‘Sides far apart’
OU, union negotiate contract before classes
On Tuesday night the labor contract between Oakland University teachers and school administration was extended an additional 24 hours.
Amy Pollard, executive director of the OU American Association of University Professors (AAUP), told The Oakland Press in an email Wednesday morning that the contract, which was set to expire at midnight Tuesday, would expire at midnight Wednesday with no future extensions expected.
“Sides remain far apart,” she wrote.
This follows a weekend in which no negotiations took place, with both sides blaming the other.
OU officials said a state
mediator spent 10 hours on Tuesday working with both sides on the contract extension and a new labor agreement. Both sides were expected to resume talks at noon Wednesday.
Karen Miller, an OU history professor and AAUP representative, said Wednesday morning that it’s possible mediation will yield progress.
“We are concerned that the university is still adamant about not protecting our part-time faculty, our special lecturers,” Miller said. “We had asked for changes to the contract and they are very adamant to not make those changes.”
In an OU statement circulated among employees Wednesday morning, the “primary, unresolved issue” was the union proposal to increase total compensation for part-time faculty by more than 10%.
“University negotiators view this focus as untenable,” OU’s statement read. “Such a dedication of resources would negatively impact compensation for all other employees, including tenured and tenure-track faculty members, as well as divert resources away from areas more directly targeted for student success and research. The university is therefore seeking more equitable compensation adjustments.”
Contributions towards healthcare and pensions remain too low, Miller said, while salaries are not being increased. She added that executive suites, such as vice presidents, senior vice presidents, associate and assistant provosts, have increased over the years and the union’s understanding is that their salaries are not being affected.
“Some faculty members have $100,000 in student debt,” she said. “They can’t take pay cuts. It’s so unfair. I’m hurt and I’ve been at the university for almost 30 years. I have never seen this kind of public-facing language, ‘We love our faculty, we respect them and they’re wonderful.’ Then they turn around and say, ‘We pay too much for your healthcare. We don’t think you deserve more summer pay; you deserve less summer pay.’ From my perspective it feels hurtful.”
The OU statement also cited the school’s enrollment, which has experienced an 8% drop compared to last year.
“This has created a $17 million revenue shortfall,” the school said. “Compounding the university’s concern is a dramatic decline in the number of high school graduates in Michigan. Despite these concerns, the university is still striving to increase overall compensation for all faculty in a new union contract, including special lecturers, in a fair, equitable and financially responsible manner.”
Miller said, however, that she and her members are seeing tuition bills going up, teachers’ take-home pay going down, and that those at the top are not being affected.
“This is a knee-jerk reaction, ‘Let’s cut the faculty salary and that will help us,’” Miller said. “That’s not a plan. It’s a Band-Aid at best.”