One of the more talked about resolutions passed by the biennial AFT Convention this July was Resolution 15, which calls for AFT to support City University of New York adjuncts in their quest to achieve through “actions, demonstrations, and advocacy,” a minimum of $7,000 per three-credit class.

The resolution, which passed with resounding support and no opposition, also supports this minimum in “all other AFT locals’ campaigns for fair adjunct pay.”

Currently, CUNY adjuncts average $3,222 per three-credit course, which including preparation, grading, and contact hours, as the resolution asserts, can amount to barely $15 an hour, a number reminiscent of the “Fight for 15” aspirational wage goal of fast food workers. Unlike CUNY adjuncts, these workers are not required, or expected to have masters degrees or doctorates to work.

However, like the 15 in the “Fight for 15” campaign, the resolution’s call for $7,000 per three-credit course is also seen as an aspirational goal, one intended to serve as a rallying cry from CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress in its quest for adjunct pay equity.