Oakland University AAUP on Strike

Members of the Oakland University chapter of AAUP (in suburban Detroit, MI) went on strike this morning.

Among the issues on the bargaining table are details of how the medical school will be integrated into the contract, cuts in summer pay, no new increases in salary, elimination of some health insurance plans, hiring of non-tenure track faculty and elimination of research leaves, according to the union.

This is a troubling situation--but, unfortunately, by no means unique. The Oakland administration has used the troubled economy as cover to enact brutal cuts to faculty. In the locution we at PSU have become used to:

"The university hopes to reach a feasible and equitable settlement shortly," the University said in a press release. "The difficult economic circumstances we face, however, necessitate the university be extremely prudent."

Yet this isn't about prudence. Figuring the professors were in far too weak a position to fight back, the university decided to see how many concessions they could force. According to the AAUP chapter, in addition to money-saving concessions mentioned by the Detroit News, the University is also pushing to weaken governance provisions.

And all of this is unnecessary:

An earlier meeting, sponsored by AAUP in Dodge Hall for faculty and students, included presentations which discussed the financial picture of the university based on audited financial reports. The point was to illustrate that the university can afford to provide pay raises to staff.

"My conclusion is that Oakland University is in excellent financial condition and is in better shape than just about any other institution in Michigan," said Professor Rudy Richtenbaum, university finance consultant for the national AAUP.

It would be nice to report that the Oregon University System isn't using these same tactics. But, based on the recent offers by the PSU administration, it looks like this is par for the course.

Things may get worse before they get better--

Oregon Senate Passes SB 519

I have overheard our new Director, Phil Lesch (no, not that one) say that we are entering a new golden age for unions. As a bit of evidence on the homefront, yesterday, the Oregon Senate passed Diane Rosenbaum's SB 519, which protects workers from workplace pressure.

In a highly contentious vote, today, the Oregon Senate protected Oregonians' right to opt out of meetings on highly personal topics like politics, religion and union organizing at the work place. Workers in Oregon who have chosen not to attend these meetings have faced discipline or even lay offs for their decision. SB 519, the Worker Freedom Act, would allow workers to opt out of these meetings without fear of retaliation.

Workers should not have to give up their opinions or be lectured about their employers beliefs to get a paycheck. Most Oregonians want to show up at the workplace, do a good job at their work, get along with their co-workers and their employer, and go home to see their family at the end of the day. But when employer's take advantage of their workers by forcing them to sit through meetings on personal topics trying to earn a paycheck becomes a chore, not a job. In fact, 84% of Oregonians polled in December support legislation to allow workers to opt-out of these meetings.

The bill now moves on to the House.