LINCOLN PARK — DePaul University's president Rev. Dennis Holtschneider said he would prefer if adjunct faculty do not form a union.
Contingent faculty were recently approached by an individual affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) about joining a union, Holtschneider said in an email to staff Friday.
Holtschneider said while he respects the rights of adjunct faculty to decide whether joining a union is in their best interest, he does not support the move.
"Our preference is to maintain a direct working relationship with adjunct faculty—without interference from a third party that has no connection or commitment to DePaul and its students and that may not understand our culture and our values," Holtschneider wrote.
The letter went on, saying, "We believe this will better assist our tenured faculty and department chairs to work closely with our adjunct faculty and empower us to build on the improvements that we have made and continue to make progress together as a community. We hope that adjunct faculty who are subject to a union organizing campaign feel the same way."
According to Holtschneider, adjuncts play a "vitally important role" in educating students at DePaul and earn "competitive pay."
DePaul's student newspaper, The DePaulia, reports that adjuncts are paid between $3,000 and $6,000 per course, depending on the department. That's in line with the national average, which is about $3,000 per three-credit course, according to the student paper.
If DePaul adjuncts decide to form a union, they will join the other three universities in Chicago that are unionized: Columbia College Chicago, Roosevelt University and University of Chicago, the student paper reports.
Jonathan Cecero, a spokesman for DePaul University, declined to comment further, saying "Father Holtschneider’s email speaks for itself. We have no additional information to share at this time."
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