To the Roosevelt University Community
Joint statement by the Bargaining Committees of Roosevelt University and the
Roosevelt Adjunct Faculty Organization on Proposed Three-year Agreement
In March 2000 the Roosevelt Adjunct Faculty Organization (RAFO) won a
representation election conducted among adjunct faculty by the National Labor Relations
Board. In September 2000 the university and RAFO began formal negotiations to find
mutually agreeable means to improve the status of adjunct faculty members at Roosevelt.
These deliberations progressed systematically, in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual
respect. On April 13, 2001 we reached a tentative three-year agreement. RAFO and the
university administration believe that this agreement represents a fair settlement and
makes major strides toward enhancing the position of adjunct faculty at Roosevelt
University.
The agreement provides for substantial salary increases, ranging from 15% in the first
year of the contract for RAFO members relatively new to Roosevelt, to 79% in the third
year of the contract for members with long Roosevelt experience. It also provides
enhanced tuition benefits, compensation for cancelled courses, and compensation for
attending mandatory in-service and orientation meetings. In addition, RAFO members
will have access to a university-sponsored health insurance pool and current RAFO
members will receive a one-time stipend upon contract ratification.
The university is pleased that it has been able to provide a salary and benefits package
within budget that is competitive and will markedly enhance the income and professional
status of adjunct faculty members. RAFO is pleased that it has achieved one of its
primary goals, a top salary that, pro-rated, approximated 60% of the income of a full-time
assistant professor.
Additionally, both the university and RAFO are pleased to have reached agreement on a
number of changes that will enhance the working conditions and status of adjunct faculty
members. The university will revise scheduling and hiring practices to make assignments
to adjunct faculty members earlier in the academic calendar. It will provide timely
notification for qualified adjuncts of full-time openings. It will revise the teaching
evaluation system and offer support to experienced adjunct faculty members who run into
difficulty in the classroom.
Finally, as provided in the agreement, the university had proposed and the University
Senate has adopted provisions for representation of adjunct faculty in university
governance, both in the University Senate and in the college councils. The adjunct
faculty will have a direct voice in the university, including membership on the Senate
Executive Committee.
The University and RAFO agree that adjunct faculty members are critical to the mission
and success of Roosevelt University. This collective bargaining agreement recognizes
their contributions and sets the stage for a university culture in which adjunct faculty
members play an even more vital and visible role in accomplishing the mission of the
institution. .
Bargaining Committee Members
For RAFO: Frank Brooks, Diane Davis, Liesl Orenic, Beverly Stewart
For Roosevelt University: John Allerson, Stanley Eisenhammer, Susan Fay, Louise
Love, Toni Potenza, Ellen Rothenberg, Marian Schranz-Messaris, Lynn Weiner
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