ARTFORUM reports some 1,200 Faculty Members employed at the School of Visual Arts in New York City have Unionized following a vote that saw 77% cast their ballots in favor of doing so. Operating under the aegis of the United Auto Workers (UAW) - which also represents teachers at Columbia University, New York University and the Parsons School of Design, the newly-formed SVA Faculty United-UAW is now set to bargain for its first contract. Among the issues that spurred Faculty to Unionize are pay equity, increased workloads without a commensurate increase in compensation and the loss of such previously enjoyed benefits as retirement account contributions and sabbaticals. “This victory affirms hundreds of Educators and Creatives across different disciplines are ready to unite around a just social cause and give solidarity a chance in these thunderous times,” Adjunct Faculty Member Merlin Ural Rivera told the Art Newspaper.

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