On Monday, members of the bargaining committee and faculty observers joined the SVA administration for our fifth bargaining session. Watch Bargaining Committee member Billy Altman (BFA Humanities) and faculty member S.J. Langer (MPS Art Therapy) summarize our progress here!

During this session, the committee presented two counterproposals: Grievance and Arbitration and Union Management Committee. We reiterated why the timeline in our Grievance and Arbitration proposal matters, emphasizing that faculty should have the fullest possible opportunity to raise and resolve concerns at each step of the process. We also asked follow-up questions regarding Employment Records and requested that the administration bring a response to our initial proposal.

The SVA administration presented counterproposals on Union Security, Bulletins and Postings, Academic Freedom, Bargaining Unit Information, Health and Safety, Generative AI, Meeting Space, and Discipline and Discharge. Building on discussions from previous sessions, we’ve made meaningful progress and are close to reaching tentative agreements on several of these articles. A few items still need more conversation, and we’re confident we can work through the remaining questions together in the coming sessions.

We also want to note the broader momentum for faculty unionization across the city. Most recently, workers at The Metropolitan Museum of Art voted in favor of forming their union, joining a growing number of cultural and educational workers organizing for a stronger voice on the job. These wins underscore the importance of the work we are doing together at SVA.

Our next bargaining session will take place Monday, February 9th at 4:00pm. We strongly encourage faculty to attend as observers and to invite a colleague to join you. Faculty presence at the table continues to be an important show of support as we negotiate our first contract.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or feedback.

Justin Elm
VCS, Art History, Honors
On behalf of SVA/FAC-UAW Bargaining Committee