At New York University (NYU), contingent instructors known as “contract faculty” make up about half of the school’s full-time instructors. Unlike most other academic workers at NYU, these instructors are not yet unionized — but on January 3, contract faculty reached an agreement with the university to hold a union election.

The faculty, who are seeking to organize with the United Auto Workers, say they have majority support for their effort. In the wake of the agreement, Jacobin staff writer Alex N. Press and contributor Sara Wexler spoke with three NYU contract faculty to talk about their organizing drive and what they hope to achieve with a first contract.