Editor's Note: This is the first in a four-part series about faculty unionization.
Prompted by a resolution in Faculty Senate and a feeling among some that faculty morale is at an all-time low while administrative power is at an all-time high, Ohio University professors are discussing the possibility of unionizing.
The original resolution, put forth by Sen. Ken Brown, urges unionization to address faculty concerns about shared governance, salaries and a disagreement over health care spending.
Faculty senators and other professors are now trying to gather enough information to decide how to proceed. Though the Faculty Senate vote would not be binding in any way, it could set the tone for further discussions recommending unionization. At their September meeting, senators were torn about how far to go with the resolution.
We're getting ready to recommend unionization
and we don't know the answers to some of these very basic questions College of Business Sen. Toby Stock said in an interview. That's a very strong statement for people who don't know what they're talking about.Though Stock and others voiced concerns at the meeting about not having enough information to make an informed vote, several other senators were vocal in favor of the resolution, and senate Chairman Sergio L+ you're saying you want a vote on the union
said Joe Bernt, secretary of the OU chapter of the AAUP, adding that right now the focus is on getting faculty senators to talk to professors in their departments about this possibility.
Faculty and administrators say they're having a difficult time gauging the level of support for unionization.
I don't think there is a general faculty sentiment
said Ben Ogles, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. My sense is there are faculty that have some feelings that resonate to some degree with the dissatisfaction expressed in the Faculty Senate resolution
but don't know whether that means they should unionize or not.
If enough cards are returned, SERB conducts an election. Passing requires a simple majority of votes in favor of unionizing. Faculty will elect a negotiator or team by a simple vote, and then negotiations begin.
Bernt said he expects the first negotiations to be very tough.
Rudy Fichtenbaum, chief negotiator for Wright State University's AAUP chapter, said their union's first negotiations were all right for the most part.
We got down to really just the pay and benefits
and frankly the administration was not really prepared to negotiate with us
Fichtenbaum said.
Administrators and faculty then moved to fact-finding on those points, a process that only occurs in a stalemate whereby each side presents their case to a neutral SERB or a SERB-approved third party for a recommendation. The recommendation can only be rejected by a three-fifths vote on either side. Wright State's AAUP chapter has not been to fact-finding since the first contract nine years ago.
Patrick Shaw, labor lawyer and associate secretary for AAUP-National, said the national organization will send some people to OU to help train the negotiators that faculty elect, if the union comes about.
We're providing advice and assistance on a daily basis
he said, adding, Does the national come in and basically do the work? The answer is no.
Whether or not the senate passes the resolution, professors interested in unionizing can continue to move forward with a card drive independently. AAUP can act as a collective bargaining agent if the chapter's members vote to do that. Membership would depend on the contract, but at least all Group I faculty would be included in the union. AAUP, though not the only choice for a collective bargaining agent, is most likely because it already has a presence on campus.
OU-AAUP is planning to sponsor some educational efforts to help faculty better understand the unionization process. Over the summer, several members of the University of Akron's chapter came to campus to answer faculty questions.
eg349206@ohiou.edu
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