Adjuncts Rally for a Fair Wage

Adjunct instructors, faculty, staff, students, members of the Maine Community College System community and fellow Mainers rallied April 20 at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland in support of a fair wage for adjunct instructors throughout the system’s campuses.

For many years, the Maine Community College System has relied heavily on adjunct instructors to teach the courses at each of its seven campuses, yet the pay for adjuncts remains insultingly low. When factoring in the time spent prepping courses, grading, updating research, responding to student correspondence and teaching, adjuncts often work for less than minimum wage. Many work three or four jobs alongside teaching. They struggle to cover healthcare costs, childcare costs and transportation costs around teaching.Adjuncts know that Maine students deserve fully present and focused instructors. However, low wages that barely cover adjuncts’ time are keeping that from being the reality. There also are few opportunities for upward mobility for adjuncts and courses are not guaranteed, making the work unreliable.

Adjunct instructors are professionals with graduate degrees and years – often decades – of teaching experience. They deserve to be respected as an integral part of the Maine Community College System and in their core mission of educating students. Members of our adjunct instructors’ union are currently negotiating their next contract. They’re demanding a fair wage and a contract that rewards longevity and dedication to the Maine Community College System and the students they serve.

Rally coverage:

WCSH6 TV: Maine community college adjunct professors rally for higher wages amid contract talks

Portland Press Herald: Community college adjunct professors call for higher payMaine Beacon: Adjuncts hold rally urging Maine Community College System to pay part-time faculty a fair wage

Maine Beacon: Adjuncts hold rally urging Maine Community College System to pay part-time faculty a fair wage

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