After a two-year organization effort, faculty at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) voted overwhelmingly to unionize with the United Auto Workers (UAW), aiming to represent approximately 1,200 instructors. Key motivators for this move included issues of pay equity, increased workloads, and diminishing benefits. The new union reflects a broader trend in artistic educational institutions, as similar unions have formed at other prominent universities. Faculty members express a desire for solidarity and community amidst ongoing challenges, indicating a collective commitment to fostering a supportive environment for their professional endeavors and the next generation of artists.
What these two life-altering years of organising taught me is that a union is not a magical solution that will resolve all work-related grievances, but a link of solidarity that will reflect us and be as strong or fragile as we make it.
This victory affirms that hundreds of educators and creatives across different disciplines are ready to unite around a just social cause and give solidarity a chance in these thunderous times.
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