More than 100 full-time educators at Tufts University in Medford will go on strike Monday after almost a year of unsuccessful contract negotiations.
The university and its lecturers are at odds over fair wages, a cost-of-living adjustment and sustainable workloads, according to the Service Employees International Union (SEUI) Local 509 union representing the educators.
There are 121 lecturers at the university’s School of Arts & Sciences represented by the union, who authorized the strike by a 94% vote in favor.
The walk-out is set to last for two days. A rally will be held on the first day, Jan. 27, at the Mayer Campus Center at 10 a.m., where the picket line will also stand until the end of the day on Jan. 28.
Classes, lectures and labs usually held by the full-time lecturers will not be conducted on those days, a spokesperson for Tufts University said. However, classes will still be held by faculty who are tenured, part-time, graduate teaching assistants or professors of the practice.
The strike comes after 10 months of failed discussions, the union said. The lecturers’ salaries are “below 80% of the area’s median income, making them some of the lowest-paid faculty among their peer institutions,” the union wrote in its statement.
The unionized workers demands are a 3.5% annual raise along with a cost-of-living adjustment to ensure their compensation “reflects the rising cost of living in the Boston area.” Additionally, they ask for a reduced workload “to ensure quality education for students,” the union stated.
Tufts University said it has a “compensation and merit increase philosophy” for its faculty and staff salaries. This philosophy pays attention to the “relevant external market and internal equity, among other factors,” the spokesperson said.
“We look forward to continuing to work with SEIU to arrive at an agreement,” the university’s statement read.
