This is Serious
The university has proposed:
- removing program directors “and any other faculty who perform same/similar managerial/supervisory duties under other titles” from the bargaining unit
- removing the right to grieve discrimination, and health/safety issues
- lessening the protections tenure-track faculty have from being dismissed for just cause. They would do this by shifting them from the process that applies to tenured faculty to the less robust one that applies to full-time non-tenure-track faculty.
They are also clearly aiming to weaken the union and make it much harder for members to be protected and represented. They want to:
- reduce our numbers by removing program heads as well as our Academic Professionals
- remove the union’s office from campus
- eliminate the 5 course releases the union can offer faculty who enforce the TAUP contract
- remove the ability of the union to meet with new hires during their HR orientation
- they insist that TAUP has no role in discussing things such as SFFs saying it is strictly in the wheelhouse of the Faculty Senate. We are trying to insure that they are not the sole means of evaluation used in decisions that affect people’s careers,
All of these moves reflect a desire on the administration’s part to have a union that is weak and that will struggle to represent faculty and uphold the contract.
How you can help – even if you have literally no time
The easiest thing you can do is to make TAUP more visible:
- hang a copy of our fliers on your office doors or in public areas in your school.
- wear our swag – it really makes a difference when colleagues see their peers supporting the union.
- follow TAUP on FB, Twitter, IG if you’re on social media, and share our posts on your accounts. Tag people and organizations who should be in on the conversation.
- read our emails and stay informed. If you miss one, go to taup.org. Most emails appear as posts on the home page of website, and they are archived under the “eBulletin” link.
- SAVE THE DATE: October 15th, Rally at 1pm, location TBA. That is the day that the current contract expires. If we do not come to an agreement with the administration, we’ll have messages to convey.
FOR FLIERS, BUTTONS, LANYARDS AND MORE,
COME TO THE TAUP OFFICE IN ROOM 721 RITTER ANNEX
or contact our organizer JENNA SIEGEL
JSIEGELAFT@GMAIL.COM
If you want to help out with one thing that will make a bigger difference:
- FiIl out this form to let us know your interests and how you can help
- One person from each department is needed to circulate a petition to faculty that will be delivered to the Board of Trustees in October. Contact our organizer Jenna Siegel for a clipboard with petitions. She can answer any questions you may have, and offer support, including a brief training if you’d like.
- Come to open bargaining. It’s an eye opening experience for people who do attend, and it helps in many ways: it shows the administration that faculty support their union. It gives the union table team an opportunity to benefit from your intellect and experiences when we have discussions during breaks. You can pass notes up to the table if there is an important point that can contribute to the discussion. It helps your colleagues to be more informed, since you’ve been there and heard things first hand. We want transparency in the process and a direct pipeline for communication with members.
- Offer your scholarly, administrative and creative skills to our campaign. Help with simple office tasks like entering people’s info from petitions to our database, making buttons and distributing materials to people on campus. Even an hour or two makes a difference.. Work with us on fliers, agitprop, portable pop-ups, or anything else you can imagine. If you have a practice that can engage with this work, we’re up for some fun.
- Attend a short training to become familiar with our collective bargaining agreement. Contact Jenna if you’re interested in learning more JSIEGELAFT@GMAIL.COM.