Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back to the start of the year! It has been a busy summer, and there is a lot going on this fall. Ricardo Villarosa, our long time Grievance Coordinator for Academic Staff, will be stepping down from his union role at the end of this week. He will remain in his position in the Dean of Students Office.
Ricardo has helped innumerable academic staff and faculty members resolve issues during his many years working as Grievance Coordinator. He was the Chief Negotiator during our mammoth negotiations of 2021, when we negotiated the first contract in 8 years. He was the first Academic Staff person to act as Chief Negotiator in the 50-year history of our union. I am grateful to Ricardo for the time, insight, and knowledge he shared with me over the last year during my transition into leadership in the union. Please take a moment to reach out and thank him for his many years of service.
The Executive Board will meet this month to determine how to fill Ricardo’s vacancy. In the meantime, please continue to contact office@aaupaft.org if workplace issues come up for you, and members of our Contract Enforcement Team will be in touch.
More news and updates:
Run for Office on the Union Executive Board!
We are holding a special election for Treasurer and two Member-at-Large seats. Nominations are due Tuesday September 6 at 5 p.m. The Nominations and Elections committee will accept nominations or self-nominations for any of these positions. Candidates should fill out the nomination form (attached) and get the digital or physical signature of two fellow union members. Nomination forms should be sent to committee chair Jennifer Sheridan Moss (aa2191@wayne.edu). If you have any questions about what is involved in serving on the Executive Board, do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Impact Bargaining Around Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA)
On August 1, the new Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) policy went into effect. This policy affects Academic Staff members of our bargaining unit (it does not apply to faculty). We will be entering into impact bargaining on the FWA policy next week. Impact bargaining takes place when there is a change to working conditions in between contract negotiations. Impact bargaining took place most recently at the start of Covid. This will be an opportunity for us to consider how well the FWA policy is working, and where we want to see improvements. The bargaining team is led by Kristen Chinery (Archives) with Moira Fracassa (EACPHS), Mershawn Gayden (Financial Aid), Jessica Pfeiffer (EACPHS), Ali Salamey (Honors), and Kurt Troutman (College of Education). Academic Staff members: Watch your email inbox for a survey on FWA in the coming days.
Student Debt and Loan Forgiveness
Make sure to get in your application for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) by October 31, 2022. Wayne State is considered a public employer, and many of our members have already had their student debt forgiven since changes to PSLF went into effect last fall. Don’t miss your chance to enroll. This is separate from the $10k–$20k debt forgiveness recently announced by the Biden administration. Click here for more information on both programs.
Eastern Michigan Faculty Need Our Support
EMU tenure/tenure-track faculty are bargaining a new contract and they need our help. The administration's current proposal includes sharp increases in healthcare costs and low annual raises, and they have rejected union proposals that advance diversity, equity and inclusion, improve workload and assure shared governance. Sign this petition and follow them on Twitter @EMUAAUP to keep up with the latest developments in their negotiations.
Labor Day BBQ at AFT MI
There will be no Labor Day parade this year, but you and your families are invited to join the AFT MI barbecue on September 5, 11:30 am – 2 pm on E. Jefferson in Detroit.
In solidarity,
Danielle
