The new unionists, about 179 adjuncts, voted 96 to 10 last May to join the Northern Federation of Educational Employees.

Among the most compelling issues pushing these part-timers toward the union was salary. Tim Krone, NFEE president, says adjuncts make a half to a third as much per credit hour as full-time faculty. Plus, they have no health benefits, the other primary issue to be addressed through the union.

“Benefits, that sort of thing, would be nice,” says adjunct and organizer Lou Schiano. “It’s the fairness of it. That’s really what motivates me—the attempt to bring some equity, some fairness to our pay.”

Krone says the organizing committee made sure to canvass the larger campuses of the community college on Saturdays, finding potential members to tell them how the AFT could make a difference in their workplace. The committee sent out an informational letter enclosed with paychecks, and set up a telephone tree to get the word out further.

The committee also made appeals to adjuncts who were ambivalent about the union, many of whom hold full-time jobs off campus. “We have a core of people who teach 12 credits or more per semester,” says Krone. “This really is most of their income and in some cases all of their income.” Pointing that out to adjuncts who were noncommittal about joining the union because of their own, more comfortable, situations made all the difference in pulling in votes for the union.

Schiano and others recognize that state budget constraints may play a heavy hand in continuing to control salaries but, he adds, “We all believe that the one sure way of making forward steps is through the union.”

The NFEE victory comes against a backdrop of significant successes for New Mexico labor. This year, in addition to the adjuncts at Northern New Mexico Community College, AFT New Mexico prevailed in the face of district opposition to gain certification on May 3 for the Gadsden Federation of Teachers, a wall-to-wall local of teachers, classifieds and paraprofessionals.

Driven by a desire to make school bus transportation even safer, the AFT and some of its affiliates that represent transportation workers conducted a “Stop for the Bus” campaign to coincide with the beginning of the new school year. The rest of the campaign’s motto: “Our kids are worth the wait.” With that in mind, one of the campaign-related fliers included a set of reminders for drivers: Look for flashing red lights and the extended stop arm; stop for buses that are loading or unloading students; wait until children have safely reached the curb or sidewalk; and know your state law.

The campaign was a way for AFT locals not only to highlight the training and professionalism of their members and their concern for bus safety but also to get some positive publicity in the community. In Florida, for example, the Madison County Education Association worked with the school district to distribute a flier on students and bus safety. The union had previously paid for ads in the local paper in conjunction with National School Bus Safety Week. In Utah—where the campaign was endorsed by many local police departments— drivers and bus assistants from AFT locals in Davis and Salt Lake City delivered posters about the campaign to stores and gas stations near their stops. In New York, the New Hartford Employees Union placed “Stop for the Bus” posters—with the local’s named at the bottom—throughout the community. Other AFT locals also used materials prepared by the PSRP division and solicited support from local partners and sponsors.

The idea for a public awareness campaign came from a meeting earlier this year of the AFT’s transportation workers task force, which included union leaders and activists from around the country. They noticed an increase in the number of motorists who were passing stopped school buses, which is probably the leading cause of accidents and injuries to students.

The AFT’s Web site includes information on the laws in every state regarding passing school buses. Go to www.aft.org/psrp/stopforthebus.htm to find the rules in your state.