by Peter Miller

WHEN ADJUNCT FACULTY organize unions, do all their problems fade into the past? Not necessarily, since adjuncts face huge obstacles from the outset. Collective bargaining might one day help adjuncts gain academic rights, but those can seem like pie in the sky when basic human rights need to be addressed first. The AAUP's part-time lecturer (PTL) union at Rutgers University offers a good example of how far a group can come, but still have so far to go.

The PTL union at Rutgers's three campuses has seen its share of the good and the bad, and its progress in improving conditions for part-time adjuncts shows how hard the struggle can be. In an overwhelming 1988 vote, part-time lecturers at Rutgers selected the PTL chapter of the AAUP to be their collective bargaining agent. While a good deal has changed since then, many conditions remain bad for Rutgers teachers.

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