Union: Hamline adjunct instructors vote to unionize

Adjunct faculty members at Hamline University have voted overwhelmingly to unionize, the Service Employees International Union Local 284 said Friday.

Mail-in ballots counted this morning from a vote that began earlier this month show more than 70 percent voted to unionize.

It marks the first time that adjunct faculty at a private Twin Cities-area university have agreed to unionize, SEIU said, adding that Hamline instructors will join local 284.

SEIU has been pressing for adjunct faculty unions across the country as part of its Adjunct Action effort.

Adjuncts at  Macalester College have also been looking into unionizing, citing concerns over pay, benefits and working conditions, as well as a desire to have a voice in the workplace. A planned vote earlier this spring was delayed until later this year.

Adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas are also seeking a unionization vote.  In a statement put out by SEIU, Hamline adjunct professor David Weiss expressed hope the Hamline vote would encourage St. Thomas instructors to do the same.

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