Collective Bargaining

From the Editor: Waiting for Norma Rae

The two main characters in Samuel Beckett’s most famous play have been the subject of much speculation. One eminent scholar noted that Vladimir and Estragon sounded as if they had earned PhDs.

“How do you know they hadn’t?” Beckett, the provocateur, replied.

Faculty Activism Alive and Well in Ohio

Faced with some of the most drastic antiunion legislation in the country, faculty in Ohio joined forces this spring with other workers and unions in a coalition, We Are Ohio, determined to win back workers’ rights in the state. The coalition led a successful effort to place the legislation, known as S.B. 5, on November’s ballot for a referendum.

From The President: I Want to Be a Member of a Faculty Union Because…

1. The faculty must be organized to advocate for its professional values, principles, and responsibilities, including its support for student rights.

2. The community would benefit from much wider and more organized faculty participation in campus life.

3. A faculty union can forge effective alliances between faculty members and other employee groups on campus and in the community.

Part-Time Faculty In Michigan Say Yes To Union

In October, contingent faculty at Northern Michigan University voted to become a part of the existing AAUP collective bargaining chapter, which already represented tenured and tenure-track faculty.

The vote was 54–5 in favor of “accreting,” or adding onto the existing union, which means that one hundred contingent faculty members will join the existing three-hundred-person bargaining unit. Those eligible are contingent faculty teaching at least eight credits a year.

I Want to Be a Member of a Graduate Student Employee Union Because...

A union will stand up for my economic interests.

  • I want a voice in establishing both my working conditions and the rights and standards of the profession.
  • Graduate student employees deserve to receive a living wage in exchange for their work.
  • By working collectively, graduate student employees can make certain that their compensation is a campus priority.
  • I cannot concentrate on my professional development if I am distracted by economic insecurity.

Higher Ed Leaders Express Support for Collective Bargaining in Oregon

On behalf of more than 63,000 collectively organized instructional and research employees at flagship and research university systems across the country, thirteen higher education leaders have written a letter supporting the campaign for collective bargaining at the University of Oregon. The campaign is working to ensure collective bargaining rights for tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, research assistants and associates, and post-doctoral scholars at the university.

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New Faculty Union at University of Oregon

This spring, faculty members at the University of Oregon filed union authorization cards with the state Employment Relations Board and came to an agreement with the administration, clearing the way for union certification.

The Call to Organize

The AAUP has recently seen more new collective bargaining organizing opportunities than we have in years. In a successful solo campaign, we helped faculty at Bowling Green State University form a union, and—together with the American Federation of Teachers and groups of dedicated faculty activists on each campus—we made history with successful organizing campaigns at two research universities: the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Oregon.

EMU-AAUP Reaches Tentative Agreement with Administration

The existing contact expires at the end of the month, and the new contract will run through August 31, 2015.

EMU-AAUP Overwhelmingly Approves Contract

Through this vote, the faculty has indicated that they strongly support the terms of the agreement. The agreement contains many positive developments.

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