To the students and their parents at the School of Cinematic Arts:

Last semester, in response to long-standing poor working conditions at SCA, the adjunct faculty voted to unionize with a 94% “yes” vote. We began negotiations with the administration in April in hopes of agreeing to a new contract before the start of the fall semester — our stated goal was to avoid any negative impact on students.

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Unfortunately, the administration has not shared our sense of urgency. We want you to be informed about the untenable position we now find ourselves in and how USC’s actions may affect the student experience this fall and beyond.

Here is a little background to our dispute: averaging all our divisions, adjuncts carry the brunt of teaching coursework at SCA and make up over 70% of the total faculty, according to data from the Fall 2023 semester. This coursework ranges from first-year introductory classes and lectures to advanced, graduate-level thesis seminars. 

Our standards for excellence are the highest: not only are we accomplished working artists with extensive industry experience, but we are also skilled educators who know how to effectively share our knowledge in the classroom and guide students to do their best work. We are passionate about what we do, both in the dynamic Hollywood landscape and here at USC.

In exchange for this high level of excellence, USC pays some of the worst wages in the industry. Among the top 10 film schools in the country, in which we consistently rank first, our wages are the absolute lowest. That’s right — rock bottom. Incredibly, despite USC’s estimated $95,225 average yearly cost of attendance that you pay, our wages are also lower than those at Los Angeles City College and many other community colleges in the area. In contrast, the estimated cost of attendance for an out-of-state student at LACC is $43,791.

To add insult to injury, USC has recently instituted a one-class policy that has stripped second classes from many adjuncts, thus making them ineligible for health insurance. The consequences to our faculty have been devastating: within the last nine months, multiple professors unexpectedly lost health insurance and have suffered life-changing health outcomes before their coverage could be replaced.

Health insurance should be an easy get — after all, USC owns the massive Keck medical complex and employees pay insurance premiums to get care there. But on this issue, the administration refuses to budge. This creates a paradox: if we faculty can’t get our needs met, where is our authority to mentor students in an industry known for being cutthroat?

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for Aug. 29 — 128 days since negotiations began. The administration has so far failed to meaningfully address our principal concerns about wages, healthcare, promotions and stability in appointments. While we have made progress on important but secondary issues — things like office space, a grievance process and travel reimbursements — the administration has been unresponsive to or not moved far on our top issues. In the timespan of 120 days, our faculty members can write, revise and polish screenplays, and shoot and edit entire films. Clearly, USC could have worked to agree to a contract before the start of fall semester but has chosen not to do that.

USC has strived mightily to achieve its standing as a world-class institution that prioritizes the education and well-being of its students. We believe it cannot lay claim to that reputation without also prioritizing the well-being of the faculty who do the lion’s share of the teaching. That means paying its adjuncts a living wage, providing health insurance, offering reasonable job security, and negotiating honestly and expeditiously with our bargaining team so we may all get back to the work we were hired for.

The Adjunct Faculty Alliance

Peter Gamble Robinson, John Wells Writing Division and SCA Alum

Bonnie Garvin, John Wells Writing Division 

Dara Resnik, Peter Stark Producing Program and SCA Alum

Jeremy Royce, Film and Television Production Division and SCA Alum