september 4, 2026
Newsletter overview
Keep scrolling to read about these important topics:
Know your contract: Understanding Baseloads and Payouts
Article X Enforcement Since 2022 Contract Ratification
Reminders
Upcoming events and important dates
baseloads and payouts
If you have reappointment rights under Article X of our contract and submitted a Request to Teach letter for the current (2026-27) academic year by January 8, 2026, and you (a) had a reduction to your course load in your May 21, 2026, reappointment letter; (b) had courses cancelled for reasons other than insufficiency of registration or curricular change; or (c) have not been reappointed to teach this year, then you were due a course load reduction or termination payout on September 1.
Note: Summer course assignments are not included in the May 21 reappointment letter but must be given by March 21 of the following calendar year. If previously one or more of the courses comprising your baseload has been taught in the Summer semester, then you should expect to have your baseload met by March 21, 2027.
To have Article X rights you must have taught in the same department under one of these paths:
baseloads
Here are some examples of how to determine your baseload:
Contact Hours, Course Loads, and Teaching Schedules
There is a difference between a contact hour reduction and a course load reduction. A contact hour consists of 50 minutes of in-class teaching. For example, a semester-long course that meets for 2.5 hours/week equals 42 contact hours for the semester. In some instances, the university may decrease the number of contact hours for a given course or assign you to a course with fewer contact hours, while still meeting your baseload. This does not equal a course load reduction, which is when the course is not offered to you and your baseload is not met. If you have Article X rights and your contact hours are reduced by more than 50% from the previous academic year, contact your union reps.
IMPORTANT: The courses you’re offered and when you’re appointed to teach can change from one year to the next, but course loads can’t be reduced without a payout except when due to insufficiency of registration or documented changes in curriculum.
payouts
Course Load Reduction Payment: A course load reduction payment is a payout for reducing your base load within a specific department where you have established Article X rights, as discussed above. The payment is equivalent to the contact-hour payment for the course removed from your teaching base load in the previous academic year, plus an additional 10% for faculty who have taught in the department for 5–9 consecutive years, or 25% for those who have taught in the same department for 10 or more consecutive years.
You should have received a course load reduction on September 1, 2026 if you:
Have Article X rights and submitted a request to teach letter for Academic Year 2026-27 by January 8, 2026
Had a reduction in your baseload in your May 21, 2026, reappointment letter or had class(es) canceled for reasons other than insufficiency of registration or curriculum change
If you were not reappointed to your baseload in your May 21, 2026, reappointment letter, and you do not usually teach in the summer, then you are entitled to a course load reduction payment.
If one of the courses that you have Article X rights to is canceled for insufficiency of registration or curriculum change, the university will have two academic years to give you a replacement course.
Termination Payment: A termination payment is a payout for non-reappointment within a specific department where you have established Article X rights, as discussed above. The payment is equivalent to your total compensation for work in that department during the previous academic year, excluding retirement benefits, plus an additional 10% for faculty who have taught in the department for 5–9 consecutive years, or 25% for those who have taught in the same department for 10 or more consecutive years.
You should have received termination pay on September 1, 2026 if you:
Have Article X rights and submitted a request to teach letter for Academic Year 2026-27 by January 8, 2026
Were not reappointed to any courses for Academic Year 2026-27 or exercised your Article X.d rights
When Article X Payouts are Due
If you did submit a timely Request to Teach letter by January 8, 2026 for academic year 2026-27 and your Article X baseload was not met in your May 21 reappointment letter, your termination or course load reduction payment is due by September 1, 2026.
If you did not submit a timely Request to Teach letter by January 8, 2026 for academic year 2026-27and your Article X baseload was not met in your May 21 reappointment letter, your termination or course load reduction payment may be delayed until September 1, 2027.
article x enforcement
Last week’s Grievance Report detailed a record number of Article X grievances challenging NYU’s attempts to weaken adjunct job protections. We called on members to come forward when NYU is not honoring the basic protections of Article X. One of those conditions is the right to a course load reduction or termination payment by September 1 if an adjunct faculty member's established baseload or the contractual terms of the May 21 reappointment letter are modified in a way that the adjunct faculty member has not agreed to. On Tuesday, we sent another email asking anyone who believes they are owed a course-load reduction or termination payment to contact the union rep team at nyu@actuaw.org if they had not received their payment by the end of the day.
Since our contract was ratified in November 2022, the union has filed dozens of Article X grievances. These grievances have resulted in important victories:
Stronger limits on “changes in curriculum” as a reason to cancel courses without paying affected adjunct faculty.
Enforcement of the May 21 and March 21 reappointment deadlines. NYU now argues it can miss these deadlines with a valid justification. We disagree and continue to demand that NYU honor the contract.
Greater accountability for cancellations due to insufficient registration. NYU must provide replacement courses or the required termination payments.
Protection against post-May 21 course substitutions designed to prevent adjunct faculty from qualifying for termination pay when contact hours fall by more than 50%.
More than a dozen courses restored and about $1 million in settlements for adjunct faculty.
NYU wants unfettered managerial rights, and it may try to convince us it has them. It doesn’t. We have contractual rights, and enforcing those rights is how we make sure they mean something.
Contract Enforcement
is Everyone’s Work
If you have experienced a late or incomplete reappointment, a post-May 21 change, a course removed from your baseload, a changed teaching pattern, a cancellation, a curriculum change that costs you work, or a reduced load without the required Article X payment, document it and contact the union at nyu@actuaw.org.
If you are unsure whether something violates the contract, ask us.
When members come forward and develop a stronger understanding of their rights, we are all stronger. When violations go ungrieved, we cannot uphold our rights.
The goal is not simply to win payments. It is to make sure our contract provides the job security we negotiated.
When we stand up for ourselves, we stand up for each other.
reminders
Termination and Course Load Reductions due September 1
NYU Adjunct Faculty should have received termination pay on September 1, 2026 if they:
have Article X rights and submitted a request to teach letter for Academic Year 2026-27 by January 8, 2026
were not reappointed to any courses for Academic Year 2026-27 or exercised your Article X.d rights
NYU Adjunct Faculty should have received course load reduction pay on September 1, 2026 if they:
have Article X rights and submitted a request to teach letter for Academic Year 2026-27 by January 8, 2026
had a reduction in your baseload in your May 21, 2026, reappointment letter or had class(es) canceled for reasons other than insufficiency of registration or curriculum change
Please notify the union ASAP at nyu@actuaw.org if you believe you were denied a payout.
ADJUNCT TECHNOLOGY FUND - DISCONTINUED
On Monday, August 31, we sent an email explaining that the technology fund has been discontinued, which you canread here. You may request a laptop to borrow if your assigned classroom is not permanently outfitted with a computer. Information about this new process can be found here.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR THE FALL IS NOW OPEN
Professional Development Fund applications for the Fall 2026 are now being accepted. Funds are limited and distributed on a first-come first-served basis. To learn more about the Professional Development Fund, what qualifies, and where to send your completed application form and supporting documentation, click here.
To learn more about the Professional Development Fund, what qualifies, and where to send your completed application form and supporting documentation, click here.
SIGN YOUR UNION CARD
Have you signed your union membership card? If you haven’t done so, now is the time. Click here to fill out a membership card!(Note: Your N# can be found on the back of your NYU ID.) Weare a democratic, member-led union, and your membership and participation make our union strong.
Please note that, as indicated on your offer of employment, for all eligible adjunct faculty union membership or the payment of an agency—or fair share—fee (equivalent to member dues) is a condition of continued employment at NYU.