From the Picket Lines at UIC

The following report comes from Howard Bunsis, Chair of the AAUP Collective Bargaining Congress: There was an enormous turnout of faculty at UIC today, as picketing took place all over the sprawling campus, and everyone congregated for two large rallies. We had support from students, other unions on campus, as well as local activists, and…

Support the UIC Strikers

As one who participated in the organizing campaign at the University of Illinois at Chicago two years ago, I have followed the negotiations for the past 18 months with increasing distress. The administration has been recalcitrant and has drawn out the bargaining process unnecessarily. The union’s demands appear to be reasonable, especially with regard to…

U of I Chicago Faculty on Strike Today

UIC faculty are holding a two-day strike on Feb. 18 and 19 to protest the failure of the administration to negotiate in good faith for more than 18 months. Today, Feb. 18, there are rallies planned at 10am and 12:30pm, in addition to picketing and demonstrations. There has been news coverage in the Chicago Reader, Chicago…

UIC Faculty Plan Strike Next Week

The UIC United Faculty (an AFT/AAUP union) announced a two-day strike next week: After 18 months of bargaining, the faculty at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is headed for a two-day strike on Tuesday, February 18th and Wednesday, February 19th. UIC professors did not want it to come to this, but the trustees’ proposals continue to…

As AAUP Prepares to Celebrate Its Centennial, Is It Time for It to Develop Some International Reach?

In a recent op-ed piece on the Chronicle of Higher Ed’s Worldwide blog, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak responded to an article written by Nigel Thrift, vice chancellor of the University of Warwick. Thrift had argued for the creation of an international association of colleges and universities, suggesting that it would not only facilitate efforts to meet…

Update: Pacific Lutheran University vs. SEIU

This is a more detailed version of the invitation to file amicus briefs with the NLRB prior to its consideration of Pacific Lutheran University’s filing to prevent SEIU from organizing the university’s faculty. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD Case 19-RC-102521 PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY Employer and SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL Union, LOCAL…

An Important Step in the Efforts to Organize Adjunct Faculty

The following announcement has just been disseminated by the Department of Labor. _________________________ NLRB Invites Briefs Regarding Religious University Jurisdiction and Faculty Member Status February 10, 2014 The National Labor Relations Board is inviting briefs from interested parties on two questions: whether a religiously-affiliated university is subject to the Board’s jurisdiction, and whether certain university…

Chris Christie and the Hollowness of Terms such as “Moderate” and “Bipartisan”

For the past five to six months, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been confronting a seemingly ever-increasing number of legislative and legal investigations into misconduct by his immediate subordinates, starting with the politically motivated decision to close lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge but expanding into seeming improprieties in how federal funds allocated…