‘ROCHESTER, MICH. – At 3:36 this morning, Oakland University faculty and administration reached a tentative agreement, ending a 7-day unfair labor practice protest.

AAUP chapter president Joel Russell wrote in a letter to faculty announcing the agreement: “The [tentative
agreement] retains and in some ways strengthens the shared governance provisions of former contracts,
limits the use of term appointments, protects our intellectual property, and offers choices between our current type of health plans and healthy choice plans.”

The terms of the tentative agreement specify that faculty governance, the major issue at the bargaining table,
has been preserved. Most importantly, the tentative agreement protects the faculty’s ability to block
administration efforts to ignore the University Senate and other university institutions of governance.
Major compromises reached also included a compromise between two proposed healthcare systems. The
administration had tried to institute a penalty-based healthcare system that discriminates against preexisting
conditions. The new agreement maintains the status quo and introduces a new “Healthy Blue Living” option.
Also granted was an option for one other qualified adult living with the primary insurance holder.
Throughout the protest faculty said this job action was not about money. AAUP negotiators were willing to
agree to a minimal economic package. The faculty agreement gives a 0% salary raise in the first year of the
contract, 1% in the second year and in the third year offers a possible 3% raise, which will be subject to
continued negotiation.

Karen Miller, vice president of the Oakland chapter of the AAUP says, “This agreement proves beyond a doubt
that we faculty were never concerned with economics. We retained our say in school governance. Obviously,

the OU administration misled the students and community by claiming that this was about money.”

Faculty also agreed to a two-day pay dock, since this was a non-negotiable issue for the administration. It had
to be accepted to bring an end to the negotiations. Administration snubbed AAUP negotiators’ request to
direct the docked pay into student scholarships.

# # #

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with AAUP Media Rep Liz Barclay,
please call 248/202-7692 or email her at barclay@oakland.edu

Students hold rally in support of faculty

ROCHESTER, MICH. – Over 100 OU students gathered in front of the Oakland Center to show their support for faculty protesting unfair labor practices.   They held homemade signs that read, “Where is our tuition going?” and chanted, “Higher education, not higher profits.”

One student dressed as a king held a sign that said, “The King Doesn’t Like +40% Bling,” referring to President Russi’s recent 40% salary raise.

When asked why they were there, senior Liliana Barska of Waterford said: “Students support our professors. They are looking out for our best interests.  What is the administration doing?”

Heather Sterner, a sociology junior from Clarkston, commented: “I’m here in support of my faculty who have continuously supported me.  I have decided I will support my faculty at all costs.”

The students marched across the campus and gathered for an AAUP press conference, with media representative, Liz Barclay.  Barclay said, “We are encouraged by what is going on in court.  We believe the judge understands the administration has not been bargaining in good faith.  We want to get back in our classrooms.  We are encouraged by students supporting us.”  Her comments were interrupted by student shouts of “we love you” and applause.

Some progress has been made in negotiations.  This afternoon, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick ordered Oakland University, the AAUP and the state mediator to negotiate through the night.

If no tentative agreement has been reached, the parties will reconvene in Judge Sosnick’s court at 10AM Thursday morning.  At that time the court will conduct a hearing on the administration’s injunction request.

Karen Miller, the union chapter vice president said, “We view this as an important victory.  Yesterday the administration sought to end the picketing immediately.  The judge has responded two different times by calling for the two sides to continue bargaining in good faith.”  She continued, “All along our complaint has been that the administration has been unwilling to seek compromises with us.  We are delighted that the judge is creating an environment conducive to true bargaining.”

Yesterday, Judge Sosnick refused to grant the Administration’s request for an immediate injunction that would have forced professors to halt their protest.  This job action has received substantial support from spokespersons representing universities across the country.  An Oakland Press opinion poll shows 92% of respondents supporting the faculty.

Last week the AAUP at Oakland University filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) that cited the administration of Oakland University for a number of violations.  A decision on AAUP’s filing is still pending.

# # #

COURT SUPPORTS AAUP; DENIES ADMINISTRATION PETITION

PONTIAC, MICH. – Oakland Count Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick refused to grant the immediate injunction that would have forced professors to halt their protest. Judge Sosnick instead ordered both parties to appear before him tomorrow at 10AM.

OU administrators wil need to show just cause, or their request may be dismissed.

Joel Russell, president of the AAUP at Oakland, announced the court’s action in the midst of a student and faculty rally in front of OU’s administration building.  It was greeted with cheering and drumming from over 300 supporters.

Vice President of the AAUP, Karen Miller, thanked the students for their support of the faculty. “It has been so heartening to see so much support from our students. They have energized us.”

Today’s decision allows faculty to maintain their protest against unfair labor practices.  This protest has received substantial support from spokespersons representing universities across the country.

Last week the AAUP at Oakland University filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) that cited the administrators of Oakland University for a number of violations. A decision on AAUP’s filing is still pending.

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY QUASHES STUDENT SPEECH
Students Who Support Faculty Told To Take Down Signage

ROCHESTER, MICH. – An Oakland University freshman who posted a pro-faculty sign in her eighth-floor window was ordered Friday to take it down.

Michelle Poterek, 18, from Sterling Heights, created a hand-lettered sign that read: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” She said she supports the faculty in its ongoing contract dispute with the university administration.

“My R.A. said, ‘Michelle, you have to take down your sign.’ I asked why and she said she was told by her supervisor to tell me to remove it.

“There is no way they should be able to control what you think,” Poterek said.  “That’s pretty scary when you are a freshman.”

OU student Laura White said she invited several resident assistants to Thursday’s student-faculty rally.

“They were told they couldn’t go to the rally and they were under the impression they would be fired if they did,” said White, a Trenton student planning to graduate in December.

“Later, they were told they could go to the rally but they couldn’t talk to any media and they couldn’t hold any signs,” White said.

“I told them they had a Constitutional right to express themselves,” White said.

OAKLAND ATTEMPTS TO REMOVE FACULTY SAFEGUARDS
Administration Threatens Checks and Balances

ROCHESTER, MICH. – The role of Oakland University’s faculty in helping make decisions about OU’s future is the key that is preventing professors from returning to their classrooms this morning.

“The issue that has broken down the negotiations is governance,” said Karen Miller, vice president of the OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “The administration wants the AAUP to have no voice in the governance of the university.”

Labor Day talks between the two sides continued until 4:30 a.m. today. Hundreds of faculty members planned to be back on the picket lines at 7:30 a.m., protesting what they say are the university’s unfair labor practices.

Classes had been scheduled to start Sept. 3. The faculty and administration negotiated during the three-day holiday weekend and made progress on several other issues, the AAUP said.

Traditionally the faculty plays a major role in making decisions at American universities.  They direct course offerings, class sizes, the hiring of colleagues and the tenure system, academic freedom in the classroom, and research initiatives.

At Oakland, faculty elect colleagues to the University Senate while students select representatives to Congress. The Congress helps decide how student fees are distributed and special speakers and programs are funded.

According to the administration’s Tuesday morning take-it-or-leave it offer, “No issue of governance could be contained in the AAUP contract,” Miller explained.

“Presently, the only mechanism we have for challenging administration failure to follow governance procedure is through the AAUP grievance system,” Miller said. “It would mean that they could treat the Senate and Assemblies with total contempt,” Miller said.

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY
PROFESSORS (AAUP) FILES UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY

Negotiations Failed to Produce at Tentative Agreement

ROCHESTER, MICH–Oakland AAUP filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Michigan Employment
Relations Commission (MERC) that cited the administrators of Oakland University for a number of violations.
Labor attorney Jim Moore presented the filing which held Oakland University in violation of four fair labor
practices, including bargaining in bad faith with the intention of not reaching an agreement and failure to
provide their chief negotiator with the proper authority to reach an agreement.

Teachers charge the administration with failing to bargain in good faith.  The remaining complaint faults the
university with failure to provide information required for bargaining.  Oakland University refuses to provide
the union with important documents regarding the upcoming medical school partnership with Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak.

Unfair labor practice is a punishable offense in the state of Michigan.  If found guilty of unfair labor practices,
Oakland University would be subject to public censure and must comply with the judge’s ruling.

When asked about the administration’s response to the filing, OU media relations director Ted Montgomery
refused to answer.

AAUP and Oakland University have been negotiating faculty contracts since May 19.  There are three major issues at stake. The first centers on protecting the faculty’s ability to make decisions about hiring, review, and curriculum. The second seeks to avoid a penalty-based health care plan, and the third challenges the university’s claim to the faculty’s ownership of their ideas and research.  As of Thursday morning, faculty and supporters began picketing OU’s main campus in Rochester.  The picketing is expected to resume after Labor Day.

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY INTIMIDATES STUDENTS AND FACULTY
Students Censored And Faculty Threatened

ROCHESTER, MICH. – Oakland University administrators tried to stifle dissent regarding the contract
negotiations between the American Association of University Professors and OU.  OU threatened faculty with
fines and has misled students that they are responsible for missed work.  Both are inaccurate and circumvent
legal processes.

The Administration issued a press release this morning claiming that “the university will ask an Oakland
County Circuit Court judge to order faculty members back to work.” Faculty protests are legal if a judge deems
that the administration is bargaining in bad faith.

Also, Mary Beth Snyder, OU Vice President for Student Affairs, emailed all students rebuking faculty.
Undergraduate Emily Day responded: “I was disappointed to see the email sent out by Mary Beth Snyder
when I awoke this morning. It is unconscionable that the administrators at this University would resort to the
legal action they are now threatening. Their choice to remain rigid and appeal to judges in an attempt to
bypass the negotiation process is indicative of the loss of moral code in our current society.”
President Gary Russi wrote a separate email threatening faculty with economic penalties: “University faculty
pay has been docked over the last eight days and will continue to be docked so long as a work stoppage
continues.”  AAUP attorneys insist that stopping pay without due process is illegal. Individual hearings are
necessary before pay can be docked.  While Michigan law does permit wage sanctions against K-12 teachers, it
does not apply to higher education.

The administration also ordered students to take down signs supporting professors.  On Friday, September 4,
an Oakland University freshman who posted a pro-faculty sign in her eighth-floor dormitory window was

ordered to take it down. Michelle Poterek, 18, from Sterling Heights, created a hand-lettered sign that read: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” She said she supports the faculty in its ongoing contract dispute with the university administration.“My R.A. said, ‘Michelle, you have to take down your sign.’ I asked why and she said she was told by her
supervisor to tell me to remove it.

“There is no way they should be able to control what you think,” Poterek said.  “That’s pretty scary when you
are a freshman.”
AAUP and Oakland University have been without a contract since Thursday, September 3.  Both sides have
been in negotiations throughout the Labor Day weekend.  A primary issue is the administration’s attempt to
remove faculty voice in university decision making.