Adjunct faculty at Hamline University ratify first contract

Adjunct faculty members at Hamline University in St. Paul have overwhelmingly approved their first contract since forming a union.

Base pay for the approximately 200 covered instructors will rise by 20 to 30 percent over two years.

The Service Employees International Union says more than 95 percent of those voting on Friday approved the contract.

In 2014, adjuncts at Hamline became the first in Minnesota to vote to unionize as part of a national campaign by the SEIU. The union is also trying to organize around 2,500 University of Minnesota Twin Cities faculty, including tenure-track professors and adjuncts.

Typically, adjuncts are paid less than tenured professors with few if any benefits. The use of adjuncts has greatly expanded in recent years as colleges and universities have sought to limit expenses.