Welcome to Emerson College!
AFEC-AAUP is the faculty union that represents adjunct faculty, protecting the rights of this group and collectively bargaining the contract that governs part time faculty employment at Emerson.
The Union periodically sponsors group events and maintains an AFEC-AAUP Facebook page with links to articles of interest to adjunct faculty.
The Union can provide support if you need to speak to your department chair about a concern. When necessary, the Union will speak on your behalf to chairs, deans, and the president. When all else fails, adjunct faculty members have the security provided by legally binding grievance and arbitration procedures. The Union has, for instance, settled an arbitration case that got a member back pay and reimbursement for health care coverage.
Our Contract (2024 – 2029)
AFEC-AAUP has negotiated five (5) contracts on behalf of the adjunct faculty employed at Emerson College. In September 2024, AFEC-AAUP and Emerson agreed to a new, 5-year contract. Memorandum of Understanding was ratified in September 2024 and its terms are in effect starting with the Fall 2024 academic semester through 2029. The contract will be posted shortly.
Contract highlights include:
- 5% across the board salary increase the first year for all affiliated faculty, standard cost of living increases thereafter
- Health Insurance subsidy increase to 70% for Level III and above, and 50% after 24 teaching hours
- Increased Transportation Benefit to $55/month
- The time frame for making a grievance has been increased from 10 to 30 days from when the occurrence took place.
Annual Fees
No member of the bargaining unit is obliged to become a full member of AFEC-AAUP, but all adjunct faculty members are required to either join the Union or pay the financial core membership contribution. We won this employment requirement in our very first collectively bargained contract in 2004 and it is enforced now as a result of a successful 2010 membership drive.
In both cases the fee is $120 annually, paid as $60 each semester. This is among the lowest annual rates in Massachusetts for a teachers union. The provision does not require anyone to vote on Union proposals or to advocate for particular beliefs. Failing to either join the Union or contribute to the costs incurred representing you, however, makes you ineligible to be rehired in future semesters.
The last paragraph of your appointment letter notes that as a condition of employment at Emerson College you must either make a direct payment arrangement with AFEC-AAUP or sign a written authorization of an automatic dues deduction. There are three options for doing this and paying the $40 fee each semester for either membership or core membership contribution:
Download out the Dues Checkoff Form 2024_rev and e-mail it the vice president, Randy Harrison at randy_harrison@emerson.edu.
You only need to fill out the form ONCE. Union dues will then be deducted from your next to last paycheck either of December 15 and April 15 of every semester that you are employed at Emerson College.
Getting Involved
Participating in the Union is a great way to engage in your Emerson community. The successes of the AFEC-AAUP to date have come from the efforts of volunteers.
Department AND Faculty Assembly (NEW!) Liaisons (Paid).
- Department Liaisons attend monthly department meetings and starting in the Spring 2025 semester Faculty Assembly with voting privileges.
For more information, please contact Barry Marshall, president; Randy Harrison, vice president; or Joshua Way, treasurer to hear more. A union that includes many voices and perspectives is a strong one.