Regarding the coming Janus Decision

A message from your union, which brought you faculty control of RPT guidelines

Dear colleagues,

Any day now the U.S. Supreme Court will release a decision in the “Janus case” (a.k.a. Janus v. AFSCME Council 31), and we can expect the conservative majority of the court to reverse the forty year precedent allowing unions to charge agency fees. We will be in contact with membership about the specifics of the decision shortly after it becomes public. 

Today I write not to explain why I think the expected decision is wrong (though I do). Instead, I want to talk to a particular group: those of you, current fee payers and perhaps some members, who might be uncertain about the value of membership in United Academics. Non-members will no longer be charged 0.8321% of their salary as a fee for the services provided by the union. Why is membership in UA worthwhile? 

Certainly, UA, like unions in general, has had a positive effect on salaries and benefits over the long term (see our website for details). But I would be the first to acknowledge that, while the raises in our latest contract are solid, they are not dramatic improvements. 

This is about more than money. I encourage you to look over the items under “Why a Union?” on our website, or perhaps review some of the emails I have sent out over the year. Consider talking to colleagues who have been helped by the Contract Administration Committee, in small ways (e.g., straightening out the disbursement of summer money) or large (e.g., correcting unfair behavior by a dean towards a tenure track faculty member, or helping a faculty member whose privacy is threatened by a partisan journalist). 

Also, I get it that you may not like something, or many things, about UA. There’s the conflict with the administration that many find annoyingly strident, for example, or the extra layer to the bureaucracy that results in things like work load forms. In that you are not different from most members. Personally, I do not enjoy the adversarial relationship with the administration that comes with negotiating and defending a contract, and it sometimes takes me some effort to get along with other union members when faced with inevitable disagreements about politics or style that occur in a democratic organization. 

The union is not perfect. But it is considerably better than its absence, and it only works as long as members support it. 

For me at root it is about faculty governance. When I was in graduate school, I never imagined for a minute that I would be spending time as a professor worrying about the cost of athletic facilities, or the differences between tuition and fees. I thought my life was going to be all about the life of the mind. I have since come to the conclusion, however, that for the life of the mind to flourish, it needs a home, and faculty like us sometimes need to put in a little time taking care of that home. From experience, I've seen that if faculty aren't keeping an eye on things, people who are further away from the real work of the institution make all the decisions, perspectives can get lost, and the whole institution can start to stray. Administrators are not evil, but they are under their own pressures from the outside, and the union is a counterforce against those pressures. 

Part of the calling of being a professor, I’ve come to deeply believe, is taking responsibility for the institution. Contributing to UA by being a member is an important way to do that. It’s about professionalism, about taking some responsibility. Besides better salaries and benefits, UA makes the university more fair, predictable, and professional.

For all these reasons, I urge you to join the union and/or take seriously your commitment to being a member. While it might not be obvious to you on a day to day basis, I think if you look into it you will find that United Academics makes UVM a better place to work, a better context for the magic of the classroom and the research lab. Your membership and participation help all of us. 

Please be in contact, and thank you,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu  

http://www.unitedacademics.org/join-us/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/uvm-salaries-before-and-after-ua/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/meet-our-members/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/why-a-union-2/

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

UVM FACULTY RATIFIES CONTRACT WITH THE ADMINISTRATION

UVM Faculty ratifies contract with the administration

For immediate release: May 29, 2018

Contact: Tom Streeter, thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

UVM Faculty ratify contract with the administration

Burlington, VT—Today, the full-time members of United Academics, the faculty union of the University of Vermont, voted overwhelmingly to ratify the agreement reached with the administration for a contract after fifteen months of negotiation.

Faculty won an 8.5% salary increases over the three years of the contract (2.5% the first year, and 3% the following two years), increased pay for promotions and summer teaching, a workload reduction for non-tenure-track faculty, and more. Administration proposals to reduce faculty control over their intellectual property were rebuffed, and benefits won in previous contracts were maintained.

According to Prof. Tom Streeter, President of United Academics, “many public university administrations across the country are seeking to undermine faculty professionalism and autonomy by letting salaries stagnate, reducing job protections, reducing or eliminating research sabbaticals, and reducing faculty control over what and how they study and teach. In that context, this contract represents a victory for the faculty and students of the University of Vermont. Students will continue to learn from teacher-scholars at the forefronts of their fields. The disciplined free inquiry that has made UVM an environment conducive to bold and cutting edge research has been preserved.”

UA Vice President and Professor of English Sarah Alexander noted that “over the long term the struggle over control of universities continues. For the good of UVM and its students, we will continue to press against the tendency of university administrations, including UVM’s, to treat the university as if it were a private business where students are merely revenue sources and faculty are an expense to be minimized. Universities exist to serve the public good, and United Academics will continue to serve as an important protector of that role.”

Almost all issues for the contract were settled during bargaining between January and September of 2017. The main sticking points going into mediation in September were salary and an administrative effort to reduce faculty’s rights to the intellectual property in their courses under certain circumstances. The administration dropped the intellectual property clause in December, which meant the only issue going into fact finding was salary. After a fact finding hearing in February and submissions of final exhibits by both sides on March 23rd, a report by Fact Finder Michael Ryan was released to both parties on May 7th. 

The report to a large degree supported UA’s analysis. Regarding the administration’s claim during negotiations that UVM faculty were already competitively paid, the fact finder noted that “objectivity balks at [the administration’s] selection” of the Oklahoma State Univ. (OSU) annual survey of faculty salaries as a comparator (the basis for the administration’s public claims during negotiations that UVM faculty were at 104% of national averages). “It is hard to envision,” he  

continued, “what [UVM] might have in common with the University of North Dakota, the University of South Alabama, and Central Michigan University, to pick a few examples from the OSU list.” There is, he concluded, a “continuing need to increase the bargaining units' salaries to be more in line with their comparable peers.” (UA’s exhibit on UVM faculty salaries in a national context, authored by Prof. Beth Mintz, is attached.) 

The fact finder also noted that “There is no doubt that the University is currently on a firm financial footing. Enrollment is stable or increasing. The revenue picture is generally positive, and the reserves are strong. The bond-rating agencies have recognized this performance, commenting on the University’s ‘strong’ financial profile and ‘stable outlook.’” 

“This has been a long process – too long,” said Streeter. “The end results are better than what we would have gotten without hanging tight, and they should give the administration pause before they choose to drag things out through mediation and fact finding in the future. But we can safely say that our union has acted successfully to protect the well-being of faculty and the intellectual vitality of the University of Vermont.” 

http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/ 

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MEETINGS, MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

Dear colleagues,

Today, a reminder that there will be no BOT event, reminders of upcoming meetings Thursday at 2:00 and Tuesday at 11:30, and some more details about the tentative agreement.

First, please note that there will be no special UA effort to distribute information at the opening of this week’s BOT meeting; we planned something in case the administration did not accept the fact finder’s recommendations, but that is no longer necessary. Thanks for all who volunteered to show up.

Second, please remember the Thursday 2:00-3:30 meeting of the Delegates Assembly in Baily Howe Dean's Conference room, and the Tuesday, May 22, 11:30-1:00 Informational Meeting for all membership in Waterman 427.

Third, members of the Delegates Assembly have been fielding questions from members about the details of the contract. This is how it is supposed to work, and we hope more of you contact your DA and Dept. reps if you have any questions.

A few of the questions that have arisen so far:

• Will my raise going into fall 2018 be based on 3% of the salary I’ve been getting this past year or will it take into account the retroactive raise? The latter. Raises going into year two of the contract (we are at the end of year one), will on average be 3% calculated on top of the average 2.5% that is given retroactively. The exact percentage increases will vary from individual to individual, within a small range on either side of the contractual averages of 2.5%/3%/3%. 1% of each year’s raise will be devoted to performance (a better word than “merit”) which will be assigned to individual faculty by deans in consultation with chairs. The ATB parts of the raises will be distributed half as a flat rate and half as a percentage of salary.
• Will my pay for summer courses be based on the current contract? Yes, though the resulting increases in summer pay won’t be processed until some time after ratification. Article 19, specifies that summer courses (and all courses taught as supplemental to your appointment) will be compensated at a minimum of $2100 per credit (versus $2000 per credit in the previous CBA). Section 19.6.c, specifies that the pay is "2.75% of the faculty member's prior academic year base salary for each credit hour taught" if that is greater than the minimum. Your base pay for AY17-18, upon which this will be determined, includes the 2.5% raise.
• Are Deans expected to figure out the performance pay increases for this past year as well as this coming year? Yes. While we do not know yet exactly how this will be administered, under the tentative agreement, Deans will need to distribute 1% of the salary pool for 2017-18 in terms of performance, use that and the 1.5% ATB to calculate everyone’s base pay increase for that year, and then distribute half the total amount of the increase by way of retroactive pay checks (which in the past have come out in a few installments). Then they will also have to determine performance raises that will be used to calculate your pay starting this coming fall.
• Will the one course load reductions every third year apply to clinical faculty as well as lecturers? Yes. The reductions apply to “non tenure track faculty.”
• Will clinical CE’s count the same as regular courses towards those reductions? Sadly, no. We tried to get course equivalents into the clause but the administration would not agree. So that’s something for the next round of negotiations. 

Please feel free to keep sending your questions to your Department Reps, your DA members, or directly to me.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

MOVING TOWARDS CONTRACT RATIFICATION: MEETINGS AND VOTING

Moving towards contract ratification: meetings and voting

Dear colleagues,

It is time to work through the final stages of our contract. Please put the following in your calendars: 

• This Thursday 2:00-3:30 there will be a meeting of the Delegates Assembly in the Bailey Howe Dean's Conference room to go over the details with a representative from the Negotiating Team and make a recommendation to the Executive Council. All UA members are welcome.
• On Tuesday, May 22, 11:30-1:00 in Waterman 427 there will be an Informational Meeting for all membership to go over the details of the contract, so that the ratification vote will be an informed one. To attend this meeting remotely by phone or video, please register in advance with this link:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/af7f0d1b071fddcc66858a512be5123a  
• May 24-29, we will have an electronic contract ratification vote open to members.

If you are not yet a member, but would like to become one to vote on the contract, participate in UA decision making, and strengthen faculty governance at UVM, it’s simple. Just click here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/join-us/ You can bring a filled-out membership form to either of the meetings to participate.

As a democratically run union, it is important that membership have multiple chances to provide input into their contract. We have consulted with membership in multiple ways throughout the negotiations, but it is important that we are all fully informed before the contract goes to membership for a vote. A summary of the process is on our website, as is a link to the full Bargaining Protocol. UA’s Executive Council met this morning, and we worked out this timeline to work through the final stages of finalizing our contract.

Key features of the tentative agreement we will be discussing in the coming week include:

• Raises will be an average of 8.5% over the three years, with 2.5% the first year, and 3% the following two years. 1% is devoted to performance and the rest to Across the Board (ATB) for each year. The bitter pill in the report is that raises are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018, instead of to the end of the last contract. Given the legal weight of the fact finder’s recommendations, we have concluded it necessary to accept this onerous bit in an otherwise good contract. 
• Those who were promoted going into 2017-18 will get full retroactive promotion bumps.
• Those promoted this year and in subsequent years in all categories will get larger promotion bumps than in all previous contracts (which have an effect on career earnings well beyond that of annual raises). 
• Faculty development funds have been increased.
• A workload clause has been introduced which not only gives some lecturers some teaching release but also makes workload issues easier to bargain in the future.
• We successfully kept benefits level, headed off an onerous intellectual property clause that the administration wanted, and more.

More details are in the attached document.

Please attend one or both meetings, and please vote. As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

CONTRACT TERMS AGREED UPON; DA AND MEMBERSHIP VOTES COMING

Contract terms agreed upon; DA and Membership votes coming

Dear colleagues,

Some news: in a brief meeting this afternoon, representatives of United Academics and UVM’s administration agreed to accept the Fact Finder’s recommendations regarding salary, which means we have agreed on all aspects of the contract for full time faculty. The tentative agreement needs to be voted on by UA’s Executive Council and the Delegates assembly before it goes out to membership for a ratification vote. It will also need to be approved by UVM’s Board of Trustees this weekend. But the end is in sight. Stay tuned. 

The Fact Finder’s report was released a week ago. Referencing the solid financial health of the university and “the continuing need to increase the bargaining units' salaries to be more in line with their comparable peers,” the report recommends raises of 8.5% over the three years, with 2.5% the first year, and 3% the following two years. 1% is devoted to performance and the rest to Across the Board (ATB) for each year. These are less than we think the faculty deserve, but they are better than anything the administration offered during negotiations or mediation. They vindicate the core of our bargaining positions. 

Both sides have agreed to go with those numbers. Both UA and the administration believe that, 

The bitter pill in the report is that raises are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018. We were frankly shocked. Besides resulting in a smaller retroactive pay check, we are concerned that this plants a seed for the administration to threaten non-retroactivity in future negotiations. Previous proposals for non-retroactivity around the state have been turned down by fact finders because of the perverse incentive it gives to management to stall in negotiations. This report claims tuition revenue shortfalls in FY 2018 justify partial retroactivity nonetheless. Because, if we took a different salary proposal to the VLRB, they would most likely impose the fact finder’s report anyway, we feel it wiser to accept this onerous bit in an otherwise solid raise picture. 

(Over the weekend, we considered the possibility of moving some of the money from years two and three into year one for full retroactivity, but this would result in lower average base pay at the end of year three and thus have a negative effect on a faculty’s income over the course of their career. For this and other reasons, a strong majority of the DA and other leadership recommended sticking with the bitter pill of partial retroactivity.) 

There are many other gains in this contract. Those who were promoted going into 2017-18 will get full retroactive promotion bumps, promotion bumps in all categories have been increased, faculty development funds have been increased, a workload clause has been introduced which not only gives some lecturers some teaching release but also makes workload issues easier to bargain in the future. We successfully kept benefits level, headed off an onerous intellectual property clause that the administration wanted, and more. Some highlights are in the attached document. 

This has been a long process – too long. The end results are better than what we would have gotten without hanging tight, and they should give the administration pause before they choose to drag things out through mediation and fact finding in the future. But we can safely say that our union has acted successfully to protect the well-being of faculty and the vitality of the University of Vermont. 

Thanks to you all,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

FACT FINDER'S REPORT NOW IN HAND, RALLY TOMORROW 12:00-1:30

Fact finder’s report now in hand, rally tomorrow 12:00-1:30

Dear colleagues,

I write to report that the fact finder’s report has arrived, and to encourage you to come to an event tomorrow at noon in front of Bailey Howe. 

The fact finder recommends raises notably better than anything proposed by the administration during negotiations or mediation. It’s not the best we could have hoped for, and includes some irritations, but it is solid. The report vindicates our position on salaries. (More details will be provided at the DA meeting this Friday at Friday, May 11, 3:00- 4:30pm, Bailey Howe conference room; all UA members are welcome.) 

This means it is basically now in the administration’s hands. The long term history is that the Vermont Labor Relations Board almost always goes with the fact finder’s report, so there is every reason for both sides to go with the fact finder’s numbers rather than continuing to haggle. The law requires both sides to enter into negotiation for 20 days once the report appears, and since as far as we are concerned, there’s very little left to talk about, we hope the administration sees reason and settles quickly. 

But they could use some encouragement. Plan to drop by a SHOW US THE CONTRACT/FUND THE FACULTY event outside Bailey Howe, tomorrow, May 9, from 12:00-1:30. Faculty and students can stop by for just a minute to pick up an energy bar (to keep up our energy as we take and grade finals and deal with the administration’s endless foot dragging) and a fact sheet about UVM finances and spending priorities. At 1:00 pm we’ll take a SHOW US THE CONTRACT group photo. Drop by for a few minutes or for the whole time. (RSVP is optional, but appreciated.) 

And remember to reach out to others in your departments and colleges who may not be involved in the union. It is in faculty’s interest to be members, but also new members send a message to the administration that UA is trusted and should be taken seriously. A few more members could really make a difference. So please keep talking to your colleagues, asking them about their concerns about working at UVM, answering their questions about the union and what it does for all of us, and if they are not members, ask them to join. Contact Katlyn Morris for some tips about how to do this effectively. 

Always happy to hear from you.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/join-us/

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

[PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE] TAKE ACTION TO MAKE UVM BETTER: A MAY 9TH RALLY AND MORE

[President's message] take action to make UVM better: a May 9th rally and more

Dear colleagues,

Today, some calls to action: a May 9th rally at noon, some outreach, and more. 

Like many of you, I’m frustrated that the administration has chosen to drag out the full time contract negotiations this long, merely because they don’t want to provide raises even one percent better than inflation. I firmly believe that their thinking is blinkered, short term, and imitative. It is in the long term interest of the University of Vermont to shift priorities towards academics instead of letting our salaries slide in national rankings. 

There are things we can do. Because the fact finder’s report is likely to be delivered on May 8th and the Board of Trustees meets the following week, folks inside and outside UVM will be paying attention. While the semester is coming to a close, we have an opportunity to flood the information space in the coming weeks, and create pressure that can nudge the administration towards settling the contract quickly and focusing more clearly on teaching and research. The CAS no confidence vote in IBB has generated ongoing media coverage which has raised questions about the broad direction of UVM. Leaders in Vermont, on the Board of Trustees, in the legislature, are noticing.

So plan to drop by a SHOW US THE CONTRACT/FUND THE FACULTY event outside Bailey Howe May 9 (reading day) from 12:00-1:30. Faculty and students can stop by for just a minute to pick up an energy bar (to keep up our energy as the administration tries to drag negotiations into a second summer) and a fact sheet about UVM finances and spending priorities. At 1:00 pm we’ll take a SHOW US THE CONTRACT group photo. Drop by for a few minutes or for the whole time

(RSVP is optional, but appreciated.) 

Another way to make a difference is outreach. Our outreach efforts to faculty are working: eleven faculty have joined the union in the last month. One of the best things we can do to encourage the administration to quickly settle the contract is to keep this up. It is in faculty’s interest to be members, but also new members send a message to the administration that UA is trusted and should be taken seriously. Just ten more members in the next two weeks could really make a difference. So please keep talking to your colleagues, asking them about their concerns about working at UVM, answering their questions about the union and what it does for them. Contact Katlyn Morris for some tips about how to do this effectively. 

UVM’s Board of Trustees meets starting on May 18th. If you would like to help with impressing upon the BOT members the faculty’s knowledge and experience, and the need for UVM to shift priorities more clearly towards teaching and research, please let me know. 

Finally, this morning, our part-time contract bargaining team began negotiations on the next UVM part-time faculty contract. Part time faculty are a growing category across the nation, and they are increasingly highly trained professionals with professional careers; the old stereotype of part time instructors as folks who do it casually on the side is no longer true, if it ever was. We invite you to join as an observer at any of our future sessions (the next will be May 30, 10am-2pm). The contract negotiation process is fascinating, and collective bargaining represents some of the fundamental work

of our union. And as we strive to represent all part-time UVM faculty, we always appreciate hearing your experiences and what's important to you.

As always, please keep in touch, and best wishes for the last weeks of the semester.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

http://www.unitedacademics.org/uvm-salaries-before-and-after-ua/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/the-amenities-treadmill-in-higher-ed/ 

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE VLRB & SALARIES

Dear colleagues,

Today, I have some information and a request regarding the VLRB, and some information about the current situation regarding this year’s faculty raises for full time faculty.

First: I have received a number of questions regarding what will happen to this past year’s salaries, as our salaries have been flat ever since our contract expired last June. Will salaries be retroactive? Will we get any raise at all? The current situation is frustrating for everyone and for some faculty can be a hardship. So here's what I can say. Because our contract expired in July ’17 and negotiations are ongoing, we do not yet know the terms of raises for this past year. The fact finder’s report is due around May 8, and while we hope that the contract can be settled shortly thereafter, we can’t be sure. It depends on what the report recommends and what the administration will do in response. As regards to retroactivity, while there are no guarantees, in the past, raises have always been retroactive to the end of the past contract, delivered in a few installments once the contract is signed. Fact finders, including the one we are currently working with, have in the past disallowed proposals for non-retroactivity because to do so would encourage stalling on the part of management. In some previous contracts, however, raises have been “backloaded,” which means the raises are lower in year one of the contract and higher in the subsequent two years. If that turns out to be the case, retroactive raises could be small.

When UA’S EC and Delegate’s assembly considered whether or not to go to fact finding instead of accepting the administration’s near-inflation raise proposals last fall, we made our decision, not because we knew for sure how things would turn out, but because we felt we owed it to faculty to do everything in our power to gain a decent raise, and because we did not want the administration to be allowed to think they can use fact finding as a threat to force us to cave in future negotiations. Up through the release of VSEA’s fact finding report, the comparative numbers that often drive decisions both in Vermont and nationally were looking very much in our favor. A recent VLRB decision regarding the Vermont State Employees Association contract that largely ignored the fact finder’s report is a data point in the not-so-good column, as it looks like the Board is for the moment stacked with management-oriented members. None of this is 100% predictable, but we are confident we have been doing the best job we can to support faculty.

Second, not least because of that recent VLRB decision, I write to ask you to consider sending an email, or even better, calling your Senator in the Vermont Legislature (https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/) to ask them to look closely at, and consider disapproving, the pending confirmation of Karen O’Neill to the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB). This may seem a bit far afield to you, but the terms of our contract are bounded by Vermont law and the decisions made by the VLRB, so it is necessary for UA to keep an eye on developments around the VLRB.

The background is this: the law requires the VLRB to have two representatives from labor, two from management, and two who are neutral. Karen O’Neill was approved for a “neutral” seat on the board in February by Phil Scott’s administration, and the law allows her to serve before being confirmed by the VT Senate. She was thus seated when the VLRB made a decision regarding VSEA that sided with Phil Scott’s administration and against the VSEA, rather shockingly ignoring the fact finder’s report that is normally central to VLRB decision making. Union groups have found, among other things, that she has worked for a law firm that advertises itself as anti-union, which calls her neutrality into question. (A flyer with more information is attached below.) If she is not confirmed by the Senate, that could right the balance on the VLRB, pressuring it to stay objective and neutral, which is in the interest of UA and Vermont. Please consider contacting your senator.

And of course stay tuned for more things you can do to support faculty, UA, and teaching and research at UVM. We have more plans to come. 

As always, please be in touch.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

P.S. you can read more about what UA has done for UVM here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/new-page-2/

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

DA MEETING FRIDAY 1:30, FREE TUITION LEGISLATION HEARING

Dear colleagues,

At this busy time of the semester, I wanted to quickly call your attention to a couple of events.

First, at the Delegates Assembly meeting this Friday at 1:30 in the B/H Library’s Dean’s Conference room, topics for discussion include possible responses to the urgent ongoing issues about cuts and budgeting at UVM, planning ways to keep the community engaged as we prepare for the fact finder’s report next month, and more. Delegates and Representatives are of course encouraged to attend, but DA meetings are open to all members, so if you are a UA member wanting to find out what’s going on and what you might do to get involved, please feel free to show up; your presence will be welcome.

Second, next week, on Wednesday April 18th sometime between 1:00 and 4:00, I hope to testify briefly to the Vermont Senate Education Committee (chaired by Senator and English Prof. Phil Baruth). The committee will be holding a hearing on proposed legislation to create a higher ed “free tuition” system for Vermont. Several states around the country (e.g. New York) have or are working towards systems for their citizens, and this hearing represents the beginning of a public discussion on doing this in Vermont. The idea is ambitious and complicated, will likely take years to implement, and is possibly of great importance to UVM faculty and students in the future.

I plan to make the case that UVM is important to Vermont, it should be taken very seriously in these plans, and that higher education needs to be understood as a public good. UVM faculty contributions to this discussion in the coming months and years could be key in the development of this legislation, so please let me or Katlyn Morris know if you would like to attend the hearing or otherwise contribute.

Best wishes for the last weeks of the semester.

Sincerely,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

STATEMENTS FROM FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT ELECT CANDIDATES

Dear colleagues,

Because I had been receiving questions about the two candidates for Faculty Senate President Elect, Steven Zdatny of History and Thomas Chittenden of Grossman School of Business, I asked both to respond to the following question so I could share their unedited answers with faculty, and they both graciously agreed. 

My question was this: What are your views of United Academics, its role in the lives of faculty, and its relation to the Senate and to faculty governance generally?

Their answers are below, in alphabetical order. 

Best,

Tom Streeter, President, UA

Thomas I. Chittenden, Senior Lecturer, Grossman School of Business

A strong union makes a strong university.  United Academics has done a lot for UVM faculty improving wages, regulating workloads and protecting our interests through collective bargaining.   UA advocacy has raised the shared communal value of Lecturer contributions at UVM over the past 10 years but as a (senior) lecturer I yield to the intellectual heft and priority our tenured faculty rightfully wield at UVM.  It is imperative that our efforts in United Academics and the Faculty Senate remain committed to the disciplined free inquiry at the core of our institution enshrined in the tenure of our thought leaders. 

As for the relation between the UA and to the senate, the Faculty Senate has "authority in matters related to the academic mission" (Constitution and Bylaws Preamble) and  United Academics is "committed to academic freedom, high quality research and education, shared governance, and social and environmental justice." (http://www.unitedacademics.org/).   These two statements evidence the alignment of our governance bodies.  Faculty need UA to advocate for fair working conditions and Faculty need the FS to shepherd the academic mission.  Our Senate and our Union are made up of the same faculty which is why FS and UA collaboration is essential to advance our mutual interests for our students, our faculty and our University. 

I have been a proud member of UA since I started back at UVM in the spring of 2010.  I’ve been in the Faculty Senate since the fall of that year.  I've been active in the UA as a Delegate, a Representative and on the State & Higher Education Issues committee.  I’ve been active in the FS on the Student Affairs Committee, the Educational Research and Technologies Committee and the Executive Council.   I see a strong collaboration between UA and the FS as essential for the success of the university and if elected will be committed to that continued collaboration.  

Steve Zdatny, History Department
As you know, I do not belong to UA.  When I arrived at UVM in 2008, I came in as department chair and therefore was not eligible to join.  Since I left the chair in 2013, I have not taken the opportunity to join; although, of course, as represented faculty, I have continued to pay my fees to UA.  I have had more than one conversation about joining, in particular with my colleagues and good friends, Frank Nicosia and especially Sean Stilwell, but I have not been convinced.

I am no stranger to unions.  In an earlier life I was a warehouseman in New Jersey and a Teamster and have spent most of my professional life as a historian of, among other things, French working people and the French labor movement.  I have taught in several institutions, but UVM is my first unionized faculty, although when I left West Virginia University in 2008, there was a union drive on, organized by the AFT.  I hadn't quite made up my mind when I departed.

Simply put, I accept, based on what my colleagues have all told me, that UA has been a great boon to faculty salaries and benefits.  That is all to the good--depending, of course, on where all that money comes from, since it needs to come from somewhere: students, other employees, the state, the administration.  In any case, I am happy to be the beneficiary of others' good work.  At the same time, I am uncomfortable with what seems to me to be the adversarial culture between the university and the faculty that seems to have developed.  That is in the nature of things where you have a bunch of different interests trying to work together in a constrained system. But the air of labor v. management that appears to permeate relations between the administration and the faculty does not seem like a game I want to play in.  So I have stayed out of it.

When it comes to faculty governance, on the other hand, I am all in.  It is precisely why, despite my inclination to keep my distance from trouble, I let Sean Stilwell convince me that it would be a good idea for me to run for FS president.  It goes without saying that the faculty and the students are the beating heart of university life. The administration is there to make the productive work of research, teaching, and learning go as smoothly as it possibly can.  Obviously, the senate, as the collective voice of the faculty, has a key role to play in making sure all this happens to best effect.  In my six years on the senate, however, I have not been convinced that this has been the case.  The senate, in my view, has spent too much time listening to reports and not nearly enough time debating them.  It's the main reason, I think, that when I look around Waterman Memorial Lounge, I see so many senators checking their email, rather than paying rapt attention to the latest update from the Sustainability Committee, or some analog.  I would like to make the body more attentive and more engaged.  I assume that would profit the cause of faculty governance.

I would be happy to answer any other questions that you and other colleagues might have.  Please feel free to share these thoughts with the UA membership.  And thanks again for giving me the chance to make my position clear. It was an excellent idea.

Very best regards,

Steve Zdatny

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

MEMBER'S MEETING, BUDGET CUT SURVEY REMINDER, MINUTES, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

Today two reminders and some documents to share regarding the Member’s Meeting this Wednesday at 2:30 and a reminder to fill out UA’s quick survey on budget cuts.

1)    Last week we emailed a short (<5 minute) survey with the subject line “Survey on Budget Cut Impacts.” Please fill it out (even if you have felt no impact), before it closes today, Monday April 2nd, at 5:00 pm. The College of Arts and Sciences represents roughly half of UVM in terms of faculty and students. We have been hearing a lot about the various impacts of the cuts, ongoing and proposed, and we are trying to better understand the big picture so as to better serve all faculty across the university. Whether the effects on you have been major, minor, or none at all, we want to know.

2)    The Spring Member’s meeting is Wed. April 4th at 2:30 in John Dewey Lounge. Please come, and bring a colleague. What the union does matters, and this is your chance to learn and make a difference. Attached to this email are an agenda and the minutes in need of approval from previous meetings.  (If you are a fee payer and would like to join so you can participate in the meeting, click here, or come to the meeting and you can sign a member card at the door.)

Best wishes,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

UA MEMBERS' MEETING APRIL 4, 2:30, SURVEY ON CUTS, THE FUTURE OF UA

Dear colleagues,

I have several things to share today: a draft agenda for our spring Members’ meeting (next Wednesday April 4th at 2:30 in John Dewey Lounge in Old Mill), details about the new budget to be voted on at the meeting, a reminder to fill out our survey about cuts in CAS, and a call to engage more faculty in union activities.

1)    Please remember to fill out the short (<5 minute) survey emailed to you on Monday with the subject line “Survey on Budget Cut Impacts.” The College of Arts and Sciences represents roughly half of UVM in terms of faculty and students; what happens there can impact the entire university in various ways. UA is trying to better understand the impacts of ongoing and proposed cuts in CAS on faculty inside and outside of CAS. Whether the effects on you have been major, minor, or none at all, we want to know.

2)    The Spring Member’s meeting is Wed. April 4th at 2:30 in John Dewey Lounge. There is a lot going on. Come and bring a colleague. After approving past minutes we plan to 1) vote on UA's budget and stipend policy for next year (see next item); 2) discuss the state of fact-finding and negotiations; 3) discuss budget cut impacts on education and research at UVM; 4) discuss an outreach campaign to members and fee payers; 5) hear about ongoing efforts to address racial justice issues, D1 courses, and more from the Civil Rights Committee. What the union does matters, and this is your chance to learn and make a difference. (If you are a fee payer and would like to join so you can participate in the meeting, click here, or come to the meeting and you can sign a member card at the door.)

3)    The UA Budget: attached to this email you’ll find documents regarding our proposed budget for next year to be voted on at the Member’s Meeting. There are big changes. The US Supreme Court’s Janus decision is expected to be announced any day now, and it will almost certainly mean that, as a public sector union, we will no longer be able to charge agency fees to fee payers. This will cause a significant drop in our income, and the proposed budget addresses that. We have cut most stipends to faculty in half, and made a few other changes to reduce costs. The EC and the Delegates Assembly have approved these changes, on the grounds that they are fiscally responsible, even if difficult. Please take a minute to look over the budget documents for the details.

4)    Outreach: In part to address the budget situation, and more importantly as an ongoing duty to the democratic nature of the union, we are looking for ways to connect to faculty, whether fee payers or members, who have not been involved in the union recently, and who may not have much awareness of what the union does and how it works. We are building a new section of the website called “Why a Union?” including information on things like the effect of the union on salaries. We ask everyone to talk to their colleagues about work life at UVM and the union, to share ideas and concerns with each other, and to let us know if you hear questions, concerns, complaints, or suggestions.

Thanks for all your contributions to UVM, and please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

WELCOME BACK; UA MEMBER'S MEETING APRIL 4, AAUP ELECTIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

Welcome back from spring break. I hope you comfortably endured, and perhaps got a chance to enjoy, our March snowstorms. I have several things to bring to your attention: a reminder of our member’s meeting on April 4 at 2:30, an AAUP election, information about student scholarships, an update on our contract negotiations, our ongoing outreach campaign, and the effect of an upcoming Supreme Court decision.

UA Spring Member’s meeting, April 4, 2:30 pm in Dewey Lounge, Old Mill: Members, please mark your calendars and come if you can to our Spring Member’s Meeting. We will be discussing a number of issues, including next year’s UA budget. The EC and DA have proposed a budget for approval at that meeting that includes substantial cutbacks in expenditures, in anticipation of the Janus decision (see below). We know that this meeting time will be awkward for some; we worked hard to find a time that would fit with the schedules of as many as we could.

AAUP Elections: A benefit of membership in UA is automatic membership in the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the principle organization in the U.S. for the protection of academic freedom and the professional status of college and university professors. Their annual election is underway, and Prof. Yolanda Flores, of UVM’s Romance Languages and Linguistics, is running for a position on AAUP’s National Council from District 10. Paper ballots have been mailed to home addresses, and are due April 16. You can read about Prof. Flores and other candidates on the AAUP’s website at http://www.aaup.org/about/elected-leaders/elections/2018-election-information. If you have not yet received a ballot, email your name and home address to Help+AAUP@election-america.com OR call Election-America at (888) 914-5654 with your home address. And consider voting for Yolanda.

Student Scholarships: Please consider encouraging eligible students to apply for one or more of UA’s scholarship awards for students with an active commitment to community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice: The Jeffrey Brace Scholarships, named in honor of Jeffrey Brace, an early 19th-century Black Vermonter, former slave and activist; the Linda Backus Memorial Scholarship; and the David Shiman Scholarship for a UVM senior with an outstanding and sustained record of community service.  Details are here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/scholarships/. Thanks to  Dr. Vijay Kanagala, Vijay.Kanagala@uvm.edu, for Chairing the committee.

Contract Negotiations: The negotiating team and our consultants have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare a brief and some rebuttal documents to submit to the fact finder by Friday March 23rd. As the only remaining issue is salary, we are defending our position that it is in the interest of UVM and its students for the administration to provide faculty a reasonable raise, and that they can do so without having to raise tuition or cut faculty lines; there are plenty of other, less essential places to reduce costs. We feel our position is strong. The fact finder will probably take another month to release his recommendations.

Outreach to members and fee payers: in the coming weeks and months, we will be reaching out to faculty in the bargaining unit, especially those who we do not hear from very often, soliciting their opinions and concerns, and working to better communicate what UA does for UVM and its faculty while soliciting input about concerns. This is something we do regularly from time to time, but we have extra motivation to do so because of an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision that will prohibit public unions from charging non-members a fee for representing them in collective bargaining. Known as the “Janus Case,” it is expected that the current conservative majority on the Supreme Court will vote to overturn the legal precedents supporting what we call fee payer status; the expected loss of income from fee payers is why we have proposed a leaner budget for next year. We are proud that a strong majority of faculty are members, but we of course would like any current fee payers to consider becoming members, and are eager to discuss with you why that might be worth it. Most importantly, whatever decisions people make, we want them to be informed ones. Stay tuned for more on this, and in the meantime, if you have questions about the union does for you, you might start here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/why-a-union-2/ or write me at thomas.streeter@uvm.edu.

Sincerely,

Tom Streeter

Prof. of Sociology

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF WEST VIRGINIA TEACHERS

Dear colleagues,

Two items for town meeting day, a statement in support of striking teachers in West Virginia, and, if you are one of those who might wonder what a strike in WV has to do with professors in Vermont, some comments about the value of other unions to us as professors. (If you need no persuading on that, skip to number 2 below.)

1) Why should UA care about other unions? The obvious effect of collective bargaining is that it creates a counterweight to the concentrated power of management. Collective bargaining is shown systematically to result in higher wages and better benefits, and comparisons of UVM pre- and post-union bear this finding out. That need for a counterweight to

concentrated power is why some conservatives support unions (and perhaps is why Vermont’s former Republican Governor Jim Douglas spoke out in favor of of United Academics during his first run for governor in 2002).

There is a less obvious but nonetheless real effect of unions as a whole on the economy and society. Unions are rarely all of one mind, and the disputes between unions about political and policy issues are sometimes fierce, but the general experience is that if unions support each other around core issues, everyone benefits, including non-unionized citizens. Union activists like to point out that now universally-respected practices like the weekend, health benefits, retirement programs and more can be generally traced back to union activities. And there is a pay-it-forward ethos to unions in general; the organization of United Academics was done in part with some help from the outside paid for by other unions’ dues payments to AFT and AAUP, and our union dues subsequently helped with the unionization of local nurses, with whom we now share an umbrella organization, AFT Vermont. For these reasons, UA sometimes chooses to provide various kinds of support to other unions when that relates to our core values and interests. For these reasons and more, UA occasionally chooses to speak out on behalf of other unions.

2) Resolution in Support of Striking West Virginia School Employees

Whereas, some 33,000 members of the West Virginia Education Association, AFT West Virginia and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association have been on strike across the state, and Whereas, these brave public employees have taken a stand for their communities, their families and the children in the public school system of the entire state of West Virginia, anD Whereas, their strike has already successfully extracted concessions from the legislature in the form of a 5% raise, far above the initial offer of a 1% raise, and

Whereas, West Virginia school employees still have much to win, with the issue of health care costs remaining unresolved, and

Whereas, by taking such dramatic action to fight for what’s right contrary to the legal restrictions on public employees in the state of West Virginia, these 33,000 strikers deserve the material support and solidarity of the entire US labor movement, and

Whereas, a victory for the union movement in West Virginia would be a victory for the entire union movement across the United States,

Be it resolved, the Executive Council of United Academics stands in solidarity with the striking public employees of West Virginia, and commits to supporting them through to a final victory by publicizing this statement of support, and donating $250.00 to the publicly administered strike fund to support the teachers. We also encourage those who would like to make their own contributions to the teachers strike fund:   https://www.gofundme.com/wv-teachers-strike-fund

Please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

UPDATES; NON-RENEWALS, NONAMES FOR JUSTICE, PRESS COVERAGE, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

With apologies for adding yet another missive to your inbox, I wanted to update faculty after the many events this week, and try to shed some light in areas that could be prone to confusion. I have comments about non-renewals, news coverage, responses to student protests, and a reminder about an opportunity to talk with students informally this afternoon at 5:00-6:30 in Old Mill.

1)    CAS Dean Falls announced that close to 5 FTE non-tenure-track positions in the college will be non-renewed, and some lecturers received notice yesterday. UA remains concerned that trying to save money by thinning the ranks of lecturers in any college is at best penny wise and pound foolish, given their relatively low salaries and high teaching loads. Technically, these are end-of-contract non-renewals rather than layoffs; they involve Article 14 of the contract (not Article 15, which addresses retrenchment and which is not being invoked by the administration). Thanks to United Academics, the contract provides better protections to lecturers than most non-unionized non-TT faculty in other schools: specifically, multi-year contracts, and requirements of notification if a contract is not going to be renewed (Dec. 15 for senior lecturers and March 1 for lecturers with more than two years of service). But those protections as currently written have their limitations, which we are seeing now. Our remaining leverage on this issue at the moment is to try to influence public understanding in a way that might shift university priorities. Please contact contract@unitedacademics.org if you have concerns about your own status as lecturer; all communication to that address is confidential.

2)    Recent news coverage: There have been a few stories involving UA of late and will likely be a few more. Most people understand that news is rarely a perfect representation of events. To correct any false impressions people may get, let me mention the following. At our public speak out in the Davis Center yesterday the faculty and students who spoke up did not make an argument that UVM relies “too heavily” on adjuncts. Also, we are not against new buildings. We argue that if choices have to be made, that expenses should go to teaching and research, including to teaching and research in the STEM fields. United Academics argues that all colleges and schools are valuable to UVM, and that we are all best off if decisions are made with an eye on the

interdependence of all parts of the university. UVM needs the School of Business and the Classics Department, it needs sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts. Our concerns about cuts in CAS are about how and why they are being made, and do not reflect a preference for any one college over any of the others.

3)    NoNames for Justice: In my capacity as UA President, I was asked by UVM’s administration to attend a meeting yesterday afternoon between the NoNames for Justice student leaders and UVM leadership. The students presented a set of proposals for change at UVM, which they said were “not set in stone” but would be considered as starting points for working out practical approaches to what they think UVM should do to address problems at UVM around diversity and inclusion. The main outcome was that meetings with leadership from across the university were promised to address the proposals. I was asked, and agreed, to participate in a discussion about developing diversity and inclusion training for faculty and staff; I imagine the concerns I bring to the discussion will include that whatever is developed is demonstrably effective, and that it respects faculty concerns about workload and departmental oversight of AEG and RPT guidelines as per the contract. (I am aware of many interesting conversations going on related to these issues around campus, and thank the many faculty who have been making helpful contributions.)

4)    I would like to remind interested faculty that this afternoon we will be meeting informally with interested students, March 1, 5:00-6:30 pm, Old Mill's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Conference Room (between the Geography and Economics department offices): United Academics faculty invites students to join us over pizza for discussion and strategizing, to hear about what students care about, what's driving the downsizing of Arts and Sciences, concerns about diversity, and more. My sense after the past week is that students from many different parts of the university are curious and eager to talk to faculty about issues in general, and hope that those with an interest will drop by.

Please keep in touch. Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

CUTS ON CAMPUS? LEARN AND SPEAK OUT, WED. 12:00 DAVIS CENTER

Dear colleagues,

Today I write first with some invitations, and then some information about recent events on campus.

First, you, your colleagues, and your students are invited to two events this week:  

Wednesday, February 28, 12 noon-1 pm, Davis Center Atrium: United Academics invites the campus community to join us at a Hyde Park-style Speakers' Corner. Share what's on your mind about Budget Cuts and Layoffs, Building Boom and Debt, Racial and Social Justice, UVM Image v. Reality, and the Struggle for UVM's Future. Poster attached. Join and share our Facebook event.

Thursday, March 1, 5:30-6 pm, Old Mill's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Conference Room (between the Geography and Economics department offices): United Academics faculty invite students to join us over pizza for discussion and strategizing, to hear about what students care about, what's driving the downsizing of Arts and Sciences, and what various faculty and students are doing to respond. Join and share our Facebook event.

Next, some reports about recent goings-on.

1)    As a point of information, some students are planning a walk-out for 12 noon today (2/26).  Last night, some faculty attended a meeting with activist students. Those faculty report to me they had thoughtful discussions with student protest leaders about their demands, ways that faculty can support and connect with students seeking Racial justice and equity and about the vital issues facing faculty. The faculty in attendance report they gave particular attention to encouraging students to frame demands in a way that prevents administrators from blaming faculty and the contract, leads to supports for meaningful professional development, and reinforces the call for fair and equitable hiring. I would encourage faculty to approach today's walk out in a deliberate and understanding fashion, informed by a deep sense of the urgent challenge to address issues of racial justice in our time and the potential shared interests of students and faculty.

2)    Last week, a number of faculty from around the university met to discuss what’s going on and what might be done about looming cuts. Here’s what information we gathered: Things seem to change daily, but apparently CAS Chairs were told last week that the provost has called for an immediate 40% reduction in part-time faculty in CAS and over the next five years the elimination of perhaps 70 full-time faculty positions (20 lecturer layoffs plus no planned hiring to replace the 50 senior professors expected to retire). For students across the university, this could mean up to 458 fewer available classes. The quality of education and the environment for research are at stake. Meanwhile, last week forty CAS chairs and directors sent a letter to the IBB overview committee (which they also shared with faculty). The letter pointedly argues that IBB has been the source of numerous inefficiencies at UVM and calls for a major redesign of IBB. Some faculty have also heard that the provost is concerned about the “optics” of mass layoffs, which suggests that faculty and student voices are having an effect. But these concerns are ongoing. Over time, trend lines can shift, and any school or college is vulnerable to what one colleague terms “death by a thousand cuts”: without consideration for academic value or faculty governance, the lines of retiring faculty can go unfilled, part-time faculty and lecturers with fewer than two years of service can be let go in the quiet of summer, and curricula can be watered down due to class eliminations. Budgets need to be balanced, but

this can be done without ignoring academic quality or the wisdom and expertise of faculty.

3)  Finally, as a point of information, the UA Civil Rights Committee is sponsoring a faculty petition in support of students' demand for a Bailey Howe name change. The text of the petition and current signees can be viewed here and faculty who want to add their names can write to jackieweinstock@gmail.com. This is simply for faculty who would like to consider signing the letter. The Executive Council of UA has not yet addressed this issue. 

You'll also find details about UVM finances, spending priorities, and the resources UVM could put into supporting academics at www.uafaircontract.org and at http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/.

Please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

CALL FOR ACTION AT UVM

Dear members of the UVM community:

In light of John Mejia’s hunger strike and of recent student demonstrations, I wish to reiterate United Academics’ solidarity, stated last fall in the resolution reproduced below, with students of color in calling on UVM’s administration to find more effective means to help ensure a safe learning and working environment. We are committed to working with the community towards that end. 

Statement of Oct. 26, 2017: “The Executive Council of United Academics stands in solidarity with students of color in calling on UVM’s administration to find more effective means to help ensure a safe learning and working environment; one that is free of discrimination, prejudice, and threats to personal safety and well-being. We call on every member of the community to join us in opposing racism and all forms of discrimination and fostering a community that supports all of its members. We urge the university to ensure that threats to harm vulnerable members of the UVM community are treated with the urgency, seriousness, and transparency they deserve.”

Sincerely,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

REMINDER; MEETING FEB. 23rd, 3-5 pm, ON LAYOFFS, POSITION ELIMINATIONS, AND CLASS CUTS

Faculty Layoffs, Position Eliminations, and Class Cuts:  

An Emergency Meeting for UVM Faculty sponsored by United Academics

Dear colleagues,

This is a reminder of our meeting this Friday, 3-5 pm, about cuts at UVM. As the contractual deadline for “non-renewal” (March 1) of lecturers with more than two years of service approaches, and the College of Arts and Sciences moves toward more layoffs of lecturers, eliminations of tenure-line positions, and class cuts, many faculty throughout the university have expressed concerns, including faculty in other colleges who worry about similar pressures down the line. 

United Academics is sponsoring a meeting for all members to join together for a discussion, to share updated information, cut through the confusion, and brainstorm responses:

Friday, February 23, 3-5 pm

Lafayette 403

What's driving the CAS budget problems? Who is in the crosshairs? What's at stake for all UVM faculty and what can we do together to try to stop the unnecessary cuts and ensure the long-term funding of academics? 

Please mark your calendars and come with your questions, concerns, and ideas. Even if you or your immediate colleagues are not directly faced with cuts, please take this invitation seriously; over the Long term, these issues can impact us all. 

And if you are personally concerned about your job security or workload and wonder if the contract may be of some help, please feel free to contact contract@unitedacademics.org. Your privacy will be strictly protected. 

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

LAYOFFS, POSITION ELIMINATIONS, AND CLASS CUTS; MEETING FEB. 23RD, 3-5 PM

Dear colleagues,

As the contractual deadline for “non-renewal” (firing) of lecturers approaches (March 15), and the College of Arts and Sciences moves toward more layoffs of lecturers, eliminations of tenure-line positions, and class cuts, many faculty throughout the university have expressed concerns, including faculty in other colleges who worry about similar pressures down the line. 

United Academics is sponsoring a meeting for all members to join together for a discussion, to share updated information, cut through the confusion, and brainstorm responses:

Friday, February 23, 3-5 pm

Lafayette 403

What's driving the CAS budget problems? Who is in the crosshairs? What's at stake for all UVM faculty and what can we do together to try to stop the unnecessary cuts and ensure the long-term funding of academics? 

Please mark your calendars and come with your questions, concerns, and ideas. Even if you or your immediate colleagues are not directly faced with cuts, please take this invitation seriously; over the long term, these issues can impact us all. 

And if you are personally concerned about your job security or workload and wonder if the contract may be of some help, please feel free to contact contract@unitedacademics.org. Your privacy will be strictly protected.

Best,

Tom Streeter

A REPORT ON FACT FINDING

Dear colleagues,

UVM’s administration and United Academics concluded the fact-finding hearing Monday afternoon, Feb. 13th. Both sides have until March 23rd to submit written briefs and rebuttals to the factfinder, who will then issue a report some weeks after that, containing recommendations based on the information submitted by both sides.

The effect of the hearing will not be known until the fact finder report is issued, but in my estimation, it went well. There were three of us for UA: Chief Negotiator Julie Roberts, UA’s lawyer, Tom Somers, and myself. In addition, AAUP’s financial consultant, Howard Bunsis, presented a report in a video call. Roughly ten members of upper administration were in attendance throughout the day. Our graphs were not printed in color, but, otherwise, I think our materials were compelling, sometimes more so than theirs.  

Our case boiled down to two core points: 1) the University of Vermont is in good financial health and can afford to give its faculty a competitive raise, and 2) relevant comparison groups in-state and nationally make it clear that the administration’s offer threatens UVM’s ability to recruit and retain qualified faculty which are, in turn, necessary to attract the students and tuition dollars that keep UVM competitive and able to fulfill its public mission.

Today, I can share two small pieces of our submission.

First, attached below are two tables from our materials. The first shows a complete list of the 41 public research universities in the “higher research university” category included in the Oklahoma State (OSU) salary survey, the survey upon which the administration bases their claim that “UVM faculty are at 104%” of national averages. As the table shows, UVM is one of only six schools in the OSU survey which place in the top 100 of the US News and World report annual rankings, and over half of the institutions listed are more than 100 places below UVM in national rank. Based on our national standing, we should be paid much more than 104% of the average of that particular group. The second table lists the top six schools that students chose over UVM (from a document called “Knowing our Competitors” released last week by UVM’s Enrollment Management office). All of them have considerably higher faculty salaries than UVM. 

As a reminder, we do not want to engage in a pointless contest of anecdotes and cherry picked data with the administration. As I’ve noted before, these bits of information should be understood as snap shots of a much broader set of trends, which we discussed more richly in our Feb. 1 forum. I hope, eventually, we can share with you the details of the many “exhibits” we submitted Monday, and the fuller picture it provides.

That full picture is why we also discussed the more subtle issue of the difference between long-term reputation and short-term marketability. Reputation has real financial impact. Middlebury College charges a higher tuition than St. Michael’s College, not because it has nicer amenities, but because it has a more prestigious reputation. One of the constant tensions in managing higher education, however, is that reputations develop slowly, over decades. Over the period of a few years, reputations are experienced by administrators as static. Enrollment managers and administrators thus tend to focus more on factors that influence attractiveness to potential students among schools that, at the moment, have similar reputations: when a student has narrowed their choices to a few similar colleges, things like a better dormitory or sports facility indeed might swing them towards one school or another. Administrators are thus pressured to spend money on things that might influence short-term marketability rather than the longer term, but no less real, factor of reputation. Administrators are prone to look at salary increases, which build in costs extending out into the long-term future, as limitations on their discretion to address short-term marketability, rather than an investment in the university’s future viability. 

Yesterday, we made the case that UVM can, and in the long-term interests of the university should, invest in its faculty.

Profound thanks to all who helped prepare our case, especially Steve Finner, negotiating team members Erica Andrus, Julie Roberts, Sean Witters, and Dan Krymkowski, and our fact finding faculty consultants Joe Kudrle, Jane Knodell, and Beth Mintz.

As always, please feel free to contact me about these or any other issues.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

P.S. More information:

http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/ibb-101/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/s/Dear-Cynic-editors.pdf

https://www.uafaircontract.org/