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Adjunct Duquesne Professors Looks Into Unionizing, University Declines Voluntary Recognition

An effort is underway at Duquesne University to unionize part-time adjunct professors in the McAnulty College. United Steelworkers is helping in the effort and will be the bargaining agent for the adjuncts. Joshua Zelesnick is one of those part-time professors. He said as it stands now, people like himself, who teach only one or two classes a semester, are not treated the same as even some longer-term adjuncts.

"They may say they're adjuncts, too, but people who have full-time positions but maybe have a one-year contract or one-to-three year contract, they get higher pay, they get health care, and a little bit longer contract," he said.

Part-time adjuncts work on a semester-by-semester system. Zelesnick said they're seeking higher pay, a more secure contracting system and the option to buy into a health care plan.

"We would like to have more of a long-term relationship with the university," he said. "We've given years of service and have demonstrated that we're good teachers, and that should be recognized by the university."

Members of the Adjunct Association at Duquesne met with university officials on Monday, and asked for voluntary recognition of a union. Zelesnick said the meeting was a productive one, though the university declined to voluntarily recognize the union. As a result, the Adjuncts Association filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to go through the official process.

"There are other schools that have unionized part-time faculty, and there's contracts out there like for American University in Washington, D.C. and George Washington University, and we would take a good look at what they have come up with for their contracts," said Zelesnick.

Still, this would be the first university in Pittsburgh to unionize part-time faculty, if the process is successful.

A spokeswoman for Duquesne said the university is not commenting on the issue, but is working with the NLRB through the process. There is no set timeline in place, but Zelesnick said the hope is that if all goes smoothly an official election to approve unionizing, or not, among the Adjunct Association will take place this summer.