As you may be aware, the adjunct faculty at Washington University are preparing for a union election in order to collectively bargain for better working conditions. Some of you may not be aware of what an “adjunct instructor” is exactly. You may be taking classes with one, but do not realize it. Don’t worry—we’re not contagious, though we have been spreading rapidly in the academic labor force since the late 1960s. According to statistics released by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the percentage of tenured or tenure track faculty in 1969 was 78 percent. In 2009, that percentage was 33 percent, which means that 67 percent were adjuncts, lecturers or otherwise contingent faculty of some manner.

An adjunct faculty member is a person working typically on a six-month to one-year contract and frequently without benefits. We are not professors. We do not have the same kind of job security or financial compensation as professors. I’m not blaming professors for this problem—I want to be clear about that. However, many adjuncts here have Ph.D.s and are highly qualified, talented instructors who devote countless hours to give their students the best possible learning experience they can.

I am one of those adjunct instructors and have been since the fall semester in 2011. For the last four years, I have been primarily teaching Writing 1 while searching for the elusive full-time position in a difficult academic job market. I love my job. Working with students to help them develop as critical thinkers and writers is rewarding, and I idealistically like to believe I am helping make the world a better place by encouraging students to become thoughtful, conscientious citizens. There are not many places in the world outside of academia where I can have the kinds of intellectual discussions I have on a regular basis with students and colleagues inside the classroom and around campus. In so many ways, I am fortunate to be able to do something that I love.

However, if it were not for my wife making a good living as an accountant, I could not afford to be an adjunct instructor. During the 2012 academic year, I taught three sections of Writing 1, which constituted full-time under the University’s policy at the time (with all the essays to grade, it certainly was a full-time job). That year, I made $24,000. I could probably live on that if I had no other choice, and some adjuncts, unfortunately, are in that unenviable position. However, I would have to be pretty lucky to avoid any number of basic, everyday life experiences that could prove financially catastrophic, such as a significant health problem or costly vehicle repairs. Adjuncts walk a financial tightrope, often with significant student loan debt, which is why many work at multiple institutions just to make ends meet. A lack of job security, full health benefits and financial security does not make for ideal working conditions, and it also does not make for the best learning environment.

As is the case in so many other fields, the problem in academia is not an absence of jobs, but the quality of the jobs that are available. Washington University’s motto is “per veritatem vis,” through truth, strength. By coming together and strengthening our voice, adjunct faculty are committed to continuing an open and honest dialogue about how Washington University can continue to be a nationally recognized leader in higher education.