Cleveland State University Chapter Vol.11, No.2, November 27, 2002 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RELEASES STATEMENTS ON REORGANIZATION, AFL-CIO AFFILIATION Chapter Meeting Scheduled for December 2 at 3 PM,
UC364 Statement of CSU-AAUP on Reorganization (Following is the text of a statement released by President David Larson on behalf of the CSU-AAUP Executive Committee on the possibility of a reorganization of the College of Arts & Sciences) It has been brought to my attention that rumors have been circulating on campus concerning the AAUP's position on the proposed re-organization of the College of Arts and Sciences. Since all of the rumors I have heard are inaccurate, I thought it important that I state and disseminate the CSU-AAUP's view of this matter. The CSU-AAUP takes no position whatsoever on the merits of the various proposals to re-organize the College of Arts and Sciences. It would be completely inappropriate for us to do so. For one thing, AAUP members (including Executive Committee members) can be found on all sides of this issue. Consequently, it would make no sense for the AAUP to support one proposal or another. Faculty members who belong to the CSU-AAUP are free, of course, as individuals to argue for their own positions on these issues. No statement by an individual, however, should be misconstrued as the Union's position. More important, the AAUP firmly believes that the Union has no business making judgments on the substance of academic proposals. The faculty should express itswill on these matters through the collegial governance process. In short, evaluating the merits of the various proposals for college re-organization is the properly the business of the appropriate college and university committees, of the Arts and Sciences faculty, and, ultimately, of the Faculty Senate. However, the AAUP firmly supports due process and faculty primacy in decision making in matters of curriculum and academic organization. Changes in these areas must occur only with faculty approval. All proposals for changes in the academic sector of the University must be reviewed by the faculty through the regular democratic process and win approval through that process. It is the responsibility of those faculty members and administrators who desire change to use reason and argument to persuade their colleagues of the benefits of such change. That is a fundamental principle of academia which the AAUP as a professional organization has supported since its inception and which we continue to support. Proposed changes in the structure of academic units at Cleveland State University must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate faculty bodies through the established processes. Any attempt to impose changes in academic structures without faculty approval would be a violation of long-established, widely-accepted, fundamental principles of collegial governance. Such a violation could have the very gravest consequences for this University. We trust that it will not occur. Cleveland State AAUP Statement on AFL-CIO Affiliation (editor's note: the Collective Bargaining Congress of the AAUP has been considering the possibility of an affiliation with the AFL-CIO, joining the 'white-collar' wing of that organization. Following is the Executive Committee's view of the proposal, passed unanimously). The Cleveland State Chapter, AAUP, has considered carefully the proposed affiliation with the AFL-CIO. We understand without reservation the intrinsic value of coalition-building within organized labor. Certainly, our colleagues in New Jersey and Kansas are suffering for lack of cooperation among higher education unions. We also understand the potential for mutual gain under such an |
arrangement, given the impressive resources the Federation might be able to provide, and the wisdom of our own association in providing the guiding standards for our profession. We do have reservations with this proposed affiliation, reservations that, taken together, move us to oppose the merger. Some are less serious, such as the return we might get for a significant increase in dues, and the AAUP's future status as a decidedly junior partner in the new relationship. Our more serious reservations come from the loss of identity the AAUP would suffer as a result of affiliation. We are currently an odd, bifurcated organization, with both a traditional membership and a CB membership. Affiliation would very seriously undermine the delicate balance we have achieved between the two sides of our organization. Most serious of all, this proposed affiliation would rob us of our most potent weapon in organizing faculty ? our ability to soothe our skeptics with the notion that AAUP is a professional organization. Collective bargaining is never an easy sell on a university campus, but those on the borderlines ? the undecideds ? almost uniformly respond to the prospect of AAUP as bargaining agent. Among other things, we are able to say to them that we are ?not the average union.? Indeed we are not. Imagine trying to convince skeptics that we are not the average union when we are, in fact, an arm of the AFL-CIO. Some of the older chapters are much less worried about this problem, but Cleveland State is relatively new, and our memories of organization are fresh. Beyond that, we are still working in Ohio to create new CB units, and our experiences at Wright State and the current drive at Akron have driven this point home forcefully: if we lose our identity, we will lose our advantage in organizing higher education. Bargaining Council to Form Soon; Survey is on the Way. Our current collective bargaining agreement expires August 15, 2003. Preparations for negotiations are now underway within the chapter. The executive committee has called for a survey of all active members to determine priorities for negotiations. The results of the survey will be distributed among Bargaining Council and Executive Committee members; please respond to the survey when you receive it. The survey is expected to be ready near the end of the semester. In the meantime, think about the priorities that
you think should guide the negotiation process. We have already
received some good suggestions from our membership. Make your voice
heard! The University of Akron AAUP Chapter filed with the Ohio State Employee Relations Board (SERB) for an election to certify the AAUP as the bargaining agent for the faculty at that campus. They submitted cards representing between 55-60% of the faculty, guaranteeing that an election will be held, and promising an election in which faculty have an excellent chance for success. This contrasts significantly with the drive at UA in 1993, when only 29% voted for collective bargaining. At a rally on October 29, the University of Akron AAUP held a meeting to celebrate the successful card campaign. Just before that meeting, the University of Akron Provost sent an email to all faculty containing 25 questions and answers regarding supposedly key issues to consider around collective bargaining. While the email was greeted with some skepticism and amusement, it also raised an important issue at the UA campus. The AAUP Chapter at Akron has been barred from using the university email system, while the administration retains free access to it for the purposes of blocking the organizing drive. It seems that the administration is treating the faculty in a paternalistic way, and simultaneously attempting to convince them that the current situation at Akron is collegial. I know there's an irony in there somewhere. Beyond that, there is no way that the administration can justify such behavior during a period where faculty must consider all points of view. UA faculty should be encouraged to assert their rights. If you know anyone at that campus, call them and tell them to vote for collective bargaining. AAUP News |