It’s hard to believe I’ve been working for UArts for five years and have never received a cost of living increase. This means I’m earning less now than when I started! I’ve worked at peer institutions that are unionized, and this would not have been tolerated. We need to unionize now and let our administration know this is not a sustainable way to pay its employees. Faculty deserve yearly cost of living increases, not yearly wage reductions!

I have spent most of my adult life at The University of the Arts. I attended as a student, and now serve as a lecturer. This place has seen me through my brightest days and darkest moments, and I have undergone profound change as a student, educator, and human being here. In these uncertain times, we need a voice and power to affect change at the university to preserve what this institution is - a place for artists to grow and learn. Where one comes to find beauty and meaning in a troubled world. A place for students, faculty, and staff alike to call home. The faculty, who are the lifeblood of the university, deserve living wages, health benefits, and job security. This is our right as the primary labor of this institution, and the administration should equip us with all tools and utilities available to best serve our students. This is why I support our union.

In the face of COVID-19, university education is going through massive changes. We as educators are being asked to bear the responsibility of overhauling the university for them. With tuition and wages staying where they are, universities are putting us into a problematic situation where we must reinvent our curriculum to support hybrid learning while receiving no compensation for it. Right now, decisions are being made behind closed doors; a union is the only way we will ensure a voice of advocacy in the room.