A new American Federation of Teachers survey documents the struggles contingent faculty face, including a lack of healthcare benefits and job security. More than a quarter of adjunct faculty report annual earnings under $26,500, which is below the federal poverty line for a family of four. That’s according to survey data released October by American Federation of Teachers, a major union which represents 300,000 higher education workers. Many contingent faculty also lack access to employer benefits and have little, if any, job security, the survey found. For most, employment is only guaranteed for a term or semester at a time, the survey found. Among respondents who had been terminated for nonperformance reasons, almost 41% received less than a week’s notice.
