|
Reception for new faculty:
Akron-AAUP is hosting an informal
get-together for new faculty to meet the union leadership, as well as other new
faculty who have been hired this past year. This gathering will take place on
Wednesday, February 13th, at 3:00 p.m. in the
Student Union Room 308. Refreshments will be served.
The purpose of this meeting is to introduce new faculty to their union, since
most probably are not familiar with unions composed of university professors. In
this meeting we plan to briefly describe the union's history on this campus, and
explain what the union is charged with doing for all faculty (for instance, we
negotiate a new contract every four years - including raises and benefits, and
defend the academic freedom of all faculty). But our primary goal is to answer
questions new faculty may have about anything relevant to union business (for
instance, about raises, retention, promotion). This meeting will give new
faculty the opportunity to get information directly from the source - the Akron-AAUP
Executive Committee, including our Grievance Officer.
New faculty planning to attend
should RSVP by Wednesday, February 6th to President Jennifer Holz (jh16@uakron.edu)
Return to Top of page
Stanley Aronowitz (CUNY) to
Speak on Academic Freedom:
Title: “Teaching
Inconvenient Truths: The Role of Academic Freedom in a Healthy Democracy.”
When: Wednesday, February
27, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Where: Student Union Ballroom C
The relevance of academic freedom in the 21st century has
been challenged by events such as the 9/11 attacks and by those who assert that
“group think” has taken over American campuses. David Horowitz has named Dr.
Aronowitz one of the “101 most dangerous academics in America.” Whether you
agree or disagree with his take on academic freedom in the post-9/11 world, Dr.
Aronowitz is sure to provoke both thought and discussion about this important
issue.
Stanley Aronowitz has taught at the Graduate Center of the City University of
New York since 1983, where he is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology. He
studies labor, social movements, science and technology, education, social
theory and cultural studies, and is director of the Center for the Study of
Culture, Technology and Work at the Graduate Center. He is founding editor of
the journal Social Text and is a member of its advisory board, and he sits on
the editorial boards of Cultural Critique and Ethnography. He has published more
than two hundred articles and reviews in publications such as Harvard
Educational Review, Social Policy, The Nation, and The American Journal of
Sociology.
Return to Top of page
2007 Year in Review - Some
of the Accomplishments of Your Faculty Union:
- Summit College Overload. As a result of a
grievance filed last summer, and in cooperation with the
university’s Office of Employment and Labor Relations,
ten faculty in Summit College will be receiving their
much overdue overload pay. The PAF's have been
completed and approved (Akron-AAUP has copies), and the
overload pay should show up in January's pay.
- 18 Faculty Reclassified as Bargaining Unit
Faculty. At its January 23rd meeting,
the Board of Trustees approved the back pay for the
reclassified bargaining unit faculty (approximately 18)
so that they will enjoy all of the benefits of the
contract from Fall 2005. This should appear in their
February paycheck. This is the negotiated settlement
of a grievance we filed last summer.
- Enrollment Bonus. Last year, all faculty in
the bargaining unit received the $750 enrollment bonus
that was negotiated into the first contract. Though not
part of base pay, the bonus for the entire faculty
amounted to almost $500,000.
- Developmental Programs Overload Pay. Faculty
in Developmental Programs are now receiving overload pay
for their teaching load in excess of the normal load.
They routinely have had 30 hour loads as mandating by
their appointment level as College Lecturers.
- Teaching Replacment. AAUP intervened when a
Department Chair told faculty they would have to find a
teaching replacement when they were on bereavement
leave.
- Merit Guidelines. AAUP assisted some
department's in writing their merit guidelines. Approved
Merit Guidelines are posted on the Akron-AAUP webpage.
- Summer Schedule. AAUP worked with Admin. on
the 2008 summer course schedule. (this was very
important to Wayne faculty who can now have a reasonable
uninterupted break.)
- Graduate Student Memberships. AAUP offered
Graduate Student AAUP Membership Scholarships.
- Meeting with Eric Fingerhut. Leadership met
with Chancellor Fingerhut last summer at his invitation.
- Nursing Dean Search. Akron-AAUP worked with
Nursing faculty and the Provost to speed up the process
to find a Dean.
- RTP and Chair Review. We kept faculty
informed about approved RTP and Chair Review guidelines
by posting on
www.akronaaup.org.
- Retired Faculty and Merit/Market. Akron-AAUP
made sure that recently retired faculty received the
merit and market adjustments they deserved. Originally
they were left out of the computations.
-
Representation on University Committees - Protecting
Faculty Interests:: Your faculty union has
representatives on several special committees including
the parking task force and health benefits. We are also
represented on the "smoking ban" committee, and the
North Central accreditation focus visit group. Several
other commitees are populated with Akron-AAUP chapter
members.
-
Representation at State and National AAUP: Our
chapter has elected representatives to the Ohio
Collective Bargaining Congress (CBC), the National CBC
and the National AAUP Governing Council, as well as
representation on the AAUP Committee on College and
University Governance.
- Ongoing
Grievances and Arbitrations: Contract
Administration and Grievance Officer Linda Barrett is
representing faculty interests well with an array of
ongoing issues. Most notably, the issue of interest owed
faculty for the delay in implementing mertit guidelines
and merit pay for 2006-07.
|
Many other matters regarding the interpretation and
implementation of the contract have been resolved quietly in the
biweekly meetings between faculty representatives from the Akron-AAUP,
the Associate Provost, and Office of Employee and Labor Relations.
It is important for UA faculty to remember that all this activity
was accomplished by colleagues of yours - faculty just like you -
who have similar teaching, research, and service committments.
Except for the monumental task undertaken by Grievance Officer
Barrett, who receives some release time for her duties - all other
chapter members have devoted their time without compensation.
|
Return to Top of page
Plans for AAUP Summer
Institute 2008:
Last year the chapter funded three
chapter members to Reno, Nevada for three days of intensive training and focused
workshops. We'd like to do so again this summer. For any chapter member
interested in moving into leadership roles in the local chapter, this is an
excellent opportunity to appreciate all that AAUP does for you and the
profession. This year the Summer Institute is scheduled for July 24-27 at the
University of Rhode Island.
Return to Top of page
"Faculty interests are Akron-AAUP interests, so
Ask Us Anything"
Akron-AAUP
Communications Committee
Return to Top of page Back
to Akron-AAUP Home Page
|
