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Greetings!
This edition includes: Tell Central Michigan University To Leave No Lecturers Behind
On Feb. 23, a majority of full- and part-time nontenure-track instructors at Central Michigan University petitioned the state labor commission for an election to recognize their union, the Union of Teaching Faculty. Now, however, the Central Michigan administration is attempting to impose a teaching credit threshold on the UTF bargaining unit that would unjustly exclude a large number of part-time faculty from being represented by their union-a move that has become disturbingly common in other nontenure-track faculty organizing drives in Michigan. This move on the part of the administration's bargaining team seems aimed at directly undermining respect for the role part-time nontenure-track faculty play in the lives of CMU's students and the university community at large. Lecturers' Employee Organization Reaches Out to President Obama
The University of Michigan held its graduation ceremonies on May 1, with President Obama delivering the commencement address and receiving an honorary law degree. Members of the Lecturers' Employee Organization, still mired in contract negotiations, took the time to reach out to the president and other recipients of honorary degrees to ask them to recognize the contributions made by all members of UM's academic community: More Organizing and Bargaining Activities in Michigan
In addition to the bargaining unit dispute going on at Central Michigan University and the continuing LEO negotiations at the University of Michigan, there's a number of other organizing and bargaining activities going on in the Great Lakes State. Organizing committees at both Eastern Michigan University (Adjunct Lecturers Organizing Committee) and Ferris State University (Nontenure-Track Faculty Organization) are experiencing efforts by their respective administrations-similar to the efforts at CMU-to limit the sizes of their bargaining units. Changes in NLRB May Spur Grad Organizing at Private Universities
With President Obama's recent new appointments to the National Labor Relations Board, new hope has been given to graduate employees at private universities, who saw their right to organize eviscerated by the Bush-era NLRB in 2004's Brown decision. Now, members of the Graduate Student Organizing Committee, the UAW affiliate at New York University-whose union was busted in 2005 after the NYU administration refused to bargain a second contract, despite a lengthy strike-have received certification from the American Arbitration Association that a majority of grad employees there have signed union recognition cards. They are petitioning the NYU administration for voluntary recognition and, in the likely event that that recognition is refused, are prepared to petition the NLRB for a recognition election. This could potentially pave the way for new graduate employee organizing at private universities around the country. Bates Technical College Faculty Votes 'No Confidence' in Interim President
After Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Wash., declared a financial emergency over spring break and delivered 45 pink slips to faculty members on April 16, more than 60 percent of the faculty at Bates voted on a motion of no confidence with respect to that institution's interim president. More than 95 percent of those who voted supported the motion, which has been taken before the college's board of trustees. Meanwhile, the union representing the faculty, AFT Local 4184, is taking legal action in response to how the reduction in force is being handled. The reduction comes at a time when classes are overenrolled and paying students are on waiting lists to get the courses they need, points out Karen Patjens, president of Local 4184. "The proposed layoffs are especially devastating because of the bad economy-a time most of our students need retraining," she said. Have You Gotten the FACE Widget?
Want to be able to keep up with all the happenings from the FACE Talk on your local website? Well, now you can-with our new FACE widget! Get the widget here, and follow the simple instructions to add it to your website, blog or Facebook page! To share your stories, ideas and suggestions, send us an e-mail at highered@aft.org. |
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