SAIC adjuncts, lecturers seek union recognition
Yesterday (Sept. 21) we announced that a strong majority of adjuncts and lecturers have signed union authorization cards designating AICWU/AFSCME as our collective bargaining representative. A delegation of colleagues on our organizing committee delivered a letter to President Tenny’s office asking her to keep her word to respect our choice whether to organize, and to formally recognize our union. Then, together with a fired-up crowd of coworkers, students, FT faculty, staff of the school and museum, state Rep. Delia Ramirez and Ald. Sue Sadlowski Garza, we rallied between the lions to celebrate. See below for photos and the full text of our letter!
September 21, 2022
Dear Elissa:
Welcome back! We hope that the opening weeks of the term find you restored, and ready to work together to build a stronger and more equitable SAIC. (It was noteworthy to see us featured alongside one another in Newcity’s recent Visual Vanguard List — testament to the vital and ongoing role SAIC plays in Chicago’s arts ecosystem.) To borrow from one of your recent emails, we write today as educators and members of the AICWU Faculty Organizing Committee, because we also take care. We are deeply committed to our students and invested in our shared future, and we believe that by dignifying the work we do as educators, artists, designers, writers, and scholars, in solidarity with one another, we not only embolden — but make actionable — our School’s mission.
As mentioned in our public letter this past May, our intent was to join our Staff colleagues at the School and Museum in building a wall-to-wall union, representing the workers who have long performed the “often invisible, unregulated, and under-compensated labor” that secures our institution’s world-class reputation. Now, just four months later, we are unified, inspired, and transformed by our decision to bargain together. We can confirm that a strong majority of members of our bargaining unit have signed cards, and we want to be represented by Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Following the announcement of our campaign, you and Provost Martin Berger wrote that you would respect our decision to join — or not to join — a union. Like our Staff colleagues before us, we hope that you will honor your previous statement, support our legal right to organize, and avoid unnecessary and expensive delay tactics, by granting our union voluntary recognition. In support of your consideration, we would be happy to submit proof of our signed union authorization cards to a neutral and mutually agreed-upon third party, for verification purposes.
We look forward to receiving your response by Tuesday, September 27th, at 6 p.m. You may reach us to share your decision at info@aicwu.org.
Sincerely,
AICWU Faculty Organizing Committee
