Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comment from the union and the university.
Tufts full-time union lecturers in the School of Arts and Sciences ratified their third contract with the university on Wednesday. The FTLs, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 509, began negotiations for workload and salary adjustments in April 2024.
The FTLs announced several changes in their contract: Their new title will be “Teaching Professor,” they will receive 3% annual raises while minimum salaries for each rank will be increased by at least 16% and professors will receive course equivalences or overage pay for their work, overseen by a faculty-led committee. The professors will receive back pay from Sep. 1, 2024.
The cost of living in the Greater Boston area and student enrollment both outpaced salary adjustments and increases in full-time faculty, according to the union.
According to the FTL union, the cost of living for full-time lecturers has increased by 21% since 2020 while salaries only increased by 13.1%. From 2019–23, undergraduate enrollment in the School of Arts and Sciences increased by 12.4%, while there was only an increase of full-time faculty by 6.8%, according to the union.
Penn Loh, distinguished senior lecturer and union member, wrote in a statement to the Daily: “It’s been a long road to this contract, with many challenges. But we never gave up hope and we showed that when we stand together, with broad support from our students, colleagues, and community, we can win more livable salaries and sustainable workloads. We now hope that our contract can help our SMFA Professor of the Practice union achieve the same.“
Bárbara Brizuela, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Samuel Thomas, senior dean of academic affairs for the School of Arts and Sciences, wrote in a statement to the Daily that the university had adhered to its philosophy to wage increases by considering faculty compensation in general as well as external market and internal equity.
“The new contract reflects changes resulting from a collaborative effort to align the contract with the evolving needs of both the institution and our faculty colleagues,“ Brizuela and Thomas wrote. “While we never want to see work stoppages, the university’s approach remained consistent throughout this negotiation, focused on shared problem solving and collaboration, which we have established over more than a decade with the union.“
The FTLs held a two-day walkout on Jan. 27–28. Medford and Somerville City Councils passed resolutions on March 25 and Feb. 13, respectively, in support of the FTLs. They also received support from the Tufts Community Union Senate in a statement read out during a Senate meeting on Jan. 26.