2021-24 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

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02/08/22 Union Updates: SOM, SETs, Education Labor United

Dear colleagues,

Faculty and academic staff in the School of Medicine saw today that the administration is tabling any discussion about changing tenured research faculty salary structures for at least a year. This temporary reprieve is a positive development, and it is due to the efforts of all of those in the School of Medicine—and on main campus—who spoke up over the last three months.

While this is a piece of good news, preliminary results of the morale survey of faculty and academic staff in the SoM indicate that there continue to be widespread concerns with the leadership of the School. We expect to receive full results of the survey around February 22, and will share them when they come in.

KNOW YOUR CONTRACT

We have posted an unofficial copy of the new contract here. Now that it has been in place for a few months, it is a good time to review what’s in it. Please let us know what topics and questions you would like to see covered in a general info session or special topics session: Submit questions here.

STUDENT EVALUATIONS OF TEACHING (SET)

Many, if not most, faculty are dissatisfied with the existing SET instrument and its usage in Selective Salary and for promotion. Despite the use of only 3 questions from the SET and the bias inherent in the instrument, the use of SETs for promotion will become increasingly relevant for Teaching Faculty as they are evaluated for service and teaching. Members of the joint union/admin (2N) committees reviewing the SET seek your feedback: Share your thoughts here.

EQUITY ADJUSTMENT REQUESTS

We are excited that the university is committing funds toward salary equity adjustments for the next three years. Please see the Letter of Agreement for specifics. If you have questions about how to request an equity adjustment, contact your Council Rep or email Michelle Fecteau at mfecteau@aaupaft.org.

SELECTIVE SALARY COMMITTEES THIS YEAR

Questions have arisen regarding the work of salary committees this spring, since we did not receive a selective salary increase this year (we received a bonus instead). Please note that selective salary recommendations in 2022 will count toward an increase. Because we skipped a year, the work of this year’s committees is even more important. It was the 2021 selective salary scores that did not count toward a merit increase. As a reminder, annual reports should consist of “a summary of the last three (3) years of the [faculty or academic staff] member’s activities.” We know that some salary committees put more weight on the most recent year. In 2022, committees are encouraged to focus on the full window, as stated in our Collective Bargaining Agreement, in recognition of the fact that this year’s selective salary increase will be the first one in two years.

HIGHER EDUCATION LABOR UNITED

Join me in signing up to participate in the Higher Education Labor United Winter 2022 Summit. During this Summit, we will collectively create an action plan to transform the U.S. higher education system so that it secures our nation’s democratic future, serves as a vehicle for addressing inequities, and is led by workers, students, and communities. The summit will take place over February 23, 24, 26, and 27 on Zoom, with a detailed schedule to come soon. Registration is now open to all members of the higher education labor community.

In solidarity,

Danielle Aubert

10/12/21 Union Updates

Dear Colleagues,

Several areas of the new contract require the creation of committees to continue discussions with members of the administration. It is important for faculty and academic staff to be actively engaged in this work:

— Equity: The Equity Committee will address some outstanding issues which both parties at the table said they were committed to working on, including: setting guidelines for the Childcare Subsidy pool, pushing for a shared sick day bank, and addressing pay equity.

— Flexible Work Arrangements: A committee will review the pilot implementation of the FWA policy and make recommendations regarding its continuing implementation with regard to bargaining unit members. We are gathering an advisory group to help inform this work.

— Lecturer and Non-Tenure Track Faculty: Help define factors for a path to promotion for the new Assistant and Associate Professors of Teaching; ease the transition of Lecturers into new job titles, and look more broadly at issues specific to all Non-Tenure Track Faculty on campus.

— Online Teaching: A committee will be formed to make recommendations around online teaching post-pandemic.

— Evaluations of Teaching: Committees will be formed to make recommendations related to SETs.

Please indicate your interest in this work by filling out this Google form.

If there is someone else you think would be a strong advocate on behalf of other members in any of these areas, please send nominations and a brief rationale to office@aaupaft.org so we can reach out to them.

General Membership Meeting Recap

At the October 8 General Meeting, members spoke about Charlie Parrish’s work with the union over his many years as President. An in person event will be planned to recognize Charlie in late April/early May.

We had an energetic discussion about some of the top concerns we’re facing on campus and how we could use those to build the union. Among them: ongoing problems with facilities, widespread understaffing, and impact on workloads. Notes from breakout group discussions can be found here. Draft meeting minutes are in this folder. Any member who would like to see a copy of our local’s budget report can request that from office@aaupaft.org.

A resolution was brought to the membership to endorse Landis Spencer for the Detroit District 6 Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) seat. The resolution passed with 92% in support. The BOPC is a civilian oversight committee founded in 1974. Wayne State’s campus is in District 6. Spencer’s priorities are “ending police brutality, protecting our civil rights and civil liberties, and preventing the police department from acting as a militaristic force in our city.” Spencer has also been endorsed by the Free Press.

Any member can bring a resolution to the General Membership meeting, but in the future — as a courtesy — please send resolutions at least 3 days in advance of a meeting so there is more time to share with the full membership for consideration. The next General Membership meeting will take place in early December.

Active Issues/Concerns: Contract Enforcement

When something comes up that impacts your working conditions, make sure to contact your Council Rep and/or the Contract Enforcement Team (CET) so they can be aware of the problem, possibly connect you with colleagues facing the same problem, and work to address it. Here is who to contact.

Executive Board

The next meeting of the Executive Board will be Friday, October 22. We will be discussing appointments to the above-mentioned committees. There will be a report on parts of our union Bylaws that may need revision.

Collective Action Reading Group

The reading group has met twice and had great discussions about how to make our union most effective. It’s not too late to join! The group meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm. Sign up here.

Labor Notes: Troublemaker’s School at Wayne State, Saturday Nov. 20

On Saturday, Nov. 20, 1–6 pm, Labor Notes will be leading a series of skill-building workshops at WSU around topics like, “Beating Apathy” and “Turning an Issue Into a Campaign." We need to build our skills to be a strong union! The event will draw unionists from across the region — from faculty, grad student workers and academic staff at U of M, Wayne State, and Oakland University to nurses, bus drivers, electrical workers, and auto workers. We hope to send a big group: Sign up here!

In solidarity,

Danielle Aubert

President, AAUP-AFT Local 6075 Wayne State University Chapter 

Ratification VOTE for WSU-AAUP-AFT RESULTS

Wednesday September 15, 2021 3:00 PM through Tuesday 

September 21, 2021 11:59 PM EDT

This election has been closed for 11 minutes

__________________________________________________________

Do you vote to support ratification of the proposed tentative agreement?

 

Select no more than 1

714 votes - Yes

22 votes - No

____________________________________________

A total of 736 ballots were cast by 1256 eligible voters

09/13/21: Tentative Agreement for Collective Bargaining Agreement

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of your Bargaining Team, I am pleased to announce that we have pending Tentative Agreements (TAs) on the final articles of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) at the negotiations session this evening. The work across the table combined with the engagement and support of our members has led us to the type of fair and equitable compensation and healthcare provisions to complete negotiations for a strong renewal of our CBA after eight years and eight long months at the table.

Once the TAs are fully executed tomorrow morning, you’ll receive more communication about the coming week as we move toward the ratification vote of our members for the CBA. Please stay tuned in the coming days as there will be several announcements of critical importance related to the ratification information sessions and process.

With thanks and In Solidarity,

Ricardo Villarosa, Esq.
Chief Negotiator

Take action to protect your job security and support our bargaining team

The Contract Negotiations Action Team asks you to sign a petition to tell the WSU administration that you support job security for all bargaining unit members. The administration is resisting extending job security to some members of our bargaining unit (lecturers, researchers and clinical faculty) and proposing to erode the tenure protections guaranteed to tenured and tenure-track faculty under our current contract. We have already taken collective action to protest the mass “non-renewals” of lecturers in several campus units, and we need to take action again to protect all faculty and academic staff members moving forward. If you haven’t done so already, watch the moving video from the Lecturer’s Steering Committee to learn how disruptive non-renewals are to the lives and livelihoods of our colleagues who primarily serve as teaching faculty, as well as to the students and departments who rely on them.

Sign the petition today to tell the administration that we will not accept attacks on tenure or ESS and we will fight for guaranteed job security for lecturers and clinical and research faculty. Once a majority (51%) of our membership has signed the petition, we will make the signatories public and deliver the petition to the administration.

We believe an injury to one is an injury to all, and we will not make trade-offs on fundamental job protections. Security in Solidarity!

Dec 2020 Newsbriefs: Bargaining Update #2

 

Nov 2020 Newsbriefs: Bargaining Update #1

 

07/30/22 Message regarding the SOM Clinical Faculty

Message to Members on Clinical Faculty in the School of Medicine

Charles J. Parrish, President, WSU AAUP-AFT, Local 6075

On July 27th the Union sent a letter to the Administration that demanded to bargain the remarkable change in a personnel policy that had been followed for decades in the School of Medicine. The first concrete steps in implementing this new policy were taken today when letters of termination were sent to all members of our clinical faculty in the School of Medicine.

We understand that the next step will be to offer them a contract renewal that is not based on their present contracts, but will treat them as new hires who will be appointed at a half-time position at a severely lower salary base. The difference in salary is proposed to be made up for the monetary losses involved by the WSUPG, the principal faculty practice plan. This is contrary to past policies and will be destructive to the goals of the School of Medicine.

Further, it will constitute a subsidy to the WSUPG, the principal faculty practice plan. By keeping the appointment at .5 full-time equivalent, the faculty will continue to be covered at the same cost by the University health benefits program so that the WSUPG does not have to offer a similar benefit.

The Schweitzer proposal will not make up the 10% retirement salary match that faculty members presently receive from the University on their higher salary level. The base for the retirement match, given the much lower salary being offered, will also be much lower than it is under the present contract.

The Administration has responded to our letter demanding to bargain the policy changes we cited in our July 27th letter and has agreed to schedule talks with the Union. They also argue that there has been no change in personnel policy and that they have the power to proceed as they are now. We will meet with their bargaining representatives and keep you informed of the negotiations as they progress. We still have two months between now and the September 30th termination date. Let us hope that the Administration will be reasonable and we can come to a satisfactory resolution of this unfortunate situation.

Stay tuned.

Charlie

--
Charles J. Parrish
President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter
Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan
President, AAUP Michigan Conference
Member-at-Large, National Council, AAUP
5057 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301
Detroit, MI 48202
313.577.1750

06/29/20 Consulting on Budget Cuts

When President Wilson dictated that there should be plans developed to meet possible revenue shortfalls of five percent and ten percent, it seemed to be a prudent measure to take. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details. As the Deans and other administrators got their orders, a number of them executed a matador’s veronica and let the bull pass by them and impale the units below them. There are over 80 departments in the University and many other units, some small and some very large. In many cases, even the smallest of these units were charged with coming up with recommendations for cuts at the five and ten percent levels for each unit.

The budgets of these lower units have little fat. Mostly their budgets are taken up with payroll expenditures over which they have minimal control. Part-time budgets are flexible, but it is often an exercise in self-destruction to offer to cut them. The dollars spent on part-time faculty are the best return on investment in the budget. These faculty members generate many times more in tuition revenue than it costs to pay them. The same can be said of Lecturers. They constitute 12% of the faculty, but teach large numbers of students who pay tuition for the many credit hours they generate.

Yet the departments are pushed by circumstance to offer up cuts in part-time faculty and term-contract faculty members, chiefly Lecturers. Telephone budgets have already been cut to the bone. Cutting payments for copier paper and paper clips are not likely to help much in reaching the announced budget goals. The role of Academic Staff is not as deeply appreciated as they should be. The key functions of advising, counseling, scheduling and many other activities are not as likely to be represented on unit budget committees as are other academic activities.

Departmental and College and School budget advisory committees should not hesitate to push back and ask that they be advised of the Dean’s budget priorities and what the cuts are at the Dean’s Office level. Sources for cuts are such things as salary savings in departments from retirements. But, these positions are under the control of the Deans, not the departments. Deans routinely take control of retirement positions as soon as the retirement occurs. When the Dean does not allow a department to replace a retiring faculty member, it is a cut that must be absorbed by a department that must accommodate its program offerings accordingly.

What are departmental committees to do when the demand for the five and ten percent budget cut goals are pushed down to the lowest unit level? They can be put into the position of recommending the cutting of departmental programs where there are only one or two faculty members in them. Or, they can be pushed into recommending that Lecturers or non-tenure-track term faculty be non-renewed. There should be resistance at the departmental level to this.

Program discontinuance is covered under Article X of the Collective Bargaining Contract. If your Dean (or your chair) asks for a recommendation to drop a particular program, you can refer them to that Article. It is worthwhile for you to review Article X for information. The discontinuance of a program is a difficult and complicated process in which the department gets a chance to defend its preservation.

As you know, the Union is presently in negotiations with the Administration over the impact of the present crisis on the members of our bargaining unit. The first meeting of the two sides took place June 26th. It was primarily an organizational meeting and it went well. We will keep you informed about the progress of these talks.

Sincerely,

Charlie

--

Charles J. Parrish

President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter

Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan

President, AAUP Michigan Conference

Member-at-Large, National Council, AAUP

5057 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301

Detroit, MI 48202

313.577.1750

06/25/20 Status of Negotiations

Dear Colleagues: 

The Union is continuing the Impact Bargaining that began in March with the Administration. The most recent issues relate to whether or not the Faculty and Academic Staff will make concessions in their salary and benefits, in response to the request to do so, voluntarily, by the University in the current COVID-19 crisis. As in any negotiation, each side wishes to make the best possible argument. The Administration is likely to try to keep the focus on the General Fund, as it has tried to do in meetings with the Academic Senate Budget Committee and in the Finance Subcommittee of the Restart Committee. The Administration has recognized that if there are concessions to be made by the Faculty and Academic Staff, they must seek the agreement of the Union.

The Administration’s position, based on presentations to the Academic Senate and others, has emphasized that there should be concessions by our members in order to avoid cuts in various units. The Administration has already sent instructions that units must submit plans as to how to absorb projected five and ten percent budget cuts. Doing this before we have a clear understanding of what the revenue will be for the coming year creates a climate, whether intended or not, that pressures our members to consider supporting individual or department level “voluntary” concessions in some form. It is contrary to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for individual administrators, individual Union members, or internal academic governance committees, to agree to “voluntary” changes in terms of employment of bargaining unit members. It is critical for all to understand that regardless of well-meaning intentions to help, or because of basic communitarian values on their part, it is the exclusive role of the Union to negotiate changes in wages, hours, or working conditions for the members of our bargaining unit.

The Union’s position in these discussions is based on several factors:

During the time that President M. Roy Wilson has been in office, the number of managerial administrators has grown from 453 to 539, a 19% increase. The number of tenured and tenure-track Faculty fell over that time from 1143 to 899, a 21% decline. The non-tenure-track Faculty (Clinicians and Lecturers, mostly) increased slightly from 713 in 2013, to 730 in 2018. Lecturers within this group increased from about 173 to 217. The question of how to cut administrative costs will have an important role in the discussions.

The increase in the ranks of full-time contingent Faculty has been accompanied by a significant decrease in job security for this same group through non-renewals, and limiting term renewals to single year appointments. One of the important items that will be on the discussion agenda will be securing greater job security for Clinicians and Lecturers.

The financial discussions will not be limited only to examining the General Fund for possible solutions, but will be conducted within the context of all of the assets of the University that might be brought to bear during this crisis period.

We are prioritizing our responses to proposals for concessions, if any, to limiting the long term effects on the incomes of our members. We are particularly concerned with protecting the salaries of those in our lower income levels.

Each side has named a team of representatives in these negotiations. The Administration team is led by Associate Provost for Academic Personnel, Boris Baltes. He is joined by Ms. Rebecca Cook, Interim Vice President for Finance, and Ms. Carolyn Hafner, Interim Vice President for Human Relations. The Union team is led by Ricardo Villarosa, Esq., Chief Negotiator. Professor Deborah Ellis, Union Vice President-Elect and Paul Beavers, Union Treasurer, Chair of the Academic Senate Budget Committee, and the Union’s representative on the Finance Subcommittee of the Restart Committee, complete the Union team. The first meeting is on Friday, June 26th.

We will provide periodic updates on the progress of the talks, and will be asking members to ratify whatever proposal is agreed upon by the two sides.

In solidarity,

Charlie Parrish, President

Ricardo Villarosa, Esq., Chief Negotiator

--

Charles J. Parrish

President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter

Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan

President, AAUP Michigan Conference

Member-at-Large, National Council, AAUP

5057 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301

Detroit, MI 48202

313.577.1750

06/22/20 Message Regarding School of Medicine Clinicians

Dear Colleagues:

Latest Administration Proposal.

It is difficult to imagine that physicians - members of a greatly esteemed profession, can be transformed into threatened and exploited employees. Yet, this is the case of the clinicians on the faculty of the Wayne State University School of Medicine (SOM).

The Failures of WSUPG Leadership.

The story of the leadership of the WSU SOM is not one of unvarnished success. In fact, it is the opposite. Most medical schools of the size of ours have over 1,000 clinicians who generate an income stream for their medical schools through their provision of services to patients. At Wayne, that number currently stands at around 300. The number of faculty clinicians at Wayne has decreased substantially over the past five years with a corresponding revenue decline that was a major factor in the bankruptcy of the Wayne State University physician practice plan, UPG. The departure of the overwhelming number of the faculty clinicians in Pediatrics to the medical school at Central Michigan has only worsened this situation. During the past five years, neither the WSU SOM nor the UPG have been attractive places for clinicians to work, and they have had problems recruiting clinicians and keeping them as employees. While the WSU UPG may have emerged from bankruptcy, its shaky financial situation has not been overcome. That Dean Mark Schweitzer announced cuts in the salaries of UPG clinicians of 20% in May, 30% in June and 50% in July is not an indicator of a stable financial situation. In any organization that finds itself in such a situation: the responsibility first falls on management.

Uncertainties in the Relationship between the SOM and UPG.

The situation of the faculty clinicians in the SOM is uncertain at best under the present situation and proposed changes. These faculty members have been paid until now from two sources: the University and the UPG (or one of the other smaller practice plans). They mostly have year-to-year term contracts with the University and a separate employment contract with their practice plans. Mostly, their contracts end in September, 2020. It was the Dean’s proposal that such faculty members be terminated on that date and be employed in the future solely by their practice plans. That plan has been superseded by a newly announced plan. The average period of service for the clinical faculty is almost two decades, with the dates of first hire going as far back as the 1970s. These faculty entered academic medicine due to a commitment to scholarship, teaching and service and have served the University for many years. The Dean’s proposals erases the basis for this and transforms our clinicians from faculty colleagues into ordinary employees of a business enterprise. Although alternative proposals have been generated in the past few days, each is likely to have the same outcome if allowed to be implemented.

Within the practice plans, employees have at-will contracts under which they can be terminated for any reason, or no reason, with only 60-days notice. In addition, there is a non-compete provision whereby if the clinician leaves or is terminated by the practice plan, she/he cannot be employed in the Metropolitan Detroit area. Moreover, the benefits in health insurance and retirement provided under the practice plans are in no way comparable to those provided by the clinicians’ present University appointments.

Latest Administrative Action.

Vice Dean for Financial Affairs, Douglas Skrzyniarz has announced that the Administration would unilaterally impose a new compensation scheme for members of our clinical faculty. There is no doubt that this would constitute a change in the salaries, terms and conditions of employment for these faculty members. There was no negotiation with the Union over these changes. The Administration has been notified that implementation of these new compensation rules cannot be carried out until they are negotiated with the Union. Our present Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) does not end until March, 2021. Our notice to the Administration is attached to this message.

Academic Governance.

The University gives lip service to the idea that it operates under constraints exercised by the operation of the structures of academic governance. In the WSU School of Medicine, there are regular elections to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, which is made up of all faculty members on at least one-half time appointments. The Senate elects the members of the Executive Committee, which is charged to: “advise the Dean on matters of policy pertaining to the functioning and organization of the School.” Article VII of the Bylaws lays out the committees of the Senate that deal with important academic governance activities, making decisions on salary increases, promotion and tenure, advising the Dean on the finances of the School through the Budget Committee, and on Curriculum, Technology, Graduate Affairs and Research. These committees are replicated in each department to carry out similar functions at that level.

Participation in such activities of academic governance is commensurate with being a faculty member. It provides responsibility and professional autonomy. If the Dean’s proposal is implemented, all of these professional activities on the part of the affected clinicians will be lost. In addition, their critical contributions to multiple activities within the broader University mission will likewise be lost. They may no longer be professors, but could become employees of the practice plan which has no structures comparable to those of academic governance that ensure participation in the formulation of the policies.

Who has power over what?

A consideration that one must always take into account when thinking about organizations is the structure of power within them. Power in the practice plans is overwhelmingly in the hands of management. The setting of the monetary value of work units (used to compensate clinicians), the administering of patient appointments, and the general management of the delivery of patient services are all in the hands of the managers. When there is a change in policies, there is no requirement that management consult with those who are most affected by them. The reality is that, while the rationale for changing the employment situation of our clinicians is that the SOM is in a financial crisis, the result is also that it further concentrates power in the hands of the Dean. If his proposal had been adopted, every clinician would be more under his personal power. He is already in a position of dominant power through his present control of the WSUPG. But, increasing one’s control over a shrinking organization may be self-defeating in the longer run.

What Solutions Are There?

Not surprisingly, our solution is to do what good unions do: organize and represent the interests of the organized vigorously. That is the intention of the Union leadership. We have filed our objection with the Administration. We are expanding our consultation with our clinical faculty members. If the Administration is not responsive to our demand to bargain we have a number of legal remedies, and we intend to employ all of those to which we need resort. The Administration is attempting unilaterally to change the salaries, terms, and conditions of employment without bargaining them with the Union as they must. We are opposing this action on behalf of the clinical faculty members we represent.

In Solidarity,

Charlie

--

Charles J. Parrish

President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter

Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan

President, AAUP Michigan Conference

Member-at-Large, National Council 

AAUP 5057 

Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301

Detroit, MI 48202

313.577.1750

 

052620 Update!! -- WSU "Serious Financial Distress"

Dear Colleagues:

During contract negotiations in 2012, we agreed to a provision that we did not foresee ever being invoked. In order to get the unusual ten-year contract agreed upon, with an annual salary increase of 2.5% each year, we accepted language that stated that, if the University fell on very hard economic times, the Board of Governors could declare that a situation of “severe financial distress” exists, and suspend salary raises for the following academic year. (Article XI.B.4, pp.23-24)

The Administration is contemplating asking the Board to declare that a situation of “severe financial distress” presently exists for the University. If the BOG responds favorably and acts under this provision, the Union can appeal the decision to arbitration. In the arbitration, the Administration must provide all relevant financial information in a process overseen by the arbitrator. After a hearing before the arbitrator, both sides submit briefs summarizing their arguments and within thirty days after, that the arbitrator must render a decision to both parties. The arbitrator cannot decide to award a salary increase amount below zero percent or higher than 2.5%. There are a number of other provisions, but the description here lays out the basic process.

The attached memorandum was sent to the Academic Senate Budget Committee members prior to its May 26, 2020 meeting. Copies were also sent to the members of the Board of Governors and President M. Roy Wilson. This copy is being provided to all members of the Faculty and Academic Staff to inform you of the first steps being taken to represent you in this process. You can be assured that the Union will bend every effort to defend your right to the raise that you richly deserve.

In solidarity,

Charlie Parrish

--

Charles J. Parrish

President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter

Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan

President, AAUP Michigan Conference

Member-at-Large, National Council, AAUP

5057 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301

Detroit, MI 48202

313.577.1750

05/21/20 Union's Response to "Serious Financial Distress"

Dear Colleagues:

Following is the response that both myself and Ricardo Villarosa sent this morning to President Wilson and the Board of Governor's regarding the University's "Serious Financial Distress" declaration:

*************************************************

Dear President Wilson and Board of Governors Members:

We understand that the Administration intends to ask the Board of Governors to invoke the following provision of our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which states (Article XII.4 p. 23):

“For a maximum of three (3) times during

the period of March 20, 2016 through

March 20, 2021, upon a vote of the

University’s Board of Governors that the

University is in “serious financial distress”

the University Administration may

prospectively void the contracted across-

the-board and selective salary adjustments

for the forthcoming contract year. The

Association shall have thirty (30) days to

submit this matter to binding arbitration.”

The Union is cognizant of a provision of the CBA, in the same Article, which states that (Article XII.A, p. 19):

“In the event of an Executive Order or a 

legislative reduction of the state appropriation,

at the University’s request, representatives of the

Association and representatives of the University

Administration to discuss the impact of this

reduction and possible solutions to the problem.”

It is the position of the Union that this provision of the CBA be followed before a declaration of “serious financial distress” should be invoked by the University. To our knowledge, the University has not yet received notice of a pending Executive Order, nor of a specific legislative reduction of our state appropriation. The Board of Governors should instruct the Administration to follow this provision of the CBA and not leapfrog directly to a declaration of “serious financial distress.” It is relevant that, at the present time, we do not have reliable knowledge of the revenue from the major funding sources for the University’s General Fund [Tuition (54%), State Appropriations (34%)], and those amounts will not be known until sometime later this summer. However, so far, projected enrollment figures for the Fall Semester suggest that they are holding steady, and we may find the degree of any “serious financial distress” may be mitigated by this, and such a declaration is premature at this point.

Nor do we have any indication of the Administration’s attempt to address the issue of administrative personnel costs beyond a limited adjustment to non-represented merit increases and a temporary diversion of high-level Administration salaries to a student aid fund. Significant reductions to administrative costs should be dealt with before the Faculty and Academic Staff are asked to make additional sacrifices to the ones they have already experienced in having to switch from face-to-face classes to online teaching in the middle of the Winter Semester, and the adjustments to having to adapt beyond the necessary work from home requirements. As the front lines of the core academic mission of the University, Faculty and Academic Staff initially made it possible for students to complete a Winter term by shifting to remote instruction and delivery of all academic and co-curricular support and engagement. They continue to contribute by preparing to meet the challenges of Spring, Summer, and Fall with all of the creativity and flexibility that are required to achieve a successful return to campus in whatever forms that entails.

We ask that the Board instruct the Administration to agree to begin talks with the Union after an Executive order or a reduction in our state appropriation takes place. These talks should be “to discuss the impact of this reduction and possible solutions to the problem.” Any further action related to the financial situation for the coming year should be deferred at this time pending further knowledge of the financial situation of the University. In addition, the sacrifices that have already been made by the Faculty and Academic Staff should be matched by the Administration before any request for further sacrifices be made to the Faculty and Academic Staff of the University.

I have attached this message as a memorandum, as well.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Parrish, President

Ricardo Villarosa, Chief Negotiator

AAUP-AFT, Local 6075

Wayne State University Chapter

--

Charles J. Parrish

President, AAUP-AFT, Local 6075, WSU Chapter

Vice President-at-Large, AFT Michigan

President, AAUP Michigan Conference

Member-at-Large, National Council, AAUP

5057 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3301

Detroit, MI 48202

313.577.1750

02/28/19 ASSC "Selective Salary and Annual Review" worhshop video

on YouTube

Union Prevails to Stop Reductions in Short-Term Disability/Were You Affected?

read about the short-term disability grievance and the Arbitrator's ruling here

Settlement of Article XXIV Grievance

and its signed copies (PDF) of "Final LOA Faculty Mentoring" and "Final MOU" are posted on the web site.

02/04/16 Academic Forum "Contractual Rights"

video recording is now available on YouTube

NYT article: At Supreme Court, Public Unions Face Possible Major Setback

"WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in a case that could deal a severe blow to organized labor.

The justices will consider whether government workers who choose not to join unions may nonetheless be required to help pay for collective bargaining. The California teachers who brought the suit say the requirement violates the First Amendment, as they say they are being forced to subsidize activities with which they disagree."

Read more at NYT...

Video: 02/11/15 Academic Forum workshop - Article XXVI

• video also on YouTube