Dear Fellow Adjuncts,

Last week, you joined together in voting to ratify a new contract, one more act of solidarity that testifies to the collective strength that we’ve built since you first began to share your bargaining priorities in Fall 2024. Though the negotiations have been long, grueling, and full of uncertainty, in the end we were victorious. Together, we secured new improvements to the contract and, perhaps more importantly, we protected the hard-won accomplishments of the past from an administration that was willing to use even unlawful means to disrupt and eliminate our limited provisions for stability and support.

In pursuing those achievements, we learned lessons that are important to carry with us as we confront the ongoing challenges that PSU faces.

It’s become clear that President Ann Cudd’s administration is a major threat to the future of this university. In pursuit of a self-destructive austerity agenda, President Cudd and her top leadership have exercised power in ways that have destroyed trust and undermined confidence among faculty, staff, students, and the community.

Adjuncts saw this pattern first-hand when, in the midst of our contract negotiations, the administration arbitrarily and illegally cut off the benefits funds, including the Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund (AFAF) that provides hardship support to our colleagues at their most vulnerable moments. I will never forget the sadness, disappointment, and anger felt across our membership as we collectively witnessed this administration inflict pain on our fellow adjuncts as a purposeful strategy. Withholding hardship resources not only hurt the particular adjuncts who needed those funds, it also violated the symbolic importance of AFAF as a small but meaningful acknowledgement of the unjust working conditions that adjunct faculty endure. This was the most egregious act in a long list of unlawful and unethical tactics sanctioned by President Cudd, as her top administrators and lawyers violated contracts, committed multiple unfair labor practices (1, 2), wasted precious resources on attorneys fees and court-ordered remedies, and cultivated a general environment of hostility for campus workers who provide the education and support that PSU’s students need.

What I will also never forget is the feeling of solidarity and shared purpose that allowed us to fight back. Together, we were able to win raises and back pay and enforceable acknowledgement of our academic freedom safeguards, and we were able save our job security protections and preserve the sacred trust of the Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund. That was only possible because of the participation and solidarity of you and your fellow adjuncts.

I’ve had the privilege of serving on a bargaining team, a contract action team, and an executive council alongside some of the most passionate and committed members of the faculty here at PSU. I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to connect with the many accomplished and devoted adjuncts who took time out of their demanding schedules to march in rallies, attend strike schools, participate in phone banks, visit classrooms, knock on doors, and step up in countless other ways to support our union. These actions provided a constant reminder that we are part of a vast network of adjunct faculty members who, day in and day out, provide so much of the labor, expertise, curiosity, and creativity that allow this institution to thrive. Working and fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our full-time faculty, staff, and student worker allies across campus, it’s clear that we have the collective power that we need to stop President Cudd’s disastrous agenda and to prevent any other future administration from exploiting our vulnerability for their gain.

The success of our contract campaign has been indelibly tied to the university’s fate at this uncertain moment in its history. Portland State University cannot survive as an institution as long as the administration continues its unlawful and unrepentant assault against the people who directly serve its student population. The contract we won represents more than just the particular provisions enshrined within its articles. It represents what is possible when we stand up and fight back together.

What you can do now:

  • Join PSUFA to become a dues-paying member, signaling your solidarity with your fellow adjuncts and supporting the work that helped us win a new contract.

  • Participate in next week’s membership drive, inviting your fellow adjuncts to join PSUFA. Email organizing@psufa.org to sign up to do a classroom visit or to take part in other forms of outreach.

  • Attend the PSUFA Contract Ratification Party on Friday, June 5th, 5:00–7:00 pm at the Zipper Building (2705 NE Sandy Blvd.) for solidarity, celebration, and cake.

Yours in solidarity,

Jacob Tootalian
PSUFA Chair of Political Action & Bargaining Team Member