A faculty union can advance all our priorities — that’s what the evidence shows

Dear colleagues,

We’re excited that our union election is underway. Together, we have a historic chance to gain a stronger voice so we can make meaningful improvements to our working conditions.

The administration has engaged in an aggressive push to get us to vote no. Their campaign is based heavily on speculation, rather than real information grounded in the empirical experience of thousands of unionized faculty across the U.S. who have already organized with UAW. None of this is a surprise. USC has opposed our right to form a union since the majority of us filed for an election in December 2024. Now, a small number of faculty are reiterating the Provost’s arguments.

We are voting yes because shared governance without collective bargaining means USC can and does make unilateral changes to our employment. In recent years, the administration cut tuition assistance benefits, paused retirement contributions, raised healthcare costs, and froze merit-based raises. With a union, USC would, for the first time ever, have a legal obligation to negotiate with us over our pay, benefits and working conditions.

USC claims we don’t need a union because we already have a voice through shared governance, and because one union contract couldn’t possibly represent the needs of faculty across 22 schools. However, we know that other groups just as diverse as ours have successfully won contracts with huge improvements for everyone. Crucially, these contracts also prioritize and protect specific working conditions unique to various schools and departments, meaning a contract is not “one size fits all” but rather can smartly accommodate our different needs.

Make no mistake: our size and our diversity are strengths. By coming together across titles and disciplines, we have the power to make the improvements that we can’t make alone. Like our faculty colleagues at NYU, who just won (minimum) $14,000 pay increases for each member of their bargaining unit, we too can win a life-changing contract.

Finally, USC also claims they may not be able to grant raises or promotions until a contract is reached; faculty at NYU reached agreements in both academic years of bargaining (2025 and 2026) to preserve both.

If we unionize, we have the power to bargain for a contract that balances flexibility with contractual security. We have a historic opportunity to usher in a new system where we claim a real voice for ourselves, at the bargaining table. We are excited to take it.

Signed,

Kate Levin, Dornsife

Sean Kennedy, Annenberg

Rob Parke, Viterbi

On behalf of the UF-UAW Organizing Committee

Morning, Trojan publishes opinions from across the USC community.