amid negotiations, SMFa part-time lecturers hold firm against Tufts’ proposed pay cut

by Spenser Walsh Staff Writer

The Tufts University parttime lecturers union, represented by SEIU Local 509, is currently engaged in a pay negotiation process on behalf of part-time lecturers who work at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

The union has been negotiating on behalf of part-time lecturers in the School of Arts and Sciences since fall 2013 and recently secured a new five-year contract with the school which will apply to parttime faculty until 2027. However, due to a planned change in the way courses are scheduled, pay for SMFA lecturers was tabled from the general contract to a separate negotiation, which is currently underway.

According to John Ros, SMFA lecturer and union negotiator, the union is focusing specifically on achieving higher pay, which has presented a challenge and an opportunity.

“It’s easier in that the conversation is very direct,” they said, “but it’s maybe harder because there’s less bargaining chips. … This is one conversation that we’re having, and it’s proven quite difficult.”

In a statement to the Daily, Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, said the university is “committed to constructive engagement at the bargaining table and fair treatment of all Tufts employees.”

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“We’re looking forward to continued discussions with the union and good faith negotiations on wages and other issues,” Collins wrote. “Out of respect for the union and the negotiation process, we think it is appropriate to limit our discussion of specific proposals to the bargaining table.”

SMFA courses were previously broken up into either three- or six-hour periods but were restructured to last a uniform five hours starting in fall 2023. SMFA parttime lecturers receive payment based on courses taught, hence the need to renegotiate a new payment structure for this specific issue.

Tufts began negotiations with the first offer of an overall 16.6% pay cut, excluding compensation for once-mandatory review boards from the base salary.

Ros said the university used the restructuring of course length as an excuse to cut pay. To make up the difference, Tufts offered a flat fee for lecturers who participated in up to five review boards — the final assessments for SMFA students on a per-review board basis. This reduced the lecturers’ pay cut from 16.6% to 7.7–9.8%, according to Ros. However, historically the base pay rate has been determined by see SMFA, page 20