Last spring, we won our union election by an overwhelming 77% mandate. Now, a majority of faculty have completed an initial survey about what matters to them – including nearly 500 of us since our election. These results give us more power to advocate for improvements as we are now entering negotiations with the SVA administration.
Join our virtual Faculty Union Town Hall on Saturday, September 27th at 12pm, as we present an overview of our initial bargaining priorities. You’ll get to engage with other faculty, be part of the discussion regarding next steps as we prepare for bargaining this fall, and get answers to any questions you may have about the process and how to participate. Click here to RSVP.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts - you can also contact us at info@svafacultyunited.org, and follow along for updates on our campaign on our instagram.
After we won our union by an overwhelming majority last spring, the bargaining survey is an important step as we prepare to negotiate with the SVA administration. In order to win the strongest and most representative contract, it is important that as many of us as possible fill out the survey. If you haven’t already. please complete a bargaining survey here.
NYC Faculty Union Summer Picnic
Join colleagues at Parsons (The New School), NYU, and other unionized faculty with UAW Local 7902 for a summer picnic in prospect park on August 13th 4-7pm! RSVP here to attend.
Get involved in our efforts this fall: Please respond directly to this email to get more involved in our organizing to win a strong contract, or, if you have any questions or concerns as we head into the new semester. A colleague will be in touch.
Please don’t hesitate to respond with any further questions or thoughts,
Hans Tammen, MFA Computer Arts on behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee
We are pleased to announce the results of our SVA Faculty United–UAW Bargaining Committee Election. The following nine (9) candidates received the highest number of votes and have been elected to the Bargaining Committee:
Justin Elm, BFA VCS, Art History, Honors Lee-Sean Huang, MFA Design for Social Innovation; MFA Interaction Design Joan Hilty, BFA Comics Edwin Rivera-Arias, Humanities & Sciences Merlin Ural Rivera, Humanities & Sciences Lily Padula, BFA Illustration Stephanie Stavropoulos, MFA Design for Social Innovation Mike Falk, BFA Fine Arts Billy Altman, Humanities & Sciences
Thank you to all of the candidates and everyone who participated. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to svafacultyunited.uaw@gmail.com with any additional questions, or reply directly to this email.
The nomination period for the SVA/FAC-UAW Bargaining Committee is closed as of Thursday, June 26, 2025. The following eligible faculty accepted nomination:
Billy Altman - Humanities & Sciences Alper Besen - BFA Interior Design John Bezark - BFA Design Justin Elm - BFA VCS, Art History, Honors Mike Falk - BFA Fine Arts Joan Hilty - BFA Comics Lee-Sean Huang - MFA Interaction Design, MFA Design for Social Innovation Stephanie Stavropoulos - MFA Design for Social Innovation Lily Padula - BFA Illustration Carson Parish - BFA Photography and Video Merlin Ural Rivera - Humanities & Sciences Edwin Rivera-Arias - Humanities & Sciences Hans Tammen - MFA Computer Arts
Because the number of candidates exceeds the total number of positions for the Bargaining Committee, a secret ballot vote will be held electronically from 9AM July 7 2025, to 9PM July 11 2025, using ElectionBuddy. A reminder about the details of our vote, and full packet with candidate statements, will be shared Monday next week.
Vote Method
ElectionBuddy is an electronic platform that guarantees the secrecy of ballots and ensures that no one can vote more than once.
ElectionBuddy will send you an email with a unique link to your online ballot once voting has opened on July 7, 2025. If you cannot locate the email from ElectionBuddy with the ballot, including in your spam, junk, and promotions folders, email us at svafacultyunited.uaw@gmail.com.
How to Vote
You should receive an email and text reminder from ElectionBuddy with your ballot at 9 AM ET on Monday, July 7, 2025 or soon after you sign an authorization card if the vote has already begun. Please check your spam, junk, and promotions folders, and if you cannot locate your ballot, email us at svafacultyunited.uaw@gmail.com.
Voters shall be entitled to vote for no more than nine [9] candidates, the total number of Bargaining Committee positions. The nine [9] candidates who receive the most votes will be elected.
Earlier this semester, SVA faculty voted by an overwhelming majority to form our union, with over 77% voting in favor. As we move towards bargaining for our first union contract with the SVA administration, please take a moment to fill out our SVA/FAC-UAW bargaining survey.
In order to win the strongest and most representative contract for all faculty, it is critical that as many of us as possible fill out the survey. Feedback in the bargaining survey will help guide our bargaining committee in developing initial bargaining goals, and during our negotiations. The more of us who participate, the more power we will have going into bargaining, and the stronger message we send to SVA.
Once our elected bargaining committee has developed initial bargaining priorities, the next step is for us to ratify these goals, so we can begin negotiating with the administration with broad input and participation.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts,
Merlin Ural Rivera, Humanities & Sciences On behalf of SVA/FAC-UAW Organizing Committee
Nominations are hereby declared open for the SVA Faculty United-UAW (SVA/FAC-UAW) Bargaining Committee (nine [9] positions): All eligible Union supporters [all SVA faculty who have filled out a SVA/FAC-UAW authorization card] are automatically nominated for the Bargaining Committee and eligible to accept nomination.
The bargaining committee will be composed of nine (9) positions. Please see the full notice below and don’t hesitate to reach out with further questions.
NOTICE OF NOMINATION AND ELECTION FOR THE UNION BARGAINING COMMITTEE (9 POSITIONS)
Nominations are hereby declared open for the SVA/FAC-UAW Bargaining Committee (9 positions):
All eligible unit members who have signed a union authorization card are automatically nominated for the Bargaining Committee.
The Bargaining Committee will have nine (9) positions.
Any eligible Union authorization card signatory who wishes to accept the nomination for one of the written nine (9) Bargaining Committee positions listed above must indicate their intention in writing by responding to this email.
The acceptance of nomination for the specified position above must be received no later than 6:00 pm ET on Thursday, June 26, 2025: by email to SVA/FAC-UAW: svafacultyunited.uaw@gmail.com, or by hand delivery to 350 W 31st Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Details about the responsibilities of Bargaining Committee members can be found below.
Candidate Statements
Each candidate may write and submit a candidate statement of no more than 250 words. These statements will be posted on the SVA/FAC-UAW website if the number of candidates exceeds the 9 available positions and an election becomes necessary. Phone number and email address must be included to help contact candidates upon the nominations period closing, but will not be counted toward the 250 words, and will not be publicly posted.
In the event that the number of eligible candidates who accept nomination for the specified position do not exceed the number of open positions (9 positions), such candidates will be deemed elected by acclamation and no election will be held.
If more than nine (9) eligible candidates accept nomination, an election will be conducted with the nine (9) candidates who receive the highest number of votes being elected. All eligible Union supporters [all faculty who have filled out and signed an SVA/FAC-UAW authorization card] are eligible to vote.
The election will take place electronically starting 9am Monday, June 30, 2025, through 9pm Saturday, July 5, 2025.
Members of the bargaining unit who have not done so may fill out an authorization card prior to voting.
In solidarity,
—- Bargaining Committee Responsibilities
The primary responsibility of the Bargaining Committee is to negotiate an initial collective bargaining agreement with the SVA administration’s team. Election to the committee obligates each member to represent and fight for the best possible contract for all members of the bargaining unit.
The committee will be trained and assisted by experienced negotiators from the Union who will also participate in the negotiations with SVA. See below for specific responsibilities.
Develop initial bargaining goals for ratification by union supporters across campus, using surveys, other relevant contracts, membership feedback from other sources, etc.
After ratification of initial bargaining goals, develop contract language proposals with the assistance and guidance of UAW representatives
Attend negotiation sessions
Assess, analyze, and respond to the University’s bargaining proposals and develop union counter proposals.
Keep the membership and allies informed and educated about the negotiations and the process.
Make recommendations to the membership on whether to approve a contract or take other actions (e.g., a vote to authorize the committee to call for strike action, if necessary).
Committee members should assume that the time commitment will be significant. Note that the schedule of bargaining itself is subject to negotiation with the SVA administration’s bargaining team.
On May 20, we won our union election by an overwhelming 77% majority! These results are a strong mandate for bargaining and give us greater power to advocate for improvements as we enter negotiations with the SVA administration. Check out recent media coverage of our exciting win on our Instagram!
Faculty Union Town Hall Saturday, June 14 at 12PM
We will be holding our next Informational Union Town Hall to discuss next steps on Saturday, June 14th at 12pm. Join us to meet with other faculty, discuss next steps as we approach bargaining, and get answers to any questions you may have about our election win.
The more of us who help speak with coworkers, the more we can build strong faculty participation in upcoming phases of our campaign, including voting on our bargaining committee and setting initial bargaining goals based on surveys, town halls, and other sources of feedback. Click here to get more involved in SVAFAC-UAW.
SVA Announces School-Wide Suspension of Retirement Benefit
Since we’ve won our union election, SVA is legally obliged to maintain the status quo or negotiate with us over any proposed changes to our benefits. This announcement represents a deviation from that obligation. We are currently exploring next steps to address this proposed change, including demanding to bargain over these changes.
Please take a moment to share any concerns, feedback, including how this change would impact your experience, on the RSVP form. You can also share your thoughts by contacting us at info@svafacultyunited.org.
Justin Elm, Honors, Art History, VCS On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) just finished counting our election ballots – we are excited to announce that SVA faculty voted by an overwhelming 77% (568 - yes to 167 - no) in favor of SVA Faculty United - UAW as our union.
We will have more information soon regarding next steps in our campaign. For now, we want to thank everyone who participated in our historic election, and the over two years of discussion among hundreds of faculty that lead to this point. Together, we have truly generated an unprecedented conversation around the importance and value of our work as faculty at SVA and beyond.
Join us for a post-count happy hour happening now at Nancy Whiskey Pub(1 Lispenard St, New York, NY 10013) - we hope to see you there!
Faculty have the opportunity to participate in our union vote right now! Remember to mail in your ballot TODAY to ensure your voice is heard. The last day for ballots to be received by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is next Tuesday, May 13.
Every vote counts. The more of us who vote ‘yes’, the more strongly we can advocate for protections and improvements to our working conditions at the bargaining table with the SVA administration. We encourage everyone to participate, and vote ‘yes’!
Our vote count will be held on Tuesday, May 20 at 11AM and we will know the results shortly after. If you have not received a ballot, please reply to this email so we can help troubleshoot.
Let us know if you have any questions. You can find more detailed instructions on mailing back your ballot here. Remember to sign the back of the orange envelope before you send back your ballot!
Best,
Jason Little, Comics On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee
P.S. Want to help spread the word about our vote? Click here to download a poster made by fellow SVA faculty, and share yourself!
We've got an exciting opportunity to shape our future together! We’re in the last week of our election, so please remember to mail in your ballot by May 9th to ensure that your voice is heard. The last day for ballots to be received by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is May 13th, so we recommend that ballots are mailed out by May 9th at the latest. You can follow our Instagram for further updates.
To participate in the vote, follow these instructions (if you have not received a ballot, please reply to this email as soon as possible so we can help troubleshoot):
Mark your ballot.
Place the ballot inside the blue envelope you received in your ballot kit.
Place the blue envelope inside the yellow envelope. Sign the outside of the orange envelope in which the ballot is returned.
We are certain about our colleagues’ ability to make the most informed decision about our own experience at SVA, which is why we openly share and encourage all faculty to review the administration perspective, as well as our analyses, and ask all faculty to vote.
If you have any questions, visit our website or reply to this email and a colleague will be in touch.
Best, Hans Tammen, MFA Computer Arts Lee-Sean Huang, MFA Design for Social Innovation
