This week, members of the bargaining team from Eastern Michigan University’s Federation of Teachers (Local 9102) will have the chance to vote for the ratification of the first contract between the university and part-time lecturers.
The ratification vote took place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15 in the 110 King Hall union office. If both sides — the Board of Regents is set to vote Tuesday, Sept. 20 — approve it, changes in the status of non-tenure-track faculty will happen almost immediately. Highlights of the contract include: changes to pay and benefits, appointments, working conditions and professional respect and enforcement mechanisms.
Pay and benefits seem to be catching union members’ attention the most.
Under the contract, six pay schedules will go into effect given the variety of appointments; a salary floor of $1,125 per credit hour will apply to most.
Those who earn less than $1,125 a credit hour will rise to at least that rate, and those who earn more than $1,125 will stay put—salaries will be retroactive. As it stands, part-time faculty members are hired in at any chosen rate at the time.
“Salary is playing a big part in this,” EMUFT President Sonya Alvarado said. “It’s going to make the university stronger competitively, and it gives the teachers a chance to focus more on the classroom and less on their financial situations.”
Longevity payments will be based on the number of fall and winter semesters of employment a lecturer has had over the past four years. For example, 2-3 semesters will earn a longevity payment of $100, 4-5 will earn $200 and so on.
If the contract is ratified, both parties would be obligated to meet Sept. 1, 2012, to agree on health care options that would be made available to employees on Jan. 1, 2013. In the meantime, part-timers may use the Snow Health Clinic at university staff rates.
Semester-by-semester appointments would be altered to yearly appointments for part-timers who have taught at least 18 credit hours during two of the last three academic years, not including spring or summer, and have received satisfactory results in the contract’s new evaluation process.
Since most part-timers instruct at several establishments at a time, the union believes this will provide job security, and in turn, offer the university stability in teachers—something the union seeks to implement now.
To give an example, a part-time lecturer teaching this fall is considered lecture A. To promote to the next level, B, by next fall, that person would have to complete an evaluation process in three parts: self, third party and student. After that, the lecturer would wait six semesters before another evaluation.
Alvarado said there are two benefiting results from an evaluation process.
“Faculty will be able to observe good teaching processes, and it will go on record,” Alvarado said. “Before, there was no record. You could be a fantastic teacher and try to seek other employment, but there wouldn’t be a track record of your achievements here.”
Teachers will be more likely to reflect on what they’ve done so far—a very important element in teaching, according to Alvarado.
The second part of the benefits encompasses feedback.
“With the third-party and student evaluations, you do get feedback,” Alvarado said.
“Without it, you have no chance for growth… All of these together benefit the students, really.”
The EMUFT said this will properly reward faculty and give more job security than their currently at-will status. According to the contract, employees would no longer be at-will; a just cause standard of
discipline or expulsion will be required.
Contrary to the current process, a grievance procedure ending in required third-party arbitration will be enforced as well.
Alvarado said there has been nothing but positive feedback from teachers as well as students on the ratification of the contract.
“It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Alvarado said. “There was even a student organization that recruited people to help us educate others on this. They’ve been really active in supporting us and their teachers.”
On July 15, the EMUFT reached an agreement with EMU on a contract for part-timers.
Wednesday and Thursday, union members will vote on that contract. Non-members who wish to vote can sign up to become members and vote on the spot.
