Protect international student rights and the quality of SVA!

AND ANOTHER article about our union victory last week, from Anni Irish at The Art Newspaper - www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/23/s...

Another article about our union victory! Thank you Rhea Nayyar and Hyperallergic! hyperallergic.com/1014781/scho...

Great article about our recent union victory, up at Artforum! www.artforum.com/news/faculty...

“We genuinely believe that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions. The more security, stability, and voice we have collectively, the more we can help improve SVA and ensure its strength in the future.” @svafac-uaw.bsky.social hyperallergic.com/1014781/scho...

“What these 2 life-altering years of organising taught me is that a union is not a magical solution that will resolve all work-related grievances but a link of solidarity that will reflect us and be as strong or fragile as we make it." @svafac-uaw.bsky.social www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/23/s...

WE WON OUR UNION by 77% (568 - yes, 167 - no)!! Thanks and congratulations to everyone who made this happen. More on next steps soon!

"Advocating for better working conditions and compensation is a regular part of what we do as working artists. Art institutions--museums and academia alike--need to understand that artists must be paid properly for our creativity, time, energy, expertise, skills, experience, and wisdom.

We’re wrapping up our LAST WEEK of voting for our union! We’re sure our colleagues can make an informed decision about their own experiences at SVA- so we’d like to share and encourage you to review the administration’s perspective, and our analysis and response.

From Thomas Leeb, faculty member with Cal Arts Faculty United - UAW - “I’ve taught at CalArts since 2017, and I know how critical SVA’s efforts are. Every semester, faculty like me face weeks of anxiety waiting for contracts, where a few lost hours can mean financial hardship.

SVA FACULTY, this is our LAST WEEK to vote for our union!! Your ballots must be received by May 13, so send them back as soon as possible. More information at svafacultyunited.org/vote

“I teach one class each semester at SVA, alongside my full-time job as Head of Learning at Codecademy. I recently learned that my class has been canceled for next semester, and possibly for the entire year, due to an administrative error by the Registrar.

“Unionizing as academic workers is about more than just wages or benefits; it's about recognizing the essential role we play in shaping education, and fostering creativity.

From Lydia Nguyen - “I only teach one class because I have a full-time job in book editorial. We all want to devote more time to our students, so I appreciate that other professors fill in the gaps and take on adjunct pay and benefits, which are equivalent of competitive salaried workloads.

SVA faculty! We're voting for our union RIGHT NOW! Your ballots must be received by May 13, so send them back as soon as possible. More information: svafacultyunited.org/vote

Thanks Hyperallergic and SVA faculty member Anthony Hawley for this great article about our unionization effort! SVA's faculty union election is UNDERWAY NOW: Don't forget to send your ballots back by May 9th! hyperallergic.com/1008135/the-...

From Steve DeFrank, here’s how you can request a new ballot for our currently-underway SVA faculty union election, if you haven’t received your ballot yet. Call the NLRB at 212-264-0300 as soon as possible if you haven’t gotten a ballot! Your ballots should be sent back by May 9th to arrive in time.

This is why we’re voting YES! Now more than ever, we know it’s critical to have an organized voice. This is by us, for all of us: WE ARE SVA! Remember to send your ballot back by May 9th! More information at svafacultyunited.org/vote

SVA faculty voting union YES this week! REMINDER: if you haven’t received your ballot in the mail, call (212) 264-0300 by Tuesdsay, April 29 to receive one As Soon As Possible! Ballots need to be mailed by May 9!

From Sonya Abrego at Parsons School of Design- “Organizing our union with the UAW offers the chance to be a part of something bigger- improving the quality of higher education and the conditions for those of us teaching the vast majority of classes at schools such as SVA and Parsons....

Some photos of our colleagues at SVA voting union YES this week! If you haven't received a ballot, call (212) 264-0300 by Tuesdsay, April 29 to receive one and make your voice heard! Ballots need to be mailed by May 9!

From Paula Stuttman at the New School - “I am Part Time Faculty at The New School. When we formed out union, I gained access to health care, a retirement fund, and job security. My salary was no longer decided unilaterally by the administration....

Jason Little walks through how our union election ballots work! SVA teachers, you should have received your ballots by now-- IF NOT, you can call the NLRB to get one. More info at svafacultyunited.org/vote !

Our election for an SVA Faculty Union is UNDERWAY, and we're kicking off our FIRST FULL WEEK of voting for a bigger voice! Send in your selfies with your ballot envelope and help us make noise about our election!! svafacultyunited.org/vote

Thanks to Lee-Sean and SOLIDARITY SALMON for these great thoughts on our currently-underway SVA Faculty Union Election! SEA - Students, Example, Advocacy! More information at svafacultyunited.org/vote

89.6% of surveyed faculty support a contract to protect and expand employee benefits! A majority of faculty signed union cards and also participated in our preliminary bargaining survey. 549 of 613 survey participants marked this item as a priority.

“As an alum from the inaugural class of 2015 and faculty since 2019, I have seen, first-hand, the kind of heart our faculty pour into making something truly special for students. Unfortunately, that work is not always supported in the way it deserves, and leaves us and our community fragmented...

OVERWHELMING support for the right to secure pay for work performed outside the classroom. A majority of faculty signed union cards and also participated in our preliminary bargaining survey. 568 of 613 survey participants marked this item as a priority.

tomorrow! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

“I’m voting yes because the attention, creativity, and experience of our faculty is the most important thing that SVA offers its students. I want that faculty to have an equal footing with the school, so our working conditions can’t be changed unilaterally!” svafacultyunited.org/vote !!!!

OVERWHELMING support for the right to bargain for predictable pay increases that factor in the cost of living in NYC! A majority of faculty signed union cards and also participated in our preliminary bargaining survey. 586 of 613 survey participants marked this item as a priority.

SVA Colleagues! 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 at fellow arts institutions about their own unionization process!

We're excited to join the growing family of unionized arts and academic workers! Keep an eye out for your ballot this week, SVA teachers! svafacultyunited.org/vote

SVA Faculty! Our union election starts THIS WEEK! Ballots are being mailed to you TODAY, and need to be mailed back by May 9 to arrive by May 13. Much more information at svafacultyunited.org/vote

"I'm voting yes because I've worked in animation and higher ed for over 15 years, and I've seen both industries pushed to the edge of collapse by economic precarity, corporate cutbacks, and the exploitation of contingent labor. As evidenced by the WGA and SAG strikes last year...

OUR ELECTION IS COMING UP! Faculty across nearly all departments and disciplines at SVA are encouraging our colleagues to vote "yes" starting April 15th! Read more on why we're excited to establish a bigger faculty voice at SVA at svafacultyunited.org/vote

“I’m voting yes because fair pay, job security, and supportive working conditions are essential for faculty to provide students with the best education possible. Taking a stand also demonstrates to students the importance of knowing your worth and advocating for yourself as a professional."

We’re excited about our upcoming 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 wanted to provide some analysis of SVA's most recent email against forming a union.

From @alexkrokus.bsky.social - “Experienced arts educators do not come from their respective professional arts industry. Experienced arts educators come from years of honing their craft of arts education.

“Unionization has traditionally been the best way possible for workers in any field to improve compensation for their hard work, better their conditions in the workplace, and make their voices heard in terms of how their organizations operate.

"I also teach at several other universities in NYC, and support forming a union to fight for equivalent, if not better, benefits and pay as other schools in the city. If the school wants to do better for its students, faculty should be fairly compensated.

We’ve reached an election agreement with SVA and the National Labor Relations Board: dates for our union election have been scheduled! Starting April 15th, the @NLRB will mail our ballots, and we'll have the opportunity to vote YES for SVA Faculty United - UAW as our union.

Thanks everybody who joined our SVAFAC-UAW town hall last Friday to get answers to questions and next steps on our campaign! We'll be hosting another one on Zoom this Saturday, 3/29 at 12:30. RSVP here - docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

"I feel strong loyalty to SVA, as a longstanding teacher who has never taught anywhere else. That's why I want to work hard to bring democratic representation and collective bargaining to our school, as it is the next logical step in our development as a strong and healthy institution.

“We’re waiting right now for an election date for 900 faculty at the School of Visual Arts.”-Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A Director Hell yeah we are! Check out this morning's interview on WNYC to learn more about the power of organizing: www.wnyc.org/story/local-...

SVA COLLEAGUES! We’ll be hosting two informational faculty town halls on Zoom: Friday, March 21 at 3PM, and Saturday, March 29 at 12:30PM. RSVP here to attend: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

“I also teach at several other universities in NYC, and support forming a union to fight for equivalent, if not better, benefits and pay as other schools in the city. If the school wants to do better for its students, faculty should be fairly compensated.

We're excited to announce that on Friday, we filed our petition with the @nlrbgov.bsky.social for an election! CONGRATULATIONS on this important milestone in our campaign!! Now, we’re one step closer to having the opportunity to vote on forming our union.

Exciting update! Yesterday, we delivered a letter to the SVA administration informing them of our hope to establish a constructive dialogue, and urged that SVA not engage in any attempts to delay our right to a fair and timely vote on unionization in the future.

"As a member of Actors Equity Association, the actor’s union, I have first hand knowledge of the importance of having a union and the power of organizing. Only by uniting with our colleagues can we effectively negotiate with employers for the things all workers need –