The faculty unions in the AAUP are run by AAUP members, not outside union agents. We are committed to supporting you through a variety of consultations and on-campus trainings tailored to the needs of your chapter.

Representation

• Grievance processing
• Arbitration basics
• Duty of fair representation
• Dealing with contingency through collective bargaining
• The right to information (regulatory, statutory, contractual)

If your chapter is interesting in training on another topic, let us know and we’ll design a program to fit your needs.

Negotiations

Negotiating a successor contract is one of your chapter’s most significant tasks. Your degree of success at the table affects the union and its members every day for the duration of the contract.
We are now offering a comprehensive set of guidance services and on-site training options to chapters entering negotiations.

1. Contract Review
What’s meaningful in a particular collective bargaining agreement is greatly shaped by local conditions: the nature of the institution and its resources, and the needs of the faculty in the bargaining unit as it is constituted. But what has transpired at other bargaining tables can spark new directions on your campus. And sometimes a fresh, “outsiders’ view” of a contract can be a useful source of ideas on how to shape your bargaining agenda.

As you begin the process of preparing to go to the table, the national office staff can review your current contract, and present thoughts on changes that you might wish to bargain for. Alternatively, we can prepare an analysis of specific provisions of your contract that you may be interested in modifying in bargaining. In either case, we can offer examples of language in other current agreements, to help flesh out what the possibilities are, and to serve as ammunition at your table.

2. Onsite Training for Negotiating Teams
Both bargaining team members and chapter leadership can benefit from training topics that specifically address the challenges of negotiating. Some trainings address the needs of chapter leadership as you formulate a plan for bargaining, and others are more “hands on” guidance for those who will be on the bargaining team.

Topics include:

• The legal framework in your jurisdiction for negotiations: what constitutes “good faith” bargaining, direct dealing and other unfair labor practices, subjects of bargaining (mandatory/permissive/illegal), information requests, and impasse resolution.
• Formulating a bargaining strategy: identification of issues and goals, designing an effective contract campaign, timetables for each phase of bargaining and each set of activities, and thinking through the endgame.
• Proposal preparation: the technical aspects of draftsmanship, and the rules of contract interpretation.
• Table tactics and dynamics: ground rules, roles and responsibilities for team members, nuts and bolts of the bargaining process, relationships with the other side, and reaching and finalizing an agreement.
• Recruiting and training for the bargaining effort:  help with recruiting both new bargaining team members and other bargaining support volunteers.

3. Member Mobilization and Campaign Training
Without an informed, engaged, and active membership your contract negotiation efforts will lack the power and leverage they need to be successful. We offer onsite training for chapters to help them tackle the following challenges:

• Building a structure of departmental representatives: how to identify and recruit departmental representatives, how to incorporate their work into the overall campaign, and how to map overall support
• Contract campaign strategy and direct actions: defining campaign goals, creating a timeline for your contract campaign, assessing strengths and weaknesses of your allies and opponents, how to plan and execute direct actions
• Chapter communications programs: establishing relationships with media members, effective communication between the bargaining team and the membership, using social media, using emails, and messaging strategy

We’re happy to talk over the options to sort out what would be of greatest value for your chapter. Contact please contact Sarah Lanius, interim director of the Department of Organizing and Services, to schedule a consultation.