Last Friday, November 1, we bargained all day with PSU management. This was our tenth day of bargaining!
We made significant progress on the two primary topics on the agenda:
- What Priorities Should Guide PSU Spending?
- New Job Placement and Careers for Academic Professionals
BUDGETS ARE MORAL DOCUMENTS
To kick off the conversation about the “economics” of a new collective bargaining agreement, PSU-AAUP engaged with PSU Administration on the values that guide their spending.
PSU-AAUP and PSU Administration started off by sharing with the other party our respective views about university budgets and spending.
The point of view of our teams initially contrasted quite a bit: administration was more oriented towards strictly administrative concerns whereas we emphasized the importance of approaching the “economics of a new contract” from a more general need of aligning PSU resource allocation with the core values that should guide a public university. Despite this difference, after our AAUP presentation, the PSU Administration team expressed general agreement with us. Admittedly, this is a very high level conversation, but it is important that we have established an understanding that university budgeting is an exercise in responsibility for the people who serve and the people who we serve. Budgets are moral documents.
NEW JOB PLACEMENT AND CAREERS FOR ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS
Academic Professionals will be moving to a new system of job families and levels and our team and PSU Administration have agreed in principle to work on developing a system of career tracks for Academic Professionals.
The options both parties are now discussing include:
- Revising AP position descriptions to make them meaningful in placing you into new job families
- A strong voice for APs in revising your position descriptions
- Placement of APs into new job families and levels within those families (there are 6 levels)
- An accessible and robust appeals procedure for APs in the event there is disagreement about their placement.
- A process for AP career advancement
At bargaining last Friday we made significant progress on the first two parts! Moving ahead we will be working on a transparent, participatory, placement process and an appeals procedure.
We will be bargaining again on November 22, 9-4 in RMNC 316. Peak attendance requested for 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., but come at any time between 9-4. Your attendance DOES make a difference.
Future Bargaining Dates: December 6, 12, and 13.