ACT-UAW Local 7902
On Campus Since 2005
Employees Represented: 2,600
Work Group: Part-time faculty except those teaching
at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music
Current Contract: Runs to August 31, 2019
All employees who either belong in this union or supervise such employees must thoroughly review the contract between the university and Local 7902.
The COVID-19 Recovery Plan agreed to by the university and Local 7902 will be in effect through academic year 2020-2021, and
may be extended through academic year 2021-2022, as outlined in the plan. Please see here for the 2021-2022 extension.
As outlined in the university's COVD-19 Community Guidelines, all community members including students, faculty, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated. Please review the side letter signed by UAW regarding the university's vaccination requirement.
New Faculty Orientation
All new or rehired part-time faculty members who have not previously attended an orientation are required to attend one.
Spring 2023 Orientation
The event details are as follows:
Event: New Faculty Orientation
Date: Friday, January 20, 9:30-11:30 am ET
Session will be held via Zoom
Please RSVP here.
Please read the Guide for New Part-Time Faculty. For additional information on teaching online, please review the Guide to Online Teaching and Learning.
You should have the following tasks completed before your first day of class. Below is a short checklist to help you manage your administrative priorities.
Orientation Checklist
- Get your Banner ID number from your division representative
- Obtain a university photo ID (newcard). Contact your department or dean's office if you need help with this
- Access your MyDay account
- Access Canvas
- Access your New School email
Required Online Tutorials
All new hires are required to complete the following online tutorials: Part-Time Faculty Policies, Sexual Harassment Prevention, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
The Part-Time Faculty Policies Online Tutorial is designed to provide general university policies and procedures to all part-time faculty members of The New School. Part-time faculty at The New School bargain collectively through Academics Come Together,
ACT-UAW, Local 7902, and the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802. The Local 7902 contract and the Local 802 contract are available for download. Part-time faculty members are required to complete this and other online training programs. The New School reserves the right to add, change, and revoke policies and content
at any time without notice. Furthermore, these policies and the tutorial are not to be construed as a contract.
To successfully complete this tutorial, you must have your Banner ID or N number and a New School email address. If you do not have a Banner ID or a New School email address, please contact your school representative right away about obtaining these.
Check your university email frequently for important announcements and updates.
Orientation Resources
Paid Academic Leave
Part-time assistant and part-time associate teaching professors with annual, multiyear, or grandparented status who have not received a paid academic leave during a six-year period before applying for a paid
academic leave are eligible for paid academic leave. A paid academic leave is for one semester. A maximum of 50 faculty members will be given paid academic leaves per academic year. Of these, not more than 50 percent will be granted to part-time
assistant professors. Part-time faculty members who have questions about this policy or any other leave of absence should email Arlene De La Rosa at
[email protected].
What is the purpose of an Article XVIII paid academic leave?
Paid academic leaves are provided so that eligible part-time faculty can pursue professional or academic research projects.
How do I request paid academic leave?
To apply, an eligible part-time faculty member must complete an Article XVIII Paid Academic Leave Form and submit the completed form to Arlene De La Rosa at [email protected] in Human Resources according to the timeline outlined below. Electronic submissions are preferable.
When should I request paid academic leave?
The deadline to apply for a paid academic leave for academic year 2023-2024 is Monday, February 28, 2023.
When and how will I know if my paid academic leave request has been granted or denied?
The Office of Human Resources will send an email to the faculty member's New School email account informing the faculty member whether their
request for leave has been granted or denied.
How does the university decide whether to grant or deny a paid academic leave request?
Paid academic leaves are granted based on seniority and weighted by school. In a department/program of fewer than ten faculty members, one faculty
member will be eligible for paid academic leave in any given semester. In a department/program of more than ten faculty members, no more than 10 percent of the faculty in the department/program will be eligible to receive a paid academic leave in
any semester.
Can I maintain my New School benefits while on paid academic leave?
Yes. If the faculty member elects not to discontinue their health and/or dental care insurance coverage while on leave, deductions for the employee's share of the
premiums will continue to be taken from the faculty member's pay during the period of the leave.
Can I apply for a paid leave in the summer?
Faculty members with summer base loads may apply for paid academic leave in the summer. The procedure to apply is the same as that described above.
What are my obligations upon return from paid academic leave?
Part-time faculty members must return to teaching at the university in the semester following the period of paid academic leave and submit a one-page report to the Office
of Human Resources giving evidence of the academic work accomplished while on leave. A faculty member may be asked to give a more detailed presentation on their project at the discretion of the university.
What will my compensation be while I'm on paid academic leave?
The New School will pay a part-time faculty member on paid academic leave the same pay that the faculty member received from the university in the same semester during the previous
academic year plus any applicable across-the-board increase.
Unpaid Leave
All part-time faculty members are eligible for unpaid leaves for any of the following reasons:
- Childcare: The university will not respond unreasonably to requests for unpaid leaves of absence of less than a full semester for the purpose of caring for a newborn or newly adopted child or for the care of a child with an emergency medical condition.
The part-time faculty will provide their supervisor with as much notice as possible of such situations, and the supervisor will make reasonable attempts in such cases to accommodate requests for leaves of absence of less than a full semester.
If the supervisor is unable to grant a request for leave for less than a full semester, the faculty member will receive authorization for a full semester of unpaid leave.
- An emergency.
- Any other reason required by law.
Annual, multi-year, and grandparented part-time faculty may apply for a leave for the reasons listed above and for any other reason. The university has sole discretion to grant a leave and will do so in accordance with applicable law.
A leave cannot exceed one year, except if the law requires the leave to extend beyond one year.
Any part-time faculty member seeking a leave because of a personal
or family medical condition should contact Human Resources directly and should not seek approval for such a leave from his or her Chair, Director, or Dean's Office.
Part-time faculty with questions about this or any other leave should email Arlene De La Rosa at
[email protected].
How does an annual, multi-year, or grandparented part-time faculty member request an Article XVII unpaid leave for a reason other than a medical condition?
These requests must be made in writing and describe the nature of
and reason(s) for the leave request and the proposed duration of the
leave. To do this, a part-time faculty member must send an email to Arlene De La Rosa at [email protected] or [email protected]
An annual, multi-year, or grandfathered part-time faculty member
seeking a leave involving a medical condition should email Arlene De La
Rosa at
[email protected].
How does the chair or director decide whether to deny or grant the request?
Human Resources will consult with the Dean's Office and, in
consultation with the Dean's Office, will grant or deny the leave
request. The university will consider all pertinent factors, including
the university's needs and the timing of the request.
How can I find out whether my request has been granted or denied?
The Office of Human Resources will send the part-time faculty member a
letter or an email (to the part-time faculty's New School email account)
confirming that the leave has been granted and the start and end dates
of the leave or indicating that the leave has been denied.
Can I maintain my benefits while on an approved unpaid leave?
Yes. If the request for a leave is approved, the Office of Human
Resources will contact the faculty member to make arrangements necessary
for the faculty member's health and dental benefits to continue during
the leave. The employee must pay the university directly for his or her
benefits, since there will be no pay and therefore no payroll deductions
during the leave.
Do I maintain seniority while on an approved unpaid leave?
Yes. However, seniority does not accrue during the period of the leave.
What happens when I returns from an approved unpaid leave?
The part-time faculty member resumes their annual or multi-year
appointment. The period of leave counts as part of the part-time
faculty member's appointment period; it does not extend the appointment.
Upon return from an Article XVII leave, the university must offer an
assignment equal to the number of course hours taught just before the
leave and must make its best effort to assign the part-time faculty
member to the courses previously taught with the same proportion of
required courses. If the part-time faculty member received an
appointment letter before requesting and being granted a leave, the
university must offer them the same number of courses that was
assigned to them in the appointment letter, even if that number of
courses exceeds the part-time faculty member's baseload. If they
requested and were granted an unpaid leave before they were given an
appointment letter, the university is obligated to offer the
part-time faculty member an assignment equal to their baseload.
Whether the part-time faculty member is pre-appointment or post-appointment, the university must make
its best effort to assign the part-time faculty member to the courses
previously taught with the same proportion of required courses. If
insufficient courses are available, the university will pay the
part-time faculty member the appropriate contractual remedies.