In response to the faculty’s interest in pursuing unionization as a means to defend professional standards, the AAUP formed the Collective Bargaining Congress (CBC) in 1985. The CBC is an umbrella organization of local AAUP collective bargaining chapters and affiliates. Its purpose is to develop and disseminate information and resources in support of the collective bargaining activities of local AAUP chapters, and to engage in other activities in support of higher education collective bargaining. The Congress meets twice a year (in early December and in conjunction with the AAUP’s annual meeting in June) to carry out its business.
Currently, the CBC comprises the more than 70 AAUP chapters and affiliates that serve as the collective bargaining representative on their campuses. Most of these represent faculty and other academic professionals in public institutions in states that authorize public employees to bargain collectively, although a number are private-sector AAUP chapters which have continued to maintain the benefits and protections of collective bargaining after the damaging 1980 Supreme Court decision holding that faculty at Yeshiva University were “managers” and therefore not entitled to collective bargaining.
The AAUP's collective bargaining activities are governed by elected faculty who serve as officers of the CBC. Members of the national staff who are most directly involved in collective bargaining activities and services work within the Department of Organizing and Services (DOS), which can be reached by e-mail at organizing@aaup.org. AAUP collective bargaining chapters also have access to the services offered by the government relations office and the research office, as well as the AAUP’s other departments.
The CBC works with local faculty to assist them in a variety of activities, including academic organizing, training faculty for collective bargaining negotiations, training in grievance handling, arbitration, and providing public education and advice about ongoing negotiations, grievances and other problems that occur during the term of a collective bargaining contract.
The capstone of the CBC training programs is the annual Summer Institute, which brings together faculty from chapters and state conferences. Faculty experts, along with DOS and other national staff, conduct workshops on a variety of topics, including negotiations, leadership training, communications, and legislative affairs.
Activists and leaders in collective bargaining chapters also share advice and information with each other on the CBC email listserve. The list is unmoderated; anyone can join the list and post to it. Subscribe by sending a blank email to aaup-cbc-join@lyris.aaup.org.
A number of AAUP chapters employ field staff. These field staff have formed the Field Staff Association, with meets at the December CBC Semiannual Meeting and at the June Annual Meeting. For more information about the Field Staff Association and for resources for field staff, visit their Web site.
(updated 6/08)