The faculty members of the Faculty of Visual Arts vote to the Union

The Visual Arts School became the latest university campus in New York, after 1,200 trainers voted by 77 % in favor of joining United Auto workers last week.

The bargaining unit, SVA United -UW, is now joining Colombia, New York University, and Parsons under the same umbrella of work and will seek its first contract this summer. The poll was evaluated by the Manhattan Labor Council on May 23.

Assistant faculty members make up most of the SVA teaching element. According to the work organizers who spoke with them Excessive level, Which was first reported about the news, the auxiliary model is eroded both financial security and morale. SVA cited stagnant wages, heavier track loads, loss of pension and paid science contributions, as reasons for the union.

In art and similar design schools throughout the country, it is common for artists working with additional roles as teachers to complete their income, which is usually funded by education fees. As of 2024, 26 percent of the school’s education revenues went towards the salaries of the teacher.

A SVA Press spokesman told the administration that “all the members of the teaching staff are qualified to participate in the elections,” and pledged to bargain “in good faith”, amid contract negotiations.

SVA, which supervises about 4,000 university students and graduate studies, is the latest school of art in the United States to push the union’s efforts to a period of enrollment, after the post -item.

Between 2018 and 2022, according to SVA financial reports available to the public, the school registered in the school decreased by 8 percent. Throughout the country, in Calarts, the number of registered students decreased by 11 percent between 2019 and 2023. This decrease was reported before the West Coast of the Federation voted by 71 % in November 2024.

The upcoming negotiations, which are expected to take place over the summer, will focus on basic salaries, work burden bodies and retirement matches. Any agreement will need approval from both Union and SVA.

UAW is now more than 50,000 academic workers across the United States as members, which presses more foothold foothold as universities are increasingly dependent on part -time employment.