunct's first term is a little less than 60% of what RAFO members earn for a course after they’ve completed their first term with the union. The compensation schedule for RAFO adjuncts can be found in Appendix A of RAFO's current bargaining agreement.

The increase in compensation more than offsets the cost of membership dues. If you read closely through the current contract, you’ll see that RAFO has gained other professional rights and opportunities for its members.

If you haven’t already signed up with RAFO, I hope you’ll sign up with us. The benefits of belonging to RAFO far outweigh its costs. Feel free to contact me or any of RAFO’s officers for any further information you may need. We appreciate your interest.