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You’ve also emboldened faculty across the country by sticking to your principles.
Best to all of you.
Dave Witt
Akron-AAUP

‘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

Academic issues

• No changes to the protection of governance processes
• School of Medicine faculty will not be part of the bargaining unit
• Intellectual property language not changed, slight change in reporting to AAUP
• Procedures for review of Workload Policies have been defined
• Participation in online instruction now strictly voluntary
• Number of Full-Time Adjunct faculty increased to 5% of full-time tenure track faculty
  (about 6 more), 3 reserved for SHS, 3 reserved for SON
• Writing and Rhetoric department added to list of academic units and pay groups

Health-care

• Faculty can enroll for BC/BS Standard only through open enrollment of 2011
• Add another, lower-cost option for BC/BS PPO
• HAP remains unchanged
• BCN becomes Healthy Blue Living on 1-1-10
• Priority Health byChoice HMO begins on 1-1-10
• Other eligible adult/dependent children benefits

Financial

• Across-the-board salary adjustments: 2009-10: 0; 2010-11: 1%; 2011-12: 3%
  No merit adjustment for any year
  All distributed as percentage of salary
• Faculty to be docked two days pay when agreement is ratified
  (the Administration refused to put this money into student scholarships)
  Fall 2009 cannot be extended for more than 2 days
• 50-day salary re-opener in 2011-12 by either the Administration or the AAUP
• $10,000/year added to faculty travel and research

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.

# # #

Some progress was made and the judge seemed hopeful that, with the help of the state mediator, the two sides will come to some resolution.  If they do not come to an agreement by 10 am tomorrow, he will hold a hearing.  More shortly.

YouTube – OU Students4AAUP’s Channel. Interviews with OU students, video of OU faculty/student rally.