There are several frequently used terms that show up in the contract and in our communications. This month, we wanted to highlight them and provide their definitions to ensure all our members fully understand each of them.

International: The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy.

Local: Local 7902 is a smaller, regional branch or chapter of UAW international. It consists of X units, of which our unit representing adjuncts is one.

Bargaining Unit: Our bargaining unit consists of adjunct faculty who teach at New York University.

Bargaining Unit Eligibility(BUE): The criteria that determines whether an adjunct's job classification, role, and duties deems them eligible to be represented by the ACT-UAW Local 7902 collective bargaining agreement. Adjuncts must teach 40+ contact hours in an academic year to be considered bargaining unit eligible (BUE). If you are BUE, your wages, hours, and working conditions are typically governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was negotiated by the union.

Article X and reappointment rights: Article X of our contract does not give adjunct faculty a right to be reappointed. It gives us the right to be notified of our appointments by a fixed date and the right to a payout—course load reduction pay or termination pay—when an established baseload is not met. This is what is meant by the term“reappointment rights.”

Insufficient registration: A course cancelled with less than 50 percent of scheduled enrollment, or with 5 or fewer students enrolled, whichever is higher.

Courseload reduction payment: Courses for which an adjunct has reappointment rights that are canceled for reasons other than curriculum change or insufficient registration are due a courseload reduction payment equivalent to the contact hour pay rate of the previous academic year by September 1 of the academic year that the course was canceled, if a timely request to teach letter was submitted. 

Termination payment: A termination payment in the amount of the total compensation earned by an adjunct in the the academic year prior to being terminated (ie. not being reappointed to any courses) is due by September 1 of the academic year that the adjunct was terminated, if they submitted a timely request to teach letter, or by September 1 of the academic year following termination, if they did not submit a timely request to teach letter.

Grievance: A formal complaint filed by an adjunct or the union when university management violates the terms of our CBA, workplace rules, established past practices, or employment laws.