(From the Bulletin):
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 284 announced last week its intention to unionize adjunct instructors at Macalester College and Hamline University. Both groups have filed election petitions with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The push for adjunct unionization is part of a larger national movement, led by unions like SEIU looking to find new sources of union members (and dues) from traditionally non-unionized workforces. Adjuncts are an especially appealing target for unions as universities expand their usage of part-time instructors.
The timing may be inconvenient for unions, however, as concerns about out-of-control student debt and the ever-rising cost of higher education have become front-page news. A recent study by the Institute for College Access and Success found that students in Minnesota had the fourth highest level of average student debt in the nation. And among private colleges, Hamline students averaged the third highest debt level in the state. Meanwhile, the cost of tuition alone at Macalester is nearly $47,000. But if you think higher education is expensive now, just wait for the coming wave of unionization. READ MORE HERE