RSVP for a Town Hall discussion on our next steps towards collective bargaining

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

On May 29, with no prior notice, the SVA administration announced their intention to suspend 401(k) employer matching contributions as part of the retirement benefits for all employees. Attached is an overview of the changes SVA plans to implement effective July 1, 2025, which was sent to all faculty and staff. 

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!

Thank you,

SVA Faculty United - UAW Organizing Committee

P.S. Follow more updates on our Instagram here.

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’! 

Helpful links:

• Some of the reasons SVA faculty are voting YES
• Our Frequently Asked Questions page
• Coverage of our campaign in Hyperallergic 
• More faculty voices on our Instagram 

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. 

Don’t miss your chance to vote! Click here to watch a short video from colleagues across SVA on why we are voting yes. 

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):

1. Mark your ballot.
2. Place the ballot inside the blue envelope you received in your ballot kit.
3. Place the blue envelope inside the yellow envelope. Sign the outside of the orange envelope in which the ballot is returned. 
4. Mail the ballot - no postage required!

Faculty across SVA voting ‘yes’ this week!

Throughout our campaign, we have encouraged our colleagues to vote ‘yes’ in favor of collective bargaining. The SVA administration has shared their opinion and urged faculty to vote ‘no’.

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

On behalf of SVA-FAC UAW Organizing Committee 

P.S. Our campaign got a shoutout in Hyperallergic! Read the recent coverage here.

This is an important reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday April 29, is the final day to request a new ballot from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to vote in our union election. If you have not yet received your ballot, please call (212) 264 0300 to ensure you will be able to participate. Click here for more info on how to request a ballot!

The election is being conducted by U.S. mail. To participate once you have received your ballot, follow these instructions below:

1. Mark your ballot. 
2. Voters must sign the outside of the envelope in which the ballot is returned.
3. After signing the back, put in the mail! No postage is required.

The SVA administration has continued to discourage faculty from voting ‘yes’. You can find our response to their most recent communication on our website here. Additionally, watch our short video to learn more why many of us are excited to vote for a bigger voice at SVA!

To learn more about our vote, and answers to any questions, visit our website or reply to this email and an organizer will reach out. 

Best,

Justin Elm; Art History, Visual & Critical Studies, Honors
On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee

Our first full week of voting on our union is wrapping up! Follow our Instagram to see why many faculty across SVA are voting “yes” this week.

Have you received your ballot yet? If not, this is an important reminder that you have until 5pm this coming Tuesday, April 29th to request a ballot from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 

If you have not received a ballot yet, please call the NLRB at (212)-264 0300; or you can call the labor board agent directly at (212) 776-8645.

The number will likely go to voicemail, but leaving a message is all that is required to have a new ballot sent. Simply state your name, that you are a faculty member participating in the School of Visual Arts vote, and your correct address. The NLRB will only call you back if they have questions regarding your request. 

If you have any additional questions, you can visit our website and FAQ page. You can also see our running responses to some of the SVA administration’s most recent communications here. 

Merlin Ural Rivera, Humanities & Sciences
On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee

We are writing to remind you of our fourth faculty union Town Hall this Saturday, April 19th at 12:30PM on zoom. Join us to meet fellow faculty from across SVA, get answers to questions, and hear from unionized colleagues from Parsons and CalArts about their own unionization process. Please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect, and to receive the zoom link in advance of the meeting.

Our ballots have been mailed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as of yesterday, April 15th! Faculty should keep an eye out for ballots the next couple days. For more information on our ongoing union election you can visit our website, and FAQ page, and follow us on Instagram.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts. 

Mike Cavallaro, BFA Comics
On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee

Exhilarating week ahead! Our election fast approaches, and ballots will be popping in your mailboxes soon. Faculty from across a wide number of departments have signed an open letter encouraging our colleagues to join us in voting “YES” for SVA Faculty United-UAW as our union. Click here to read the letter explaining how we believe voting yes will help us build a stronger SVA.

As we continue our work to ensure that all faculty can make an informed decision on unionization, we will hold a third informational faculty town hall on Saturday, April 19th at 12:30pm over zoom that everyone is invited to attend. Join us to meet with other faculty, hear from unionized colleagues at other institutions, and get answers to any questions about our upcoming vote. Click here to register for our virtual town hall. 

You can find more information on our upcoming vote, including why we’re voting “yes”, on our website here.

Best,

Justin Elm, Art History, Visual & Critical Studies, Honors
On behalf of SVAFAC-UAW Organizing Committee

We are excited for our rapidly approaching vote on faculty unionization at SVA! Given the importance of this election, and with the administration intensifying its effort to encourage us to vote no, we will provide ongoing and responsive information as we want to ensure all faculty can make an informed decision. For more information on why we’re voting yes to establish a stronger faculty voice at SVA, click here. 

We also wanted to provide some analysis of the administration’s most recent email against unionization. You can also read more information on our FAQ page here. 

We will be communicating additional information as we approach our vote, but we hope you take the opportunity to keep informed in other ways as well so you get ready to participate in this historic election. Our numerous faculty union town halls have fielded wide ranging questions from faculty and provided energetic discussion on reasons we are forming a union. We will keep you posted on additional upcoming events, and also invite you to read the FAQ on our website. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at svafacultyunited.uaw@gmail.com. You can also follow our Instagram, Twitter, and Bluesky (@svafac_uaw) for more information. 

Best,

Jason Little, BFA Comics
on behalf of SVA/FAC-UAW Organizing Committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to remind you of our next faculty union Town Hall this Saturday, March 29th at 12:30PM on zoom. Meet fellow faculty from across SVA, get answers to questions about the unionization process, and discuss next steps in our campaign, including our upcoming vote. Please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect, and to receive the zoom link in advance of the meeting.

SVA faculty gathered on zoom last Friday for another union town hall!

In the past week, we’ve also seen some exhilarating updates on the wave of academic and arts workers organizing across the country: faculty and staff at California Institute of the Arts voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionization by a 92% margin. We are excited to take the next steps and soon have the opportunity to vote on our union, so we can bargain as equals with SVA and join well over 100,000 other teachers, researchers, and other academic workers in the UAW. Our upcoming election is currently one of the largest for academic workers nationally; now it’s time to demonstrate that a democratic voice matters, and workers have power! 

Our election will be a mail-in ballot. You can read the full election agreement from the NLRB here – please take note of these important dates:

• Ballots sent out Tuesday, April 15th
• Ballots due Tuesday, May 13th

You are eligible to vote and will receive a ballot if:

• You have taught at least one course in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025; or;
• You have taught at least one course in at least two of the following time periods:
  • 2022-2023 (Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023)
  • 2023-2024 (Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024)

Finally, yesterday, the SVA administration sent an email to faculty about our campaign. SVA expressed a clear preference that we vote “No” on unionization. While this is disappointing, it’s not surprising, given many U.S. employers attempt to convince employees to vote against organizing a union. You can find additional information about the steps we’ve taken in our unionization process, and other common questions, on our website. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts. 

Best,

Joan Hilty, BFA Comics
On behalf of SVA-FAC UAW Organizing Committee