On Friday, Dec. 5, several full-time, non-tenured Tufts lecturers went to the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Boston to file for an election that would create a union for full-time lecturers after reaching the required threshold of 30 percent of full-time faculty showing interest in a union, according to a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) spokesperson.
Once the request for an election has been processed, the National Labor Relations Board will take over the election process, working with Tufts and the full-time lecturers to organize a mail ballot election, according to the SEIU spokesperson. All full-time lecturers will receive a ballot in January or February and will vote on the creation of the union.
Sheriden Thomas, senior lecturer in the Department of Drama and Dance and chair of the Organizing Committee for the full-time lecturers union, explained that the main goals of many lecturers are to get fairer pay and better job security.
“Teaching is what the university is about, and the lecturers at the university currently teach over 50 percent of the classes, and we’re all strong teachers, and there’s just an imbalance in pay and representation,” Thomas said.
As an example, she explained that Tufts recently announced its decision to have all full-time lecturers teach two additional courses without discussing it with them or offering a pay raise. Thomas also cited her promotion to senior lecturer, which did not come with a pay raise.
“We’re the unrepresented; we’re the ones that aren’t unionized so we don’t collectively bargain, so when the corporate structure that’s becoming more and more a part of the university kicks in with their bottom line, we’re the ones they can move around the most easily because we are not in the room hearing about the process,” she said.
According to Thomas, at this point in time there has not been a negative response from the university, and there has been support from many tenured faculty members.
“You have to feel supported where you work,” she said. “When you’re struggling and the communication is bad ... that’s what the union can work for.”
