AAUP Accedes to Administration Request—Negotiations Delayed At the request of Cleveland State’s administration, the CSU-AAUP has agreed to delay negotiations on economic issues until early November. Citing uncertainties in the budget for the next biennium, the administration asked the AAUP to postpone negotiations on the next contract until after November 9, at which time the administration claims it may have a better sense of how much money will be available for raises during the next three years. The AAUP agreed to this request because there appeared to be no downside to it. Given the normal pace of negotiations, it would probably have taken until mid October before we started discussing economic issues anyway. So it seemed sensible to agree to defer discussion of monetary issues until November when the budget picture may be clearer. As a consequence, the current contract has been extended until March 1. In exchange for agreeing to this delay, the AAUP asked for several
things: 1) agreement to begin discussing non economic issues no later
than October 1, so we are ready to turn promptly to economic issues
in November, 2) agreement to bring in a fact-finder/mediator immediately
if a tentative agreement is not reached by January 15, so that any
remaining issues may be resolved promptly, 3) agreement that salary
increases negotiated for the new contract will be retroactive to fall,
2006, and 4) agreement that each faculty member would receive $1,000
of faculty development money for the academic year 2006-7, accessible
immediately under the same conditions as in the last contract. The
administration has agreed to all of these conditions. Members of the negotiating team are: David Larson, chief negotiator,
Nilufer Dural, Eileen Berlin-Ray, Ed Thomas, and Susan Slotnick, with
two alternates, William Beasley and Pratibha Ghatage. ☼ Chapter officers elected in April are: Paul Doerder, president; Elizabeth Cagan, vice president; Leo Jeffres, treasurer (who will take over after the treasurer’s report by the outgoing treasurer, Ed Thomas); William Beasley and Diana Orendi, members at large. This past year, James Carl served as secretary, resigning when he became chair of his department. Ed Thomas was elected secretary, but has been appointed grievance officer and a new secretary is being elected. ☼ Planning and Negotiating the Contract Members of the Bargaining Council include faculty elected by college (William Beasley, Education and Health Services; Bob Cutler, Business; John Jeziorowski, Science; Jeff Karam, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences; Harry Margulis, Urban Affairs; Ernest Poulos, Engineering), faculty elected as at-large representatives (Norbert Delatte, Pratibha Ghatage, Robert Krebs, David Larson, Susan Slotnick), members of the chapter Executive Committee (Paul Doerder, Elizabeth Cagan, Edward Thomas, Rodger Govea, Leo Jeffres, Diana Orendi), and members of the negotiating committee noted above. As negotiations continue, the council will be consulted to see that
the contract emerging reflects the views and wishes of the chapter
membership to the greatest extent possible. ☼ Welcome back! And, welcome new faculty members! A busy summer has merged into a busy fall semester, with negotiations for our 5th contract the most pressing AAUP issue. Many thanks to the Bargaining Council for its work over the summer and to the negotiating team for obtaining faculty development funds for this academic year. If you have any questions concerning negotiations, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 2I am pleased to announce that Ed Thomas has been appointed grievance officer. Ed replaces Rodger Govea who is on professional leave having obtained a Fulbright Fellowship. Prior to his outstanding service as grievance officer, Rodger was communications officer. Ed can be reached at 687-4766. Since Ed was secretary-elect, a special election will be held to select a new secretary. I extend a special invitation to faculty who are not AAUP chapter
members to join the AAUP and participate in its activities, including
voting on ratification of a new contract. A special note to new faculty
members: you must sign a membership form to join the chapter, as payment
of fair-share dues does not automatically confer membership. The membership
form is downloadable at http://www.csuohio.edu/aaup/download/download.htm.
As always, I welcome your questions, comments, suggestions and ideas.
Call me (x2442) or email at f.doerder@csuohio.edu. ☼ Policy on Nonmember Objector Fees 1. Employees who are not members of the Union, but who pay financial core fees, may request an adjustment in that fee based on their objection to Union expenditures they believe are not reasonably related to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment. 2. If you wish to object, the objection must be made within forty-five (45) calendar days of the date of this instrument. This notice normally will be sent in September of each year. It also will be provided at such other times as required by law. If the objection is timely filed, the advance reduction in the objector’s fee shall be effective for that calendar year, and will be based upon the Union’s expenditures for the preceding fiscal year (August 1 – July 31). Unless objections are made during the 45-day window period, there will be no adjustment of fees for that academic year; you will be charged the normal full monthly dues amount. Objections must be made on an individual basis only. No group objections will be considered. Objections must be renewed annually; there can be no rolling objections. 3. The financial core fee payable by objectors will be based on the Union’s expenditures for those activities or projects normally or reasonably undertaken by the Union to advance the employment-related interests of the employees it represents or are otherwise germane to collective bargaining. These are referred to as “chargeable” expenditures. 4. Chargeable expenditures include but are not limited to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance-arbitration. “Nonchargeable” expenditures include but are not limited to those in support of partisan politics or ideological causes not germane to the work of employee organization in the realm of collective bargaining. |
In the preceding fiscal year (August 1 2005 – July 31 2006), a minimum of 57.5% of the Union’s expenditures was made for chargeable activities. 42.5% was spent on non-chargeable activities. Therefore, nonmembers who file objections will be charged 57.5% of the normal full Union does amount during this academic year. However, in order to be charged the adjusted amount, you must send the Union a written objection within the time limits described herein. Otherwise, you will be charged the full dues amount. 5. Upon receipt of your objection, the Union will send you a full explanation of the basis for the fee charged to you. That explanation will include a detailed list of the categories of expenditures deemed to be chargeable and those deemed to be nonchargeable, and include the accountant’s report showing the Union’s expenditures on which the fee is based. 6. Following receipt of the information described in the previous paragraph, objectors will have thirty (30) calendar days in which to file a challenge with the Union to its calculation. A. Preliminary Step: Executive Committee Review. The Union Executive
Committee will hold a hearing on a challenge within thirty (30) days
of the date the challenge is received by the Union. The purpose of
the hearing is to allow the challengers to explain why they believe
the reduced fee has not been properly determined. The Executive Committee
will consider all the evidence and issue a written decision within
thirty (30) calendar days of the hearing. The Executive Committee may
direct that any or all of the challenges received be consolidated for
hearing. All challenges will then be consolidated into a single proceeding and submitted to an impartial arbitrator chosen in accordance with the American Arbitration Association’s rules for impartial determination of union fees. A portion of the objector’s fee equal to the amount which is challenged will be held in an interest-bearing escrow account while the objector pursues the challenge. The objector will be notified of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The objector and the Union will each bear all individually incurred costs in connection with presenting the challenge (travel, witness fees, lost wages, etc.) and may split all arbitration fees. Objectors may, also at their own expense, be represented by counsel or other representatives of their choosing. A court reporter may make an official transcript of the hearing before the arbitrator. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding to the extent permitted by law. 7. Objections, challenges, and any other correspondence must be sent
to the Union at: In your letter of objection challenge, and request for arbitration, if any, please print and sign your name, address, employer, and social security number. ☼ Locating Us on the CSU Website If you’ve wondered where the AAUP chapter information is hidden on the CSU website, clip through the following sequence: Faculty and Staff (on the CSU home page, nestled between “alumni and
friends” and “visitors”) Employee Governance (located along
the left hand column) Cleveland State’s AAUP Chapter Membership
Hits 237, New Member Reception Hosted AAUP News |