KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Dozens of part-time Western Michigan University instructors spent Monday protesting and passing out flyers as a months-long labor dispute with university officials continued into a second day of mediation.
“I love this university, I love teaching here but it’s been really unfortunate to see how disrespected and unvalued we are,” said Jasmine LaBine, president of the Professional Instructors Organization.
LaBine says she usually teaches three communications classes a semester at Western.
A month away from the start of the 2021-2022 school year, she said she has no guarantee those classes will exist.
“I love seeing them grow as students from first years to seniors and I want to continue doing this work, but I don’t know if I can if they don’t pay us more,” LaBine said.
News Channel 3 reached out to the university for an interview about the ongoing negotiations.
A spokesperson sent a news release from the month earlier calling the union’s demands excessive. The union is asking for initial raises of 43 to 54 percent.
The release also said the university a survey of 20 other colleges and universities in the region, and has the second-highest pay per credit hour for part-time instructors.
A new report from the American Association of University Professors shows university faculty pay dropped nationwide last year for the first time since the great recession.
“This is more evidence that those without tenure, or at least opportunity for tenure, their livelihood is at risk,” said Glenn Colby with the AAUP.
At WMU part-time instructors earn a minimum of $1,050 per credit hour. AAUP data shows the part time instructors earn an average of $1,378 per credit hour at doctoral level universities nationwide.