Faculty and staff strikes at New York University and Portland Community College have put faculty pay stagnation and contract leverage back into the spotlight, with negotiations shifting academic operations on short timelines. At NYU, non-tenure-track faculty reached a tentative agreement after a strike that began last Monday and concluded with a deal reached Wednesday. Meanwhile at Portland Community College, unionized staff reached a tentative agreement that was ratified Thursday, but the faculty union remained on strike as of Friday, leaving credit-bearing classes delayed into early April. The work stoppage pushed the spring term’s start and disrupted planning for students and instructors. CUPA-HR analysis cited in the reporting indicates that faculty have fallen behind inflation more than other employee groups: tenure-track faculty wages are down 11.7% (inflation-adjusted), and nontenure-track teaching faculty are down 6.8%. The report aligns with longer-run findings that faculty pay has not kept up with inflation even as college presidents’ compensation has risen. Both campus situations underscore that contract timing and budget constraints are colliding—raising the risk that future bargaining cycles will continue to affect instructional continuity, especially for contingent and tenure-track faculty whose pay growth lags broader cost increases.