(NEW YORK CITY) - Adjunct Faculty employed at New York University (NYU), who are campaigning to win Paid Family Leave, have received support from 34 New York City Lawmakers who argue that the added benefit would help both Academic Workers and students at the University.

The Workers have been pushing for around a year to secure a side letter to their ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement with the University that would grant around 3,000 Adjunct Faculty Paid Family Leave, said David Palmer, the Adjunct Faculty Union’s Unit Chair. 

Palmer said without the paid leave, Faculty are forced to choose between their positions at the University and caring for sick family members, bonding with their newborns or stepping in when a family member in the military is deployed abroad.

If a Faculty Member takes leave from their job for a family matter, it can mean losing out on reappointment to key classes or losing a position at the University - entirely.

“These are decisions that Adjunct Faculty face on a regular basis,” Palmer said. 

The letter sent to NYU President Linda Mills was signed by over two dozen Members of the City Council, the Borough Presidents of both Manhattan and Brooklyn and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.  

The letter reads: “NYU’s failure to provide Paid Family Leave (PFL) to the thousands of Workers who make up its Adjunct Faculty reflects a clear misalignment between those values and the treatment of a significant portion of its workforce. Without PFL, Adjunct Faculty at NYU face significant financial, physical and emotional hardship, and are forced to make untenable choices between caring for sick family members or bonding with new children - and maintaining their income."

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Electeds back NYU adjunct faculty's push for paid family leave - The Chief