UNION OF TEACHING FACULTY AFT, AFL-CIO Nontenure-Track Faculty of Central Michigan University We are a Majority; Election Soon! NEWSLETTER Volume 1 Issue 1 March 2010 In this Issue: Union Files! Organizing the Industry Member Profiles: 2-7 The Union of Teaching Faculty has reached an important milestone: on February 23, UTF filed for an official union election with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC). This is exciting news as we have worked for the better part of the last year to build an active community among our colleagues, and we are excited to have a majority Union cards prior to filing with MERC of the nontenure-track faculty as members of our growing organization! MERC is now working with us and with the CMU administration to discuss the exact composition of the UTF bargaining unit and the date for our certification election. We have already had some cordial preliminary meetings with the administration, and we are confident that we will have an election soon. A majority of ballots cast in favor of the union will require the CMU administration to recognize our union and begin negotiations. With a majority of us signed as official UTF members, we are confident about the outcome of the forthcoming election, but we will continue to contact everyone to ensure our success. Continued on Page 2 In the News: 4 Higher Education: Organizing the Industry Union Myths and Facts: 5 We are part of a movement. AFT Michigan Welcome: 7 It's a movement made possible—and necessary—by a radical change in higher education over the last 40 years. Nationally, between 1970 and 1995, the number of full-time faculty grew modestly (49%) while the number of parttime faculty grew an astonishing 266%. By the Fall of 2007, there were more than 1.5 million people working in post-secondary instruction; of these, less than 430,000—about a third—were so-called regular faculty, tenured or tenure-track. Another 330,000 were graduate student employees, meaning that the remaining 740,000—just about half of the total number—were full and part-time nontenure-track faculty. Get to know Michael Evans! Page 4 represents over 6,500 faculty in higher education. AFT Michigan Tenure-track faculty—especially at public institutions—began organizing in the 1960's following huge nationwide increases in undergraduate enrollment and the exponential growth of what University of California president Clark Kerr famously dubbed "the knowledge Nontenindustry." ure-track faculty were left out of these bargaining units because many at the time were in fact "adjunct" faculty: full-time professionals in the community who taught AFL-CIO a course or two to supplement the regular curriculum. That loophole became a floodgate for an oversupply of AFT is the American Federation of Teachers. AFT Michigan Ph.D.'s in the labor market and led to the current crisis. Continued on Page 6 Central to Faculty - Central to Education - Central to Central Michigan University! Brenda Luckhart Health Professions Who is UTF? Stephen Jones History “I hold helping others as a salient characteristic of my life’s mission. That is why I entered nursing and why I teach others,” states Brenda Luckhardt. “I feel I have been treated fairly by my department, but where budgets are tight and priorities are intensely debated, we need to ensure our voices are heard,” says Steven Jones, of the History Department. Luckhardt’s nursing career, and her enthusiasm for teaching, began in the Internal Medicine Unit at the University of Michigan. “This is where teaching really became my passion,” she says. “Every clinical day was a learning day, and I experienced firsthand how disease and severe illnesses impacted patients and their families.” Jones studied at Michigan State University, and after receiving his Ph.D in American Studies, he worked as a journalist and later at Chadsey High, in the Detroit Public School System. He arrived at CMU four years ago and now teaches a multiplicity of courses in the History Department. Jones, a big fan of the arts, is an actor, songwriter, and general performer. He After teaching at various institutions across the state, she began has written songs for folk educating students at CMU in the fall of 2007. She teaches a number of classes now; all fulfill her passion for teaching and bringing students artists and is currently performing in Forgotten: A into the fold of the healthcare service industry. Jazz Opera documenting a Through the UTF, she believes, work equity can be addressed in several labor struggle at the Ford ways: proper compensation for new class preperations, fair class sizes Rouge Plant. that promote quality teaching and learning for students, a voice in setting class schedules suitable for the faculty member and students, As a longtime union memand advance notification of teaching in the future are a few examples. ber, he has seen the benefits of collective bargaining, “The Union of Teaching Faculty will help us be more effective teachers and believes that unionization at CMU is the best way and be an even better benefit for students, CMU, the State of Michigan to improve things on campus. He looks forward to and beyond. Quality teaching produces quality students.” coming together with his colleagues and negotiating a contract of which we can be proud. When Luckhardt is not educating the next generation of health professionals, she enjoys maintaining a close relationship with her children and grandchildren. She also has Master Gardener credentials, and she produces and packages much of the food her family eats. Union Reaches Majority, continued from the front page For months, we have made it our mission to talk with everyone on campus and have discovered significant support for a union. Non-tenured folks would like to see improvement, particularly in the areas of job security, wages, and benefits. These are the very issues that we can address through organizing a union and negotiating with the university administration. Upon winning our election, we can expect bargaining to begin later this year. 2 In fact, a union will give us the voice to address almost any issue on campus. By organizing, we can also address issues such as access to research and travel funds, representation within departments, and our role in curriculum development. Additionally, the contract will establish a grievance procedure for resolving conflicts we may have with the administration. In fact, a union will give us the voice to address almost any issue on campus. While we have made substantial progress building our union, there is still much to do, and we need you to participate; the foundation of a strong union is its active membership. You can help by emailing the organizing committee at [email protected] or by calling the UTF office at (989) 7723238. The UTF Organizing Committee meets every Thursday at 6:00 in the UTF Office (711 East Bellows [behind Jon’s Country Burgers]); we are always happy to welcome new activists! Meet the Members! JOIN US! The UTF Organizing Committee meets every Thursday at 6:00 PM in the UTF Office: 711 East Bellows St. Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 Qiana Towns English, Language & Literature “I love Mount Pleasant, and I love teaching at Central Michigan University,” declares Qiana Towns. She received her undergraduate and M.A. degrees from CMU and returned to the university because, she says, “It was my life-long dream to return here to teach.” Towns, a resident of Flint, teaches composition and creative writing at CMU and received a MFA in poetry from Bowling Green State University. In addition, she serves as adjunct faculty at Davenport University in Flint. When she’s not swimming in a sea of papers, she can be found prepping and planning for class. She admits that, “As a young teacher and person of color, I feel a bit of added pressure to do well. But it doesn’t leave much time for writing poetry.” Towns also notes that the stress of lower pay and the wait to find out if she’ll be rehired each year occasionally causes her to question her choice of careers. “But I’ve wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a kid. And when I hear my 8-year old daughter tell people that she wants to be a professor like her mom, it makes me work harder. The money and security will come…we’ll find one another soon.” She’s continuing to seek out new opportunities to participate in the arts. When she does find time for relaxation, Towns says she loves visiting the Farmer’s Market with her two young daughters and volunteering at the local arts council. Jan Huffman Teacher Education & Professional Devolopment Jan Huffman is no stranger to innovative education. For nearly forty years, she’s worked as a K-12 public educator. This experience, coupled with a collection of education degrees and certificates, gives the students taking her EDU 107 course the tools and skills to excel in the contemporary K-12 environment. Huffmann grew up in Mount Pleasant, and CMU has always been part of her life. The University remains dear to her, and she is particularly grateful for her students: tomorrow’s educators. “The students bring everyone their energy, their commitment to learning, and their passion for education; they are our hope for the future.” Huffmann thinks that CMU, an educational system, should prioritize student needs. She is confident that the UTF can improve the situation of the nontenure-track faculty and students alike. “I’m helping establish the Union of Teaching Faculty because it is necessary for every person to have a sense of security, the opportunity to participate in our learning community, and the respect to be treated and compensated fairly. Additionally, the UTF brings together people from across campus and disciplines; we can share teaching methods and concerns, and create solutions to system issues—thus improving our abilities as educators.” As a grandparent and a weekly after-school program coordinator, Huffman communicates the value of education throughout the community. Her travel abroad brings her an awareness of educational history and diversity, cultivating an increased interest in international education. UTF brings together people from across campus and disciplines; we can share teaching methods and concerns, and create solutions to system issues— thus improving our abilities as educators. -Jan Huffman Teacher Education 3 CMU Works Because We Do! Michael Evans First Year Experience Michael Evans moved to the USA two and a half years ago, after receiving his Ph.D in Medieval History from Nottingham University in Great Britain. Now in his third year working as a part-time instructor at CMU, he has taught in both the History and First Year Experience (FYE) programs. He has also taught part-time at Mid-Michigan Community College and at Saginaw Valley. “I enjoy working at CMU, and the FYE program is a great opportunity for me to meet new students coming to CMU and to help prepare them for university life,” says Evans. “I feel I have been treated well by my department heads, but it is frustrating not knowing from one semester to the next whether I will still be employed.” As a part-time employee, it is particularly difficult for Evans to coordinate his schedules between universities – especially considering the travel required to get from campus to campus. “A union will help us to fight for greater job security and stability. Not only will this make our lives easier – it will also let us focus more on our work and develop our effectiveness as teachers.” When not commuting between campuses and filling out an array of appointment applications, you can find Michael working on his latest book: a historical biography entitled The Real Eleanor of Aquitaine A union will help us to fight for greater job security and stability. Not only will this make our lives easier – it will also let us focus more on our work and develop our effectiveness as teachers AFT Higher Education: Making News Across the State UTF Buzz The buzz surrounding our UTF organizing drive is intensifying daily. Articles about our success have been in the Morning Sun; Detroit Free Press; The Associated Press; CM Life; and a number of higher education articles, blogs, and tweets! Although the attention and publicity is nice, the important thing is that people are learning about the situation of nontenure-track faculty at CMU and the issues we face. These articles have corrected the misperception that all faculty are well-paid professors with tenure and have bolstered community support for our cause. Ferris State University nontenure-track faculty meet shortly before filing for a union election. UTF ambassador Carol Riddle (far right) helped the Ferris organizing committee prepare for their union drive. Michigan State University nontenuretrack faculty turn out at a MSU basketball game to show solidarity. The Union of Nontenure-Track Faculty (UNTF) is currently in contract negotiations with the MSU administration. Visit the UTF website for a links to the latest press releases www.cmuutf.org F 4 Eastern Michigan University part-time faculty rally for recognition on the Ypsilanti campus. Part-time faculty at EMU are campaigning to join their full-time colleagues in the Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers Union Myths and Facts The only way to bust a union is to lie, distort, manipulate, threaten, and always, always attack. The law does not hamper the process. Rather, it serves to suggest maneuvers and define strategies. Each union prevention campaign . . . turns on a combined strategy of disinformation and personal assaults. —Martin J. Levitt, Confessions of a Union-buster Thus far, the administration has not shown signs of running an anti-union campaign, although last year they did “oppose” the efforts of CMU’s graduate employees, by sending out an anti-union letter to prior to the GSU election. The letter had little effect, and in the end, the graduate students were victorious —winning by 88%. GSU and the university administration are currently bargaining GSU’s first contract. Although we expect that the administration will not employ these methods during our election, it is always worthwhile to dispel some of the more common myths utilized in an anti-union campaign. Most of them play on fear and insecurity: The third party myth: Who will make the decisions? UTF is only what we want it to be. The union’s issues are the members’ issues, not those of an outside third party. We will hold membership meetings, send out surveys, and continue to meet with everyone before we formulate the list of concerns we will take to contract negotiations. On other campuses, successful union campaigns have empowered adjunct faculty and made conditions better overall. The Strike Myth: Will UTF strike? Although withholding our labor is the most powerful tool we have as workers, no one wants to walk out on their colleagues and students. In reality, a strike is tactic of last resort — almost all contract disputes are resolved without such measures. UTF will go on strike only if a vast majority of us believe it’s a good idea and vote to walk out. Members don’t vote to strike lightly, and we will consider this only if we have exhausted all other options. The high dues myth: How much will they be? Union dues represent the basic principle of a union: we all chip in a little and we can make big changes. Based on other unions, we’ll probably set dues between 1% and 2% of salary — and we wouldn’t be organizing if we didn’t think we could make more than 1%–2% of change! Union dues — along with volunteer time and energy — will be the way we keep UTF strong. With our dues, we’ll rent office space, hire staff, print newsletters, and contribute to our affiliate organizations to gain support, training, and guidance in negotiations and other activities. Continued on Page 8 Union Organizing During Difficult Times Forming a union is a serious undertaking, no matter the economic climate. However, with unemployment rates climbing and recession an ongoing subject of political conversation, some might ask if this is really the best time to form a union. If there is no money, is this the right time to ask for more? Is greater security really possible in an uncertain economic climate? The truth is that there’s no better time for us to have a voice. If the economy, changes in the university’s state funding, or enrollment fluctuations are going to have an impact on our jobs, we need to be involved in those decisions. If the worst happens and layoffs are necessary, a union contract will help insure that such decisions are made rationally and fairly—and that recall is similarly predictable when work returns. But we should not overstate the situation at CMU. Enrollment is up, as it is at most universities and community colleges throughout the state, and the university administration generally does a good job of managing the university’s finances. Nontenure-track faculty are already a bargain for Central—especially since we generate a good portion of the general fund income through large undergraduate courses—and even a significant raise for us will not translate to a large percentage of the overall budget. Finally, a union is not a short-term prospect. Our goal is to establish an ongoing and regular place for nontenuretrack faculty in university decision-making. We are confident that we will make significant improvements in a first contract, but we also know that the time may not be right for other changes. In those cases, a union allows us to revisit those issues at a later time. 5 We Are CMU! Cathy Church Counseling and Special Education Cathy Church comes to CMU with twenty years of experience in education, most recently as a middle school special education teacher in Shepherd. She brings her expertise to fifteen special education student teachers each semester as she follows them in their student teaching assignments. Recently, Cathy has also taken on the job of placement of student teachers for their field experiences. Church hopes that the forming of UTF will encourage more recognition for non-tenured faculty by the university community. The practical experience and perspective she brings to students as they struggle to apply and synthesize what they have learned in their theoretical coursework is a valuable asset to the university. “It would be nice and affirming to be more valued through a show of longer contracts, which would create more stability for the nontenured faculty.” Higher Education: Organizing the Industry, continued from the front page Unionization is the only proven path for nontenure-track faculty to improve working conditions in the face of these trends. Here in Michigan, especially, nontenure-track faculty unions have been successful in making significant gains in the areas of greatest concern to nontenure-track faculty: job security, health care for low fraction employees, and salary parity. Lecturers at Eastern Michigan University began the trend by winning recognition in 2000; they were followed in quick succession by nontenure-track faculty at the University of Michigan (2003), Wayne State University (2007), Henry Ford Community College (2008), Michigan State University (2009), and Western Michigan University (2009). Currently, in addition to our campaign at CMU, nontenure-track faculty are organizing at Ferris State! All of these unions are affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers Michigan (AFT), a group that represents more higher education faculty than any other union. Nontenure-track positions of all types now account for 68% of all faculty appointments in American higher education. (aaup.org) CMU’s 5 year employment trend: Nontenure-Track 23% Increase Tenure Track 2.5% Decrease (unless academic qualifications are significantly different) and recalled when work becomes available again. In the first contract, minimum salaries were raised—about 45% for the lowest-paid At UM—as a result of the union contract— employees—and all nontenure-track following a fourth-year review, nontenurefaculty receive a 7% promotional raise track faculty are promoted to an ongoing following a fourth-year review and secure status; this “presumption of renewal” another 7% increase three years followensures that faculty continue to work as long ing. (A combined 14% retroactive raise as they meet performance standards. In the was negotiated in the first contract for event of budget constraints or enrollment de- faculty members with the requisite years clines, faculty are laid of in order of seniority of service.) 6 Additionally, nontenure-track faculty receive annual raises equal to those of the tenured and tenure-track faculty on each campus (Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn). Faculty with at least a 50% appointment and a one-semester appointment receive heath insurance benefits through the university—including over the summer for work during the regular academic year. What happens here at Central is up to us— in two senses. First, the issues we choose to address and the proposals we make to the administration will be determined by UTF members; they may or may not be similar to what union members at UM or elsewhere have decided works for them. Second, our success in negotiations—the extent to which we can convince the CMU administration to make serious changes in the structure and rewards of our employment—will be proportional to our collective commitment and determination. We continue to encourage all CMU nontenuretrack faculty to become active in UTF in whatever way they can! We Are UTF! Bruce Patterson Teacher Education and Professional Development Dr. Patterson is in his eighth year in the TEPD department. “I teach science methods. In the past I taught math methods as well as a battery of methods now covered under the title ‘secondary education.’” Before comming to CMU, Patterson taught for 30 years in the Harrison County Public school system. Why union? “Well, solidarity. Working in a group. All the good things that come from having multiple voices in the mix,” Patterson says. “The main strength of a union is overcoming the isolation and weakness that comes from standing alone, but I think it’s particularly important for non-tenured faculty because there’s an issue of getting the respect that our achievements and experience warrant.” He adds that consistency is also an important benefit from having a union: “It’s good for students as well as faculty. I’ve got it good in my department, but some folks have to apply for their positions every semester. Jumping through hoops should be the same, campus-wide.” Patterson also enjoys travel, is an amateur wildlife behaviorist, a grandfather, a camper, and a mentor for outdoor education. Of his passion for teaching, he says, “It’s never been the pay for me; it’s always been about the students.” 7 The Union of Teaching Faculty March 30, Volume 1, Issue 1 Your address here Union Myths and Facts, continued from page 5 The self-injury myth: Will positions be cut if we negotiate a contract? Right now, we have absolutely no job security, and positions could be cut or individuals could lose their jobs for any reason. We also have little or no control over our salaries. A union will give us the power to sit at the table with the administration and gain a significant measure of control over our situation on campus and the number of jobs on campus. The conflict myth: Could a union hurt collegiality on campus? Right now, it would be difficult to say that nontenure-track faculty participate fully in the collegial life of the campus. To the contrary, non-tenure-track faculty are frequently excluded from departmental, college, and campus-wide decision making. Even in departments in which non-tenured folks participate, our lack of job security can have a chilling effect on academic freedom and the ability to engage candidly with other faculty and the administration. The Union of Teaching Faculty AFT/AFL-CIO 711 East Bellows St Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 (989) 772-3238 [email protected] www.cmuutf.org Organizing Comittee: Allegra Blake Mike Evans Denise Cole Mary Ann Freling Betsy Richard Tom Stewart Carol Riddle Sue Murphy Michael Ostling Jan Huffmann Don Socha Alper Dede Cassie Taber Natalie Wetzel Elizabeth Berriman Jim Eikrem Clint Burhans Kenlea Pebbles Dan Pugh A union will improve collegiality by giving us a collective voice and rights in our employment; true collegiality implies a conversation among equals. Through a union, we can gain predictability and stability so that we no longer have to rely on a chair’s or administrator’s good graces to stay employed.
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