What difference could a union make?

Faculty at the following R1 institutions (n=29) have formed unions:

Rutgers, Stony Brook University (SUNY), University at Buffalo (SUNY), University of Florida, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, Binghamton University (SUNY), Florida International University, Florida State University, Graduate Center (CUNY), Montana State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Temple University, University at Albany (SUNY), University of Central Florida, University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of New Hampshire, University of New Mexico, University of South Florida, Wayne State University, Kent State University, University of Maine, and the University of Montana.

In addition, faculty at most universities in Michigan are unionized (U of M and MSU are both working to unionize this semester). In total, faculty unions exist at nearly 500 universities in the United States, representing over 280,000 faculty.

Our union will protect our rights to academic freedom and intellectual property by enshrining it in our contract. The contracts at SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook (pg. 12), the University of Oregon (pg. 6), and the University of Florida (pgs. 17) and many others protect faculty freedom in their instruction, research, and publication. Faculty at the University of Florida also have robust provisions around Intellectual Property (pg. 87). As part of the contract, these rights would be enforced with the full resources and support of our union including the costs of legal representation.

Without a union, a faculty member may have to use their own resources to enforce their rights. For these faculty members at the University of Florida, having a contract and the backing of their union was worth millions of dollars.

In many cases, Faculty Senates and Faculty Unions work together to ensure that faculty voice is heard. At Eastern Michigan the Faculty Union filed a grievance on behalf of the Faculty Senate when the University refused to follow its own guidelines on decision making. At Florida State University, faculty bargained a provision giving them a say in the hiring and reappointment of administrators that supervise faculty (pg. 117).

With a union, a team of our colleagues will have a seat at the table and bargain a legally binding and enforceable contract with administration. Once our union is recognized, we will have the power to compel the administration to produce and share information (internal or public) relevant to bargaining. Without a union, we can only make requests of administration that are not legally enforceable.

Our union gives us leverage to negotiate better pay and benefits for all. The contract for faculty at Rutgers includes merit pool increases, across-the-board raises, and salary floor minimums (pgs. 15-16). At Florida Atlantic University, faculty won base wage, promotional, and salary floor increases (pgs. 81-83). Both the Rutgers (pg. 23) and FAU (pg. 84) contracts have provisions allowing for additional salary increases based on special achievements, outside offers, market adjustments, etc. to help recruit and retain highly sought after faculty members.

Faculty across Michigan have won significant employer contributions to their retirement plans. Faculty at Ferris State University have an automatic 12% employer contribution (pg. 74). Faculty at Oakland University have an automatic 14% employer contribution (pg. 63). Automatic employer contributions do not require the employee to make a contribution in order to receive the full benefit. This setup is especially impactful for those that faculty are early in their career, carry disproportionate amounts of student debt, pay for the care of young children, or have other financial considerations that would prevent them from realizing the full benefit in an employee/employer matching system. In the SUNY system, faculty have the right to retain health insurance coverage after retirement, upon the completion of ten years of State service (pg. 68).

Our union gives faculty a seat at the table to advance policy, practice, and funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). At Rutgers University, faculty and graduate students bargained the creation of the University Committee on Diversity, Race, and Gender with a starting budget of $500,000. The committee has the ability to introduce DEI initiatives on training, recruitment, retention, mentoring, and professional development. The committee organizes an annual conference on the issues impacting underrepresented students and faculty in higher education. The committee also provides oversight of the president’s $20 million diversity fund that is designated to advance the hiring and retention of faculty of color (pgs. 9-10). Faculty at Florida State University bargained a provision requiring new hires be informed of salary ranges in their department prior to negotiating initial salary placement (pg. 15).

With our union, we have real power to influence our working conditions. At the University of Florida, faculty bargained a provision preventing the University requiring a faculty member to take an overload course (pg. 38). At Rutgers, the contract gives faculty the right to file grievances if their workload exceeds university or departmental standards (pg. 69) Faculty at the University of Oregon have developed written policies for the assignment of professional responsibilities with provisions for such factors as new course preparation, administrative duties, and deadlines for publication and grant applications (pgs. 112-113). At Delta College, faculty bargained a contract with a provision mandating, in most circumstances, that full-time faculty members be employed in tenure track positions (pg. 17). The contract for faculty at the University of Oakland outlines a specific ratio of students to faculty (pg. 98)

With our union, we can work to improve the University’s policies around caregiver support. Currently, MSU faculty are eligible for 6 weeks of paid parental leave. Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst bargained a contract that guarantees a full semester of paid parental leave upon hire (pg. 132). At Wayne State, faculty bargained for an annual fund of $160,000 to reimburse faculty for their child care expenses (pg. 18).

In the University of Oregon’s contract, sexual harassment is declared as a form of unlawful discrimination (pg. 20). At Florida State University, faculty bargained a process for investigation of sexual harassment and discrimination claims (pgs. 11 - 13). As contractual provisions, these processes are subject to the grievance procedure, providing an enforcement mechanism if the University is not following proper procedure.

Faculty in the SUNY system bargained a provision guaranteeing parking at no cost on campus (pg. 59). At the University of Florida, full-time faculty members, domestic partners, and dependents of faculty members receive a total waiver of university tuition for a designated number of credits (pgs. 112-113).