More Chapters Call on Management to Settle with US-AAUP
Plus more updates from bargaining including an obvious one: staff don't have trust funds and are bargaining in good faith for equity and economic security.
Some great news: the executive committees of AAUP chapters at the University of Connecticut, the University of New Hampshire, and Wesleyan University have signed on to the letter calling on AAUP leadership to quickly settle a contract with the United Staff of the AAUP (US-AAUP). Sixteen chapter executive committees representing over five thousand members have now signed on to the letter, and support continues to grow.
Yet management continues to refuse to move toward greater equity in their proposals, despite significant concessions by the US-AAUP in bargaining, including our recent proposal to decrease study leave by one-third (from six months to four months, because we want a contract and are moving to make it happen). Management offered four months at half pay in response, a proposal that would only deepen inequity, as only the highest paid staff (mostly white staff in management, and certainly not majority-BIPOC assistant and associate staff) could afford to spend four months working on a study-leave project at half pay.
Previously, management urged the elimination of study leave because AAUP provides only majority-white senior program officers with the benefit, while the staff union proposed to expand access to associates and assistants. When asked if they thought cutting pay to 50% would prevent the lowest paid staff, who are predominantly associates and assistants and staff of color, from being able to afford taking study leave while still paying their mortgage, rent, or basic necessities, the management team replied with astonishing answers. Management team member Rudy Fichtenbaum said,
“We aren’t in the position to make those judgments. We’re not going to try to expound on it. Everyone’s finances are different. Some people have trust funds, some have partners, some don’t. How would we know? There’s no point in us trying to explain it.”
We didn’t think we’d ever have to say this, but alas, no, members of the staff do not have trust funds. And the income of each employee is clearly stated on the staff salary report available to all and often referenced in bargaining.
Later, Aaron Nisenson, AAUP senior counsel and chief spokesperson, responded to the question of barriers to study leave with the following,
“Study leave can be a barrier to lower paid staff who don’t have PhDs or MAs or aren’t former faculty, who all have experience with taking leave for projects. Other people don’t have that experience, I don’t as a lawyer. That’s our position….I haven’t taken it because it’s a strange concept to me.”
Our associate and assistant staff do know what they would want to do during a study leave; professional development is not a foreign concept to any of our staff. Members have repeatedly shared what projects they would do during a leave for professional development, including two staffers who would like to do the Salesforce administrator training so that AAUP could improve its membership system and stop paying for outside technical support. Another member would do a professional certification in meeting planning, important skill-building given the number of meetings the AAUP holds, a number that will likely grow due to the affiliation with AFT. To suggest that associate and assistant staff aren’t capable of taking leave for projects is classist, problematic, and just plain wrong.
Beyond this, management only re-offered proposals from March and July--one of which regressed from a prior position on compensation by over $100,000. We’re sad to see a national labor union commit to an ongoing unfair labor practice against its own staff.
The AAUP’s management has been pushing to enter in-person mediation, which is concerning. With mediation comes considerable time and financial cost. The management team is insistent on in-person mediation where staff would be pulled from the field to DC at great expense to members and disruption to campaigns. We’re not sure it makes sense to spend AAUP member dues to fly staff to in-person meditation in DC nor are we comfortable with management choosing to fly some but not all of our team as proposed, which amounts to the employer choosing the composition of the union team. As many of you know, mediation with FMCS is lengthy and will further protract negotiations as well as make them less transparent due to confidentiality and restricts observing sessions. Most important, a mediator will ask the management team the reasons behind their positions in order to understand their goals and proceed to a resolution. Yet in every session, management is unable to articulate clear reasons for proposals beyond, “this is our position,” and respond with hostility to calm, direct questions about rationale. Right now in negotiations, we need more clarity from management and transparency in the process, not less. If the staff union were to enter mediation, management would need to come prepared to state clearly the problems they are trying to solve with each of their proposals so as not to waste money and time.
The US-AAUP has presented proposals that are fair, equitable, and under budget. We have made significant movement toward management’s positions, and management has made almost no movement toward us. US-AAUP members are ready to settle a fair contract if the AAUP would come to the table in good faith.
We are grateful for the many AAUP members who have expressed solidarity and worked to support us in negotiations. What can you do next? Chapters can sign on to the letter of support. Individuals can record statements of support for our Facebook page. Several members have asked how they can get involved in writing an op-ed or talking to the press about why they’re supporting the US-AAUP in these negotiations. Additionally, if you are interested in attending negotiations as a silent observer, we would like to do our best to accommodate you. If you are interested in doing any of the above, please reach out to bargaining team member Mariah Quinn at mariahrainquinn (at) gmail.com.