CHICAGO – The non-tenure-track faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) just proved what’s possible when working people come together and speak up with one voice.
In a unanimous vote, 342 to 0, they ratified their first union contract with AFSCME Council 31, locking in real gains for themselves, their students and the future of education at SAIC. Online balloting ended on May 21.
These adjuncts and lecturers joined Art Institute of Chicago Workers United in 2022 to demand the freedom to negotiate a fair return on their work. After two years of negotiations, they’ve won a contract that delivers meaningful raises, better job security, and new investments in professional growth.
“Together in our union, SAIC non-tenure-track faculty have achieved significant gains that move them strongly forward in the struggle to better their working lives,” Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said. “By improving compensation and protecting their rights, this historic agreement lays a rock-solid foundation on which adjuncts and lecturers can continue to build.”
The four-year contract raises wages more than 16% for lecturers and 15% for adjuncts. It also includes health care stipends, expanded paid leave, and a new teaching professor role with longer-term job stability.
This fight wasn’t just about dollars. It was about power. For too long, faculty at SAIC were treated as expendable, even as they mentored and inspired the next generation of artists. Now, by organizing a union, they’ve shifted the balance. They’ve won the freedom to negotiate together, to speak up for one another, and to secure the resources and respect they deserve.
Their victory is proof that when working people stand together, we win.
AFSCME Cultural Workers United is leading the largest organizing movement for workers at the nation’s libraries, museums, zoos and other cultural institutions. CWU represents 45,000 workers at cultural institutions, more than any other union.