Contractual step increases
CUNY has announced that the 2% across-the-board raises scheduled for November 20, 2020 will be paid by October 7, 2021 at senior colleges and by October 15, 2021 at community colleges. Retroactive pay for adjuncts has been complicated because CUNY initially applied the 2% increase to Fall 2020 pay rates, then rescinded the increase when it decided to withhold the 2% increase for everyone in the bargaining unit. Adjuncts will receive retroactive pay from the first pay date of the 2021 Spring semester when CUNY rescinded the 2% increase.
As well, please note that July 1, 2021 is the date on which eligible adjuncts should have received a step increase. If you were eligible for a step increase from that date, please review your paystub and contact your human resources office to ensure that it was implemented. (See eligibility conditions below.*)
RISING WAGES
Salaries of teaching adjuncts increased significantly in the last round of contract negotiations, raising minimum adjunct pay by more than 70% by the Fall 2022 semester: a minimum of $5,500 per three-credit course and $6,875 per four-credit course. These increases were made possible by moving teaching adjuncts to single rates, effective August 25, 2022, rather than applying the final 2% increase on November 1, 2022:
- Adjunct Lecturer: $91.67 per hour
- Adjunct Assistant Professor: $100.00 per hour
- Adjunct Associate Professor: $108.33 per hour
- Adjunct Professor: $112.50 per hour.
Because teaching adjuncts on the top three steps of the Adjunct Professor title and the top step of the Adjunct Lecturer, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Adjunct Associate Professor titles will be paid at a higher hourly rate than the new single rate effective August 25, 2022, these teaching adjuncts will be held harmless and will receive the final 2% raise on November 1, 2022, instead of receiving the single rate for their title. For those of you on those steps, the PSC and CUNY agreed to “red circle” your rate of pay. Your pay will continue to be calculated based on the number of hours worked, including office hours, multiplied by your red-circled hourly rate. Collectively we fought hard for every part of this provision, and we want to ensure that those who should advance a red-circled step by August 25, 2022 are moved correctly.
Because CUNY delayed the 2% across-the-board salary increase that was scheduled for November 15, 2020, the current steps from which eligible adjuncts should receive their increases appear in the October 2019 column of the salary schedule. For example, if you are an Adjunct Lecturer on the second salary step, your current hourly rate is $77.45. If you meet the criteria above, your hourly rate will increase to $80.59 on July 1. You should submit a request to both your department and your campus HR office to ensure your salary is increased to the appropriate rate, effective July 1.
Adjuncts can check the salary schedules to determine their appropriate salary step.
*According to Article 24.2 (b) of our contract: “An Adjunct in a teaching or non-teaching title who on July 1, shall have served six semesters University-wide over a period of the preceding three years and who has not received a movement within schedule during that period shall receive a movement within schedule to the next higher dollar amount.”
