They Said They Were Sorry: Akron’s Administration Kicking Us at Our Lowest Moment
BY SUE RAMLO They said they were sorry; they said that it was financial. We were devastated when we got the emails or phone calls about meetings with an administrator concerning our future at the University of Akron (UA)–we were being fired. Our situation made national news because there are nearly one hundred of us…
Akron-AAUP Chapter Members Reject Proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement
BY THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE OF AKRON-AAUP The members of the University of Akron Chapter of The American Association of University Professors have voted to not ratify the proposed collective bargaining agreement with The University of Akron Board of Trustees. The electronic balloting process ended at 1pm, Wednesday August 5th. The University’s Board of Trustees had…
Please Take Just a Moment to Support Our Colleagues at the University of Akron
POSTED BY MARTY KICH On July 15, the University of Akron Board of Trustees, at the recommendation of President Gary Miller, terminated the employment of ninety-seven full-time faculty members. When factoring in retirements, this results in the loss of over one hundred faculty. The Board and President must rescind this decision or resign their positions.…
Open Letter to Our Akron Colleagues
POSTED BY SUE RAMLO A couple of months ago, the Provost’s office sent faculty, through their deans, a survey, asking us what we thought the criteria for firings should be. Akron-AAUP saw this for what it was: direct dealing with faculty, and a failed attempt to legitimize the gutting of the faculty. At the time,…
Rally for University of Akron Faculty—Wednesday, July 15, at Noon
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH All hands on deck! Join us for a rally and press conference before the University of Akron Board of Trustees meeting. Our event is: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15th @ NOON. We’ll meet at the Buchtel Hall steps for the press conference, which will feature Pam Schulze, President of Akron-AAUP. Additional speakers are…
Why Billionaires Want You to Opt Out of Your Union
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH This message is borrowed from our friends at the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT). Educators in Ohio are starting to be contacted by “The Freedom Foundation” to encourage them to “opt-out” of their union membership in an attempt to further weaken unions after the Janus U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Who is…
Why the University of California Must Collaborate With Its Unions
BY THE UC BERKELEY FACULTY ASSOCIATION The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) is famed for its tough bargaining tactics in its dealings with its unions. From its ongoing conflict with AFSCME for failing to comply with its own rules around subcontracting, to a belligerent tendency to cancel AFT bargaining sessions at the…
Support Faculty at Rutgers University Biomedical and Health Sciences
POSTED BY THE AAUP Clinical faculty at the AAUP-BHSNJ chapter need your support to win a fair contract after two years of bargaining. These members’ work on the frontlines of the COVID crisis, including work on developing a COVID-19 saliva test, is a real-life example of higher education for the common good. While Rutgers University’s…
On This Workers’ Memorial Day
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH This holiday is not as well-known as May Day, Memorial Day, or Labor Day. But, especially during this pandemic, when many non-unionized, low-wage workers are in the “front lines” with insufficient personal protections and insufficient healthcare and paid sick leave, this day seems more “essential” than ever. The commemorative day was…