UA MEMBERS' MEETING APRIL 4, 2:30, SURVEY ON CUTS, THE FUTURE OF UA

Dear colleagues,

I have several things to share today: a draft agenda for our spring Members’ meeting (next Wednesday April 4th at 2:30 in John Dewey Lounge in Old Mill), details about the new budget to be voted on at the meeting, a reminder to fill out our survey about cuts in CAS, and a call to engage more faculty in union activities.

1)    Please remember to fill out the short (<5 minute) survey emailed to you on Monday with the subject line “Survey on Budget Cut Impacts.” The College of Arts and Sciences represents roughly half of UVM in terms of faculty and students; what happens there can impact the entire university in various ways. UA is trying to better understand the impacts of ongoing and proposed cuts in CAS on faculty inside and outside of CAS. Whether the effects on you have been major, minor, or none at all, we want to know.

2)    The Spring Member’s meeting is Wed. April 4th at 2:30 in John Dewey Lounge. There is a lot going on. Come and bring a colleague. After approving past minutes we plan to 1) vote on UA's budget and stipend policy for next year (see next item); 2) discuss the state of fact-finding and negotiations; 3) discuss budget cut impacts on education and research at UVM; 4) discuss an outreach campaign to members and fee payers; 5) hear about ongoing efforts to address racial justice issues, D1 courses, and more from the Civil Rights Committee. What the union does matters, and this is your chance to learn and make a difference. (If you are a fee payer and would like to join so you can participate in the meeting, click here, or come to the meeting and you can sign a member card at the door.)

3)    The UA Budget: attached to this email you’ll find documents regarding our proposed budget for next year to be voted on at the Member’s Meeting. There are big changes. The US Supreme Court’s Janus decision is expected to be announced any day now, and it will almost certainly mean that, as a public sector union, we will no longer be able to charge agency fees to fee payers. This will cause a significant drop in our income, and the proposed budget addresses that. We have cut most stipends to faculty in half, and made a few other changes to reduce costs. The EC and the Delegates Assembly have approved these changes, on the grounds that they are fiscally responsible, even if difficult. Please take a minute to look over the budget documents for the details.

4)    Outreach: In part to address the budget situation, and more importantly as an ongoing duty to the democratic nature of the union, we are looking for ways to connect to faculty, whether fee payers or members, who have not been involved in the union recently, and who may not have much awareness of what the union does and how it works. We are building a new section of the website called “Why a Union?” including information on things like the effect of the union on salaries. We ask everyone to talk to their colleagues about work life at UVM and the union, to share ideas and concerns with each other, and to let us know if you hear questions, concerns, complaints, or suggestions.

Thanks for all your contributions to UVM, and please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

WELCOME BACK; UA MEMBER'S MEETING APRIL 4, AAUP ELECTIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

Welcome back from spring break. I hope you comfortably endured, and perhaps got a chance to enjoy, our March snowstorms. I have several things to bring to your attention: a reminder of our member’s meeting on April 4 at 2:30, an AAUP election, information about student scholarships, an update on our contract negotiations, our ongoing outreach campaign, and the effect of an upcoming Supreme Court decision.

UA Spring Member’s meeting, April 4, 2:30 pm in Dewey Lounge, Old Mill: Members, please mark your calendars and come if you can to our Spring Member’s Meeting. We will be discussing a number of issues, including next year’s UA budget. The EC and DA have proposed a budget for approval at that meeting that includes substantial cutbacks in expenditures, in anticipation of the Janus decision (see below). We know that this meeting time will be awkward for some; we worked hard to find a time that would fit with the schedules of as many as we could.

AAUP Elections: A benefit of membership in UA is automatic membership in the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the principle organization in the U.S. for the protection of academic freedom and the professional status of college and university professors. Their annual election is underway, and Prof. Yolanda Flores, of UVM’s Romance Languages and Linguistics, is running for a position on AAUP’s National Council from District 10. Paper ballots have been mailed to home addresses, and are due April 16. You can read about Prof. Flores and other candidates on the AAUP’s website at http://www.aaup.org/about/elected-leaders/elections/2018-election-information. If you have not yet received a ballot, email your name and home address to Help+AAUP@election-america.com OR call Election-America at (888) 914-5654 with your home address. And consider voting for Yolanda.

Student Scholarships: Please consider encouraging eligible students to apply for one or more of UA’s scholarship awards for students with an active commitment to community service, especially in pursuit of social or economic justice: The Jeffrey Brace Scholarships, named in honor of Jeffrey Brace, an early 19th-century Black Vermonter, former slave and activist; the Linda Backus Memorial Scholarship; and the David Shiman Scholarship for a UVM senior with an outstanding and sustained record of community service.  Details are here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/scholarships/. Thanks to  Dr. Vijay Kanagala, Vijay.Kanagala@uvm.edu, for Chairing the committee.

Contract Negotiations: The negotiating team and our consultants have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare a brief and some rebuttal documents to submit to the fact finder by Friday March 23rd. As the only remaining issue is salary, we are defending our position that it is in the interest of UVM and its students for the administration to provide faculty a reasonable raise, and that they can do so without having to raise tuition or cut faculty lines; there are plenty of other, less essential places to reduce costs. We feel our position is strong. The fact finder will probably take another month to release his recommendations.

Outreach to members and fee payers: in the coming weeks and months, we will be reaching out to faculty in the bargaining unit, especially those who we do not hear from very often, soliciting their opinions and concerns, and working to better communicate what UA does for UVM and its faculty while soliciting input about concerns. This is something we do regularly from time to time, but we have extra motivation to do so because of an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision that will prohibit public unions from charging non-members a fee for representing them in collective bargaining. Known as the “Janus Case,” it is expected that the current conservative majority on the Supreme Court will vote to overturn the legal precedents supporting what we call fee payer status; the expected loss of income from fee payers is why we have proposed a leaner budget for next year. We are proud that a strong majority of faculty are members, but we of course would like any current fee payers to consider becoming members, and are eager to discuss with you why that might be worth it. Most importantly, whatever decisions people make, we want them to be informed ones. Stay tuned for more on this, and in the meantime, if you have questions about the union does for you, you might start here: http://www.unitedacademics.org/why-a-union-2/ or write me at thomas.streeter@uvm.edu.

Sincerely,

Tom Streeter

Prof. of Sociology

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF WEST VIRGINIA TEACHERS

Dear colleagues,

Two items for town meeting day, a statement in support of striking teachers in West Virginia, and, if you are one of those who might wonder what a strike in WV has to do with professors in Vermont, some comments about the value of other unions to us as professors. (If you need no persuading on that, skip to number 2 below.)

1) Why should UA care about other unions? The obvious effect of collective bargaining is that it creates a counterweight to the concentrated power of management. Collective bargaining is shown systematically to result in higher wages and better benefits, and comparisons of UVM pre- and post-union bear this finding out. That need for a counterweight to

concentrated power is why some conservatives support unions (and perhaps is why Vermont’s former Republican Governor Jim Douglas spoke out in favor of of United Academics during his first run for governor in 2002).

There is a less obvious but nonetheless real effect of unions as a whole on the economy and society. Unions are rarely all of one mind, and the disputes between unions about political and policy issues are sometimes fierce, but the general experience is that if unions support each other around core issues, everyone benefits, including non-unionized citizens. Union activists like to point out that now universally-respected practices like the weekend, health benefits, retirement programs and more can be generally traced back to union activities. And there is a pay-it-forward ethos to unions in general; the organization of United Academics was done in part with some help from the outside paid for by other unions’ dues payments to AFT and AAUP, and our union dues subsequently helped with the unionization of local nurses, with whom we now share an umbrella organization, AFT Vermont. For these reasons, UA sometimes chooses to provide various kinds of support to other unions when that relates to our core values and interests. For these reasons and more, UA occasionally chooses to speak out on behalf of other unions.

2) Resolution in Support of Striking West Virginia School Employees

Whereas, some 33,000 members of the West Virginia Education Association, AFT West Virginia and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association have been on strike across the state, and Whereas, these brave public employees have taken a stand for their communities, their families and the children in the public school system of the entire state of West Virginia, anD Whereas, their strike has already successfully extracted concessions from the legislature in the form of a 5% raise, far above the initial offer of a 1% raise, and

Whereas, West Virginia school employees still have much to win, with the issue of health care costs remaining unresolved, and

Whereas, by taking such dramatic action to fight for what’s right contrary to the legal restrictions on public employees in the state of West Virginia, these 33,000 strikers deserve the material support and solidarity of the entire US labor movement, and

Whereas, a victory for the union movement in West Virginia would be a victory for the entire union movement across the United States,

Be it resolved, the Executive Council of United Academics stands in solidarity with the striking public employees of West Virginia, and commits to supporting them through to a final victory by publicizing this statement of support, and donating $250.00 to the publicly administered strike fund to support the teachers. We also encourage those who would like to make their own contributions to the teachers strike fund:   https://www.gofundme.com/wv-teachers-strike-fund

Please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

UPDATES; NON-RENEWALS, NONAMES FOR JUSTICE, PRESS COVERAGE, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

With apologies for adding yet another missive to your inbox, I wanted to update faculty after the many events this week, and try to shed some light in areas that could be prone to confusion. I have comments about non-renewals, news coverage, responses to student protests, and a reminder about an opportunity to talk with students informally this afternoon at 5:00-6:30 in Old Mill.

1)    CAS Dean Falls announced that close to 5 FTE non-tenure-track positions in the college will be non-renewed, and some lecturers received notice yesterday. UA remains concerned that trying to save money by thinning the ranks of lecturers in any college is at best penny wise and pound foolish, given their relatively low salaries and high teaching loads. Technically, these are end-of-contract non-renewals rather than layoffs; they involve Article 14 of the contract (not Article 15, which addresses retrenchment and which is not being invoked by the administration). Thanks to United Academics, the contract provides better protections to lecturers than most non-unionized non-TT faculty in other schools: specifically, multi-year contracts, and requirements of notification if a contract is not going to be renewed (Dec. 15 for senior lecturers and March 1 for lecturers with more than two years of service). But those protections as currently written have their limitations, which we are seeing now. Our remaining leverage on this issue at the moment is to try to influence public understanding in a way that might shift university priorities. Please contact contract@unitedacademics.org if you have concerns about your own status as lecturer; all communication to that address is confidential.

2)    Recent news coverage: There have been a few stories involving UA of late and will likely be a few more. Most people understand that news is rarely a perfect representation of events. To correct any false impressions people may get, let me mention the following. At our public speak out in the Davis Center yesterday the faculty and students who spoke up did not make an argument that UVM relies “too heavily” on adjuncts. Also, we are not against new buildings. We argue that if choices have to be made, that expenses should go to teaching and research, including to teaching and research in the STEM fields. United Academics argues that all colleges and schools are valuable to UVM, and that we are all best off if decisions are made with an eye on the

interdependence of all parts of the university. UVM needs the School of Business and the Classics Department, it needs sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts. Our concerns about cuts in CAS are about how and why they are being made, and do not reflect a preference for any one college over any of the others.

3)    NoNames for Justice: In my capacity as UA President, I was asked by UVM’s administration to attend a meeting yesterday afternoon between the NoNames for Justice student leaders and UVM leadership. The students presented a set of proposals for change at UVM, which they said were “not set in stone” but would be considered as starting points for working out practical approaches to what they think UVM should do to address problems at UVM around diversity and inclusion. The main outcome was that meetings with leadership from across the university were promised to address the proposals. I was asked, and agreed, to participate in a discussion about developing diversity and inclusion training for faculty and staff; I imagine the concerns I bring to the discussion will include that whatever is developed is demonstrably effective, and that it respects faculty concerns about workload and departmental oversight of AEG and RPT guidelines as per the contract. (I am aware of many interesting conversations going on related to these issues around campus, and thank the many faculty who have been making helpful contributions.)

4)    I would like to remind interested faculty that this afternoon we will be meeting informally with interested students, March 1, 5:00-6:30 pm, Old Mill's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Conference Room (between the Geography and Economics department offices): United Academics faculty invites students to join us over pizza for discussion and strategizing, to hear about what students care about, what's driving the downsizing of Arts and Sciences, concerns about diversity, and more. My sense after the past week is that students from many different parts of the university are curious and eager to talk to faculty about issues in general, and hope that those with an interest will drop by.

Please keep in touch. Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

CUTS ON CAMPUS? LEARN AND SPEAK OUT, WED. 12:00 DAVIS CENTER

Dear colleagues,

Today I write first with some invitations, and then some information about recent events on campus.

First, you, your colleagues, and your students are invited to two events this week:  

Wednesday, February 28, 12 noon-1 pm, Davis Center Atrium: United Academics invites the campus community to join us at a Hyde Park-style Speakers' Corner. Share what's on your mind about Budget Cuts and Layoffs, Building Boom and Debt, Racial and Social Justice, UVM Image v. Reality, and the Struggle for UVM's Future. Poster attached. Join and share our Facebook event.

Thursday, March 1, 5:30-6 pm, Old Mill's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Conference Room (between the Geography and Economics department offices): United Academics faculty invite students to join us over pizza for discussion and strategizing, to hear about what students care about, what's driving the downsizing of Arts and Sciences, and what various faculty and students are doing to respond. Join and share our Facebook event.

Next, some reports about recent goings-on.

1)    As a point of information, some students are planning a walk-out for 12 noon today (2/26).  Last night, some faculty attended a meeting with activist students. Those faculty report to me they had thoughtful discussions with student protest leaders about their demands, ways that faculty can support and connect with students seeking Racial justice and equity and about the vital issues facing faculty. The faculty in attendance report they gave particular attention to encouraging students to frame demands in a way that prevents administrators from blaming faculty and the contract, leads to supports for meaningful professional development, and reinforces the call for fair and equitable hiring. I would encourage faculty to approach today's walk out in a deliberate and understanding fashion, informed by a deep sense of the urgent challenge to address issues of racial justice in our time and the potential shared interests of students and faculty.

2)    Last week, a number of faculty from around the university met to discuss what’s going on and what might be done about looming cuts. Here’s what information we gathered: Things seem to change daily, but apparently CAS Chairs were told last week that the provost has called for an immediate 40% reduction in part-time faculty in CAS and over the next five years the elimination of perhaps 70 full-time faculty positions (20 lecturer layoffs plus no planned hiring to replace the 50 senior professors expected to retire). For students across the university, this could mean up to 458 fewer available classes. The quality of education and the environment for research are at stake. Meanwhile, last week forty CAS chairs and directors sent a letter to the IBB overview committee (which they also shared with faculty). The letter pointedly argues that IBB has been the source of numerous inefficiencies at UVM and calls for a major redesign of IBB. Some faculty have also heard that the provost is concerned about the “optics” of mass layoffs, which suggests that faculty and student voices are having an effect. But these concerns are ongoing. Over time, trend lines can shift, and any school or college is vulnerable to what one colleague terms “death by a thousand cuts”: without consideration for academic value or faculty governance, the lines of retiring faculty can go unfilled, part-time faculty and lecturers with fewer than two years of service can be let go in the quiet of summer, and curricula can be watered down due to class eliminations. Budgets need to be balanced, but

this can be done without ignoring academic quality or the wisdom and expertise of faculty.

3)  Finally, as a point of information, the UA Civil Rights Committee is sponsoring a faculty petition in support of students' demand for a Bailey Howe name change. The text of the petition and current signees can be viewed here and faculty who want to add their names can write to jackieweinstock@gmail.com. This is simply for faculty who would like to consider signing the letter. The Executive Council of UA has not yet addressed this issue. 

You'll also find details about UVM finances, spending priorities, and the resources UVM could put into supporting academics at www.uafaircontract.org and at http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/.

Please keep in touch.

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

CALL FOR ACTION AT UVM

Dear members of the UVM community:

In light of John Mejia’s hunger strike and of recent student demonstrations, I wish to reiterate United Academics’ solidarity, stated last fall in the resolution reproduced below, with students of color in calling on UVM’s administration to find more effective means to help ensure a safe learning and working environment. We are committed to working with the community towards that end. 

Statement of Oct. 26, 2017: “The Executive Council of United Academics stands in solidarity with students of color in calling on UVM’s administration to find more effective means to help ensure a safe learning and working environment; one that is free of discrimination, prejudice, and threats to personal safety and well-being. We call on every member of the community to join us in opposing racism and all forms of discrimination and fostering a community that supports all of its members. We urge the university to ensure that threats to harm vulnerable members of the UVM community are treated with the urgency, seriousness, and transparency they deserve.”

Sincerely,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

REMINDER; MEETING FEB. 23rd, 3-5 pm, ON LAYOFFS, POSITION ELIMINATIONS, AND CLASS CUTS

Faculty Layoffs, Position Eliminations, and Class Cuts:  

An Emergency Meeting for UVM Faculty sponsored by United Academics

Dear colleagues,

This is a reminder of our meeting this Friday, 3-5 pm, about cuts at UVM. As the contractual deadline for “non-renewal” (March 1) of lecturers with more than two years of service approaches, and the College of Arts and Sciences moves toward more layoffs of lecturers, eliminations of tenure-line positions, and class cuts, many faculty throughout the university have expressed concerns, including faculty in other colleges who worry about similar pressures down the line. 

United Academics is sponsoring a meeting for all members to join together for a discussion, to share updated information, cut through the confusion, and brainstorm responses:

Friday, February 23, 3-5 pm

Lafayette 403

What's driving the CAS budget problems? Who is in the crosshairs? What's at stake for all UVM faculty and what can we do together to try to stop the unnecessary cuts and ensure the long-term funding of academics? 

Please mark your calendars and come with your questions, concerns, and ideas. Even if you or your immediate colleagues are not directly faced with cuts, please take this invitation seriously; over the Long term, these issues can impact us all. 

And if you are personally concerned about your job security or workload and wonder if the contract may be of some help, please feel free to contact contract@unitedacademics.org. Your privacy will be strictly protected. 

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

LAYOFFS, POSITION ELIMINATIONS, AND CLASS CUTS; MEETING FEB. 23RD, 3-5 PM

Dear colleagues,

As the contractual deadline for “non-renewal” (firing) of lecturers approaches (March 15), and the College of Arts and Sciences moves toward more layoffs of lecturers, eliminations of tenure-line positions, and class cuts, many faculty throughout the university have expressed concerns, including faculty in other colleges who worry about similar pressures down the line. 

United Academics is sponsoring a meeting for all members to join together for a discussion, to share updated information, cut through the confusion, and brainstorm responses:

Friday, February 23, 3-5 pm

Lafayette 403

What's driving the CAS budget problems? Who is in the crosshairs? What's at stake for all UVM faculty and what can we do together to try to stop the unnecessary cuts and ensure the long-term funding of academics? 

Please mark your calendars and come with your questions, concerns, and ideas. Even if you or your immediate colleagues are not directly faced with cuts, please take this invitation seriously; over the long term, these issues can impact us all. 

And if you are personally concerned about your job security or workload and wonder if the contract may be of some help, please feel free to contact contract@unitedacademics.org. Your privacy will be strictly protected.

Best,

Tom Streeter

A REPORT ON FACT FINDING

Dear colleagues,

UVM’s administration and United Academics concluded the fact-finding hearing Monday afternoon, Feb. 13th. Both sides have until March 23rd to submit written briefs and rebuttals to the factfinder, who will then issue a report some weeks after that, containing recommendations based on the information submitted by both sides.

The effect of the hearing will not be known until the fact finder report is issued, but in my estimation, it went well. There were three of us for UA: Chief Negotiator Julie Roberts, UA’s lawyer, Tom Somers, and myself. In addition, AAUP’s financial consultant, Howard Bunsis, presented a report in a video call. Roughly ten members of upper administration were in attendance throughout the day. Our graphs were not printed in color, but, otherwise, I think our materials were compelling, sometimes more so than theirs.  

Our case boiled down to two core points: 1) the University of Vermont is in good financial health and can afford to give its faculty a competitive raise, and 2) relevant comparison groups in-state and nationally make it clear that the administration’s offer threatens UVM’s ability to recruit and retain qualified faculty which are, in turn, necessary to attract the students and tuition dollars that keep UVM competitive and able to fulfill its public mission.

Today, I can share two small pieces of our submission.

First, attached below are two tables from our materials. The first shows a complete list of the 41 public research universities in the “higher research university” category included in the Oklahoma State (OSU) salary survey, the survey upon which the administration bases their claim that “UVM faculty are at 104%” of national averages. As the table shows, UVM is one of only six schools in the OSU survey which place in the top 100 of the US News and World report annual rankings, and over half of the institutions listed are more than 100 places below UVM in national rank. Based on our national standing, we should be paid much more than 104% of the average of that particular group. The second table lists the top six schools that students chose over UVM (from a document called “Knowing our Competitors” released last week by UVM’s Enrollment Management office). All of them have considerably higher faculty salaries than UVM. 

As a reminder, we do not want to engage in a pointless contest of anecdotes and cherry picked data with the administration. As I’ve noted before, these bits of information should be understood as snap shots of a much broader set of trends, which we discussed more richly in our Feb. 1 forum. I hope, eventually, we can share with you the details of the many “exhibits” we submitted Monday, and the fuller picture it provides.

That full picture is why we also discussed the more subtle issue of the difference between long-term reputation and short-term marketability. Reputation has real financial impact. Middlebury College charges a higher tuition than St. Michael’s College, not because it has nicer amenities, but because it has a more prestigious reputation. One of the constant tensions in managing higher education, however, is that reputations develop slowly, over decades. Over the period of a few years, reputations are experienced by administrators as static. Enrollment managers and administrators thus tend to focus more on factors that influence attractiveness to potential students among schools that, at the moment, have similar reputations: when a student has narrowed their choices to a few similar colleges, things like a better dormitory or sports facility indeed might swing them towards one school or another. Administrators are thus pressured to spend money on things that might influence short-term marketability rather than the longer term, but no less real, factor of reputation. Administrators are prone to look at salary increases, which build in costs extending out into the long-term future, as limitations on their discretion to address short-term marketability, rather than an investment in the university’s future viability. 

Yesterday, we made the case that UVM can, and in the long-term interests of the university should, invest in its faculty.

Profound thanks to all who helped prepare our case, especially Steve Finner, negotiating team members Erica Andrus, Julie Roberts, Sean Witters, and Dan Krymkowski, and our fact finding faculty consultants Joe Kudrle, Jane Knodell, and Beth Mintz.

As always, please feel free to contact me about these or any other issues.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

P.S. More information:

http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/ibb-101/

http://www.unitedacademics.org/s/Dear-Cynic-editors.pdf

https://www.uafaircontract.org/

UA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: NEWS ABOUT FACT FINDING, A HAPPY HOUR, AND MORE

Dear colleagues,

This week I have few things to report, including news about fact finding, an announcement of a happy hour, and a few comments about budgets, numbers, and their interpretation.

The negotiation team is working very hard on preparing for fact finding, the first hearing being this Monday, Feb. 12th. Fact finding is a process under Vermont Labor Relations law where each sides presents information to an agreed upon neutral professional intermediary, a fact finder, who then writes a report suggesting solutions to the differences between the parties. Interestingly, close to a year after introducing it, last Friday the administration’s lawyer informed us that they no longer wished to pursue their proposal to modify the contract’s policy on faculty intellectual property in coursework. (They have not said why they dropped it, but UA has always taken the position that their proposal was draconian and unnecessary.) That means the only thing left to discuss in fact finding is salary.

On the other end of the formality spectrum, please Join your colleagues at another United Academics Happy Hour, this Friday, February 9 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Brennan’s on the first floor of the Davis Center. We will provide snacks, and your first drink is on us. We’d love to see you there. All are welcome. Meet colleagues from across campus, get to know you union and representatives, or just enjoy a beverage with friends. 

I also need to report that AAUP’s Jamie Daniels has had to postpone her visit with us, originally scheduled for this Thursday and Friday; she has a bad flu. We will try to reschedule for later in the semester so that she can visit to discuss with us how to better engage and be more responsive to faculty in these tough times for unions. She was originally scheduled to meet with the Delegates Assembly at this Friday’s meeting; that meeting will still take place.

Thanks to everyone who attended last Thursday’s “Open the Books” forum; it was smart, informative, well-attended, and stimulating. (We hope to have powerpoints and a transcript online before long.) The forum generated some media coverage and a number of responses from people around campus, for which I am always thankful.

Based on some of those responses, I do want to add a few points of clarification: First, just to be clear, UA has not taken a public stand against STEM or STEM buildings, and takes the general position that money that goes to faculty, research, and teaching in all fields is a good thing. We support STEM research and teaching. This was said at the forum, but perhaps could be said more often and more clearly.

Second, when we publish numbers about costs of various things at UVM, those numbers are intended as symptoms of underlying long term trends. (The long term trends were elaborated quite elegantly in some of the presentations at the forum.) I’m afraid some folks take numbers that we have put on posters and other places and then run with them in wrong directions, the two most common being 1) “UVM administrators are obviously corrupt and make constant self-serving and wasteful decisions,” and 2) “I know the story is more complicated than that and so therefore the union doesn’t know what it’s talking about.” Neither of those interpretations are accurate or fair, but I worry they happen too often. 

So for the record, the argument is not simply that the bridge to the library should not have been built, or that the university could simply take money from short term funds and spend them on salaries, which of course we understand are ongoing expenses. We generally use numbers to start a discussion, not as arguments in their own right. No single expense is necessarily a bad one, but the point is that in aggregate, over the years, these continued types of expenses whose necessity is not ironclad illustrate that the university is not poor, and suggest that a modest, thoughtful adjustment in priorities would gradually shift more of the money toward the core mission of teaching and research.

Please keep in contact. There’s always more to discuss.  

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

United Academics is the union of full- and part-time faculty at University of Vermont, with over 700 members from departments and colleges across the campus. We represent faculty in negotiating and upholding contracts, and we advocate for fair labor practices within and beyond our academic community. We are a member-led union­ committed to academic freedom, shared governance, social and environmental justice.

Get to know us at www.unitedacademics.org, and United Academics on Facebook

OPEN THE BOOKS FORUM, FEB. 1 AT 4:30 WATERMAN 413 (AND MORE)

Dear Colleagues,

When I was in graduate school, I never imagined for a minute that I would be spending time as a professor worrying about the cost of athletic facilities, or the differences between tuition and fees. I thought my life was going to be all about the life of the mind. I have since come to the conclusion, however, that for the life of the mind to flourish, it needs a home, and faculty like us sometimes need to put in a little time taking care of that home. From experience, I've seen that if faculty aren't keeping an eye on things, people who are further away from the real work of the institution make all the decisions, perspectives can get lost, and the whole institution can start to stray. 

So this week, as the Board of Trustees prepares to meet and UA prepares for fact finding, it's time for us all to learn about and discuss how we keep a roof over our collective heads, i.e., UVM's budget. Please consider one or more of the following opportunities to learn and make your concerns heard: 

• Join us Thursday, February 1, 4:30-6:00 in 413 Waterman building for our “Opening the Books on UVM” panel discussion about faculty and student concerns regarding UVM’s budget priorities that we fear are diverting too many funds from the academic mission.
• Stop by the United Academics Davis Center atrium table on Friday, February 2, anytime between 11 and 1 to talk with faculty and share perspectives.
• We have some information on our websites, and hope to soon add more, that you may find interesting: http://www.unitedacademics.org/facts-about-uvm-spending/ and https://www.uafaircontract.org/we-sustain-uvm-1/

As always, I'm eager to hear from any of you directly: thomas.streeter@uvm.edu. 

Best wishes,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

A NOTE REGARDING PROPOSED CUTBACKS IN CAS

Dear colleagues,

I apologize for sending out another message so close on the heels of my last one, but it has come to UA’s attention that a five year budget plan for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) has been circulated that includes letting go lecturers. While we don’t want to fan the flames of the rumor mill, it is probably better to share what concrete information we have rather than let speculation circulate unchecked. (For ways to learn more and provide feedback, see below.) 

What we have learned is that CAS Dean Williams Falls circulated a proposed five year budget scenario for dealing with the roughly $2 million deficit imposed by central administration under IBB. The plan explores different scenarios, but the most optimistic one foresees letting go 26 FT instructors and a 40% reduction in PT instructors over the five years. 

None of this is written in stone. We saw last November how central administration, shortly after claiming nothing could be done about the then-larger CAS deficit, suddenly found an extra $2 million, cutting the deficit in half. We hope similar changes can be made before these draconian and short-sighted measures have to be enacted.

But United Academics finds this proposal disturbing. Letting go lecturers to save money too often happens because is its easy, not because any deliberative process has determined that it is wise. UA does not take a stand on what programs are more or less deserving of funds, but we do advocate for decision making that is guided by principles of academic quality and that adheres to the principles of faculty governance. Lecturers typically do more teaching for less pay, often in academically essential programs. We fear that letting them go as their contracts come up for renewal, if that’s what eventually happens, may turn out to be penny wise and pound foolish, not to mention an assault on the careers of valued professionals and colleagues. 

To learn more about UVM’s finances, please come if you can to our “Open the Books at UVM” event on Feb. 1 at 4:30 in Waterman in 413. If we learn more about this situation, we should be able to share it then. And also please remember to fill out the survey regarding the IBB model, intended to be used for the next version of IBB. The survey, due this Friday Jan. 19th at noon, is here: https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/573865?lang=en

You can also learn more and voice your concerns by joining United Academics Delegates and Department Representatives for coffee or lunch: for Coffee and bagels, Wednesday 1/24,  9-11am: Drop-in anytime at Old Mill, GSWS Conference Room on the ground floor. Or pick up some Lunch, Friday 1/26, 12-2pm: Drop-in anytime, in Waterman 427A.

Finally, if you have current concerns about your job status or fair treatment, you can always email our Contract Administration Committee at contract@unitedacademics.org. 

In solidarity,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

WELCOME BACK TO CAMPUS: A MESSAGE FROM UNITED ACADEMICS PRESIDENT TOM STREETER

Dear UVM Colleagues,

Welcome Spring 2018 semester. I hope you had a great break and that your first week of classes is going smoothly. This month I have 1) another invitation, 2) a call to participate in the IBB 2.0 process, and 3) some thoughts about budgets.

First, we still want to hear from you. If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, feel free to send me an email. Even better, join United Academics Delegates and Department Representatives for coffee or lunch: for Coffee and bagels, Wednesday 1/24,  9-11am: Drop-in anytime at Old Mill, GSWS Conference Room on the ground floor. Or pick up some Lunch, Friday 1/26, 12-2pm: Drop-in anytime, in Waterman 427A. These will be informal gatherings, with a chance to talk with department delegates, ask any questions about the contract process, and enjoy lunch or coffee! Come by in any case, but if you can, an RSVP to long time DA member, part time lecturer and VT AFT staffer Katlyn.Morris@aftvermont.org would be appreciated. 

Second, you most likely received an invitation from the Provost’s Office to participate in a survey regarding the IBB model, intended to be used for the next version of IBB. UA has had no input into this survey, but please respond. The survey, due this Friday Jan. 19th, is here: https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/573865?lang=en

If you are like me, you hate surveys and generally assume they are a waste of time. But this might be a different case. There are people involved in the process in the Faculty Senate and elsewhere who would like to use these responses to pursue real reform. The survey is not designed to be quick or easy – it feels a bit hostile, actually – and it demands concrete examples, real evidence of claims, not generalized impressions. And it is not anonymous. (If you feel responding might make you vulnerable, then that’s a reason not to respond.) But, precisely because response rates will no doubt be low, your voice will likely matter more, particularly if you offer details about issues you may have with IBB, about its consequences and effects.

Sometimes faculty governance is hard work, and often it proceeds through less-than-perfect means. But sitting back and kvetching gets old after a while. Give speaking up a try.

Third, about budgets. Please plan to come if you can to our “Open the Books at UVM” event on Feb. 1 at 4:30 in Waterman in 413.

As we prepare for that event (and for fact-finding), I often get conflicting advice about what to emphasize. Some tell me UA should be more emphatic in criticizing high administrative salaries and lavish spending on non-academic things like marketing. Others tell me we should do less of that, because administrators are not evil people and most of what they do is reasonable given the constraints they work under. After giving it some thought, I think part of the issue is about whether one is talking about the forest or the trees, about long-term national trends or more immediate local issues.

On the local level (the trees): We don’t think administrators are evil. UA leadership has included folks who have been or have gone on to be provost, vice provost, associate deans, and more. But more to the point, specific policies at UVM, like non-academic spending trends, are experienced by administrators as normal and perhaps necessary to maintain competitiveness. When the UVM administration notes that they are “within norms” in terms of administrative spending – which they are likely to do when they present matters to the fact finder – they will not be lying. Administrative salaries here are not dramatically different from most public universities around the country. Last year’s study of UVM’s finances commissioned by UA found that UVM recently spent about three percent more than its self-identified peers on non-academic matters – which amounts to $12 million – but that does not make us an outlier nationally, and that particular number could change. Our negotiating team understands those local complexities, and our specific contract proposals, including salaries, take all that into account, often artfully. 

On the broad long term level (the forest) the story is different. I was reminded of this when the AAUP (the organization which supports academic freedom and the tenure system at all universities in the U.S.), recently filed an amicus brief with the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit regarding a case about faculty bargaining rights. The brief noted that,

between 1976 and 2015, the number of full-time executives and managers in higher education grew by 140 percent, while the number of full-time and tenure-track positions has plummeted, with lower-wage non-tenure track faculty making up 70 percent of all faculty positions. This is nearly the reverse of the proportions in 1969, when 78 percent of faculty positions were tenured and tenure-track. From 1976 to 2011, the number of full-time non-faculty professional positions increased by 366 percent overall, with growth of 558 percent in that category at private institutions.

These are long-term trends, they are nationwide, and they are evident at UVM. The forest is one in which non-academic spending has grown and spending on tenure-track faculty has become an ever-smaller percentage of spending nationwide. That’s a key part of the big picture. 

Can United Academics change those long-term trends overnight? No. But the union, as a representative of all faculty, is in a unique position to speak to the big picture while addressing local policies. We are not omniscient, but by bringing together the experiences and insights of faculty, large numbers of whom have been contributing to UVM for decades, we can contribute to the governance of UVM while taking account of long-term trends, of the big picture. And I for one think UA's contribution has made and will continue to make UVM a better university. 

Good luck with your semester, and keep warm.

Best,

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

RALLY AT NOON, THURSDAY, NOV. 2 AT BAILEY HOWE LIBRARY ON UVM CAMPUS

Dear colleagues,

The following press release was sent to the media today. 

Tom Streeter

President, United Academics

thomas.streeter@uvm.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 1, 2017
CONTACT: Tom Streeter – (802) 598-9348 

UVM faculty rally in support of a better contract, as health care premiums cut into salaries

Rally at noon, Thursday, Nov. 2 at Bailey Howe Library on UVM campus

BURLINGTON, VT – As contract negotiations between faculty and the administration enter mediation at Vermont’s largest university, faculty wearing academic regalia will rally on the steps of UVM’s library at noon on Nov. 2nd, to support a contract that keeps wages competitive and UVM’s budget focused on teaching and research. Faculty will be marching from Bailey Howe through the Davis student center to the Jeffords building, where the mediation session is being held.

“Only one out of every three dollars of UVM’s budget for compensation goes to funding faculty engaged in teaching and research,” says union president Tom Streeter. "Only a slight adjustment of the university’s priorities away from amenities and highly paid administrators toward the things that really matter — the classroom and the research lab — would allow UVM to pay competitive salaries and keep student tuition from rising. Between 2003 and 2016, spending on faculty salaries has increased more slowly than tuition, whereas administrative salary increases have grown faster than tuition.” 

United Academics, the faculty union at the University of Vermont (UVM), says that the increase in health care premiums is emerging as a key variable. The university’s recent announcement that health care premiums would climb 5.8% next year means the University’s proposed 2% raise would actually keep salary growth for some faculty below the rate of inflation.

“A 5.8% hike in premiums means that, for a faculty member on the family plan with a median salary, about 20% of the proposed 2% raise will go to cover health care increases, leaving net raises under cost of living increases,” says Streeter. 

Streeter, a professor of Sociology, was hired in 1989 and recalls a period where the University was spiraling into decline. He worries the same thing could happen again. “The effect in the 1990s on campus was enervating,” said Streeter. “Young faculty often left, and those who stayed behind felt little motivation to throw themselves into their jobs. It wasn’t just that there was no financial incentive; it was that the administration’s attitude told us that nobody cared about our work.”

Streeter worries a sub-inflation raise will hurt UVMs competitiveness and national ranking. “Union members are fighting to keep the University’s reputation intact and are prepared to “speak up and bargain resolutely,” says Streeter.

Streeter and his colleagues say UVM could pay for reasonable faculty salaries without raising tuition by bringing non-instructional spending into line with its peer universities. “UVM has money,” he continued. “In 2016 and 2017 it ran multimillion dollar surpluses. It just needs to stop shortchanging academics.” 

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