LOWELL — UMass Lowell adjunct faculty members are still without a new contract, unable to reach an agreement with the university over the appropriate pay and the establishment of benefits.

The relatively new Union of Adjunct Faculty has called for pay parity with its UMass Amherst and UMass Boston peers.

Lowell adjuncts are also fighting for benefits that are already offered to part-time faculty at UMass Amherst and UMass Boston who teach at least two three-credit courses.

As negotiations hit the one-year mark, the union has garnered the support of the Massachusetts Society of Professors Lowell union and adjuncts from UMass Amherst and UMass Boston, according to UAF communications director Tess George.

“Some adjunct faculty members teach an entire course just to pay for health benefits,” George said. “The difference in tuition at those campuses doesn’t reflect the difference in pay for the adjunct faculty. We are asking for equal pay for equal work.”

The group has rallied for those demands at the UMass Club in Boston and at UMass Lowell.

It has also collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition calling on UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney to offer compensation and benefits that are on par with other UMass campuses, according to the union.

The union argues that UMass Lowell adjuncts get paid 18 percent to 34 percent less than those at UMass Amherst and UMass Boston.

Entry-level part-time lecturers at both of those campuses earn $6,500 per course, while rates for nonsenior UMass Lowell adjuncts without the highest degree in their field can range from $4,439 to $5,549 per three-credit course, according to the university.

Rates for senior adjuncts with the highest degree range from $5,383 to $6,603.

UMass Lowell spokesman Jeff Cournoyer argued that UML rates are competitive with other UMass campuses and colleges in the region.

“The union, to date, has rejected university proposals that would increase these already highly competitive rates,” Cournoyer said. “We are still hopeful that a consensus can be reached through additional negotiation.”

Yet George argued that “highly competitive” is a relative term.

“UML’s offer is certainly not equal to the pay that adjunct faculty receive at UMass Boston or UMass Amherst,” she said.

As a general rule, Cournoyer said the university does not provide full-time-equivalent benefits — such as health insurance and pensions — to part-time employees. But he said the school does provide certain benefits to adjuncts, such as voluntary retirement plans and tuition waivers.

UMass Lowell’s proposed pay increase is very small, George argued, and the school has also proposed an increase in parking fees that would make the raise almost negligible.

Cournoyer said the current $80 yearly parking fee for adjuncts is the lowest rate paid by any group on campus.

The union is also arguing for classroom autonomy, George said, and to have a voice in faculty meetings.

“We teach the majority of freshman and sophomore classes, but we see our ability to influence curriculum decisions for those courses continuing to erode,” she said.

Adjuncts teach 26 percent of the courses on campus, according to the university.

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