Vindicator: YSU, faculty reach contract
Contract talks three years ago broke down, resulting in a strike by the faculty.
YOUNGSTOWN — Negotiations resulting in a new contract for Youngstown State University’s 380 faculty members were apparently far more amicable than bargaining that led to a faculty strike three years ago.
Comments Off on Ohio: Youngstown State faculty reach contract
Posted in Campaigns & Contracts
The Cord Weekly: CAS vote ‘yes’ for strike-authorizing vote
CAS vote ‘yes’ for strike-authorizing vote
With an 89.4 percent majority of CAS members voting in support of strike, the WLUFA executive will have the permission of the union to call a strike if they see fit
CAS vote ‘yes’ for strike-authorizing voteMembers of part-time faculty submitted their strike-authorization votes throughout the past week in order to give or deny the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) executive permission to call a strike on Wednesday, March 19
Comments Off on Ontario: Wilfred Laurier part-timers vote to strike
Posted in Strikes & Labor Disputes
Inside Higher Ed: The Shrinking Professoriate
Every other year, data released by the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics provide a snapshot of the growth of part-time positions in the professoriate. This year — an off-year for that data — the federal statistics provide evidence for another shift, in which the majority of full-time professional employees in higher education are in administrative rather than faculty jobs.
In the fall of 2004, 50.6 of professional full-time employees in higher education (excluding medical schools) were faculty members. In the fall of 2006, for which data were released Tuesday, 48.6 percent of professional, full-time jobs in higher education were held by faculty members.
Faculty jobs remain the majority among full-time positions at two-year colleges and in public higher education, but because there are far more full-time jobs at four-year institutions than at two-year institutions, the balance has tilted away from professorial positions. (Adding part-time positions would of course also swell the faculty ranks across sectors, but this data set focuses on full-time positions.)
Comments Off on The Shrinking Professoriate
Posted in Faculty
WFMZ.com: Cevallos Holds 2nd Closed Door Meeting with Union Faculty Members
“Very positive.” That’s how Kutztown University president Dr. Javier Cevallos is describing his latest meeting with Union leaders. Cevallos met this morning with the Executive Committee of the faculty union. He says they worked on a number of issues and agreed to continue to work together to make Kutztown an even better campus. There’s no word yet on if or when a no-confidence vote on Cevallos will be rescheduled. The union vote was supposed to be this week, but was postponed until after a series of meetings between the union and the president.
Comments Off on Pennsylvania: Cevallos Holds 2nd Closed Door Meeting with Union Faculty Members
Posted in Administration
Opinion250.com: CNC Faculty Speaks Up
Later this morning, the President of the College of New Caledonia will hold a media conference to talk about the budget crisis and lay off notices that have been issued to those employed at CNC.
What is not so well known, is that the President of the Faculty Association of the College of New Caledonia George Davison has submitted comments to the College Board. A copy of the entire presentation is attached to this story.
In those comments, Davison says staff were not involved in any meaningful way in the budget preparations, the lay offs will affect 22-24 insructors, the administration has grown from 1 person earning over $100,000 a year in 1991 to 3 people earning more than $100,000 easch two years ago, and to 10 this year earning more than $100,000 each . Davison says the administration is top heavy.
He also speaks about the Marketing and Recruitment budget , saying it has ballooned from $133,553 in 2004-05 to a budgeted figure of $668,876 this year. That department, he says, has grown from one to 10 people over that period.
Comments Off on British Columbia: CNC Faculty Speaks Up
Posted in Economics
The Age: Victoria teachers’ strike may continue
A major education union has refused to rule out further strike action by Victoria’s Catholic teachers and school staff, if a pay agreement with the Brumby government is not reached.
Catholic school teachers and staff joined forces at Melbourne’s Dallas Brooks Hall on Friday to call on the Victorian government to bring their pay in line with other Australian states.
Victorian Independent Education Union (VIEU) general secretary Deb James said further strike action was possible if the teachers’ demands were not met.
Comments Off on Australia: Victoria teachers’ strike may continue
Posted in International, Strikes & Labor Disputes
PR-Inside.com: Puerto Rico struggles with aftermath of teacher strike
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A 10-day teachers’ strike has left the already-beleaguered Puerto Rico schools scrambling to make up instruction, repair property damage and deal with a loss in federal funds, the U.S. territory’s education secretary said Friday.
Almost US$5 million (€3.24 million) was withheld for government-subsidized student meals that were not served during the strike, Rafael Aragunde said.
Nearly US$50,000 (€32,432) worth of school property was damaged, although it was unclear who was responsible. Gas lines were cut, water pipes destroyed and cars vandalized, he said.
Aragunde met Friday with 89 school superintendents to talk about revising the school calendar to make up the lost instruction. At least 38 schools will hold classes during two upcoming holidays.
Psychologists from various universities have been called in to meet with parents, teachers and students affected by the strike, which was announced Feb. 20 after 30 months of negotiations for better salaries and working conditions fell through.
Comments Off on Puerto Rico struggles with aftermath of teacher strike
Posted in Strikes & Labor Disputes
Sydney Morning Herald: Teachers union to stage stop work meetings in NSW
A NSW Teachers Union has voted to stage a two-hour stop work meeting next month, as its dispute with the state government escalates.
About 250 teacher delegates from across the state met in Sydney today, voting unanimously to stage a stop work meeting on April 8, where another vote on a possible 24-hour strike will take place.
The dispute is centred on the NSW government’s proposed changes which will allow principals to directly hire staff, as well as taking people under the long-standing incentive transfer scheme.
Comments Off on Australia: Teachers union to stage stop work meetings in NSW
Posted in Strikes & Labor Disputes
The Zimbabwean: Economy Goes Haywire
With just 20 days to go before the country’s harmonised elections, the economy has gone haywire, with the Government failing to contain the prices hikes, workers strikes and commodity shortages.
Last week, the teachers went on a strike that paralysed the education sector across the country. The Zimbabwe Teachers Union (ZIMTA) joined the protest that was firstly ordered by the militant Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ).
ZIMTA Secretary-General Richard Gundani said teachers would only return to work if they were paid enough to get to work and meet their living expenses.
Comments Off on Zimbabwe: Economy goes haywire
Posted in International, Strikes & Labor Disputes
Zimbabwe Independent: Teachers intensify strike
ZIMBABAWE’S education system was paralysed this week as a teachers’ strike for better working conditions and remuneration intensified with no immediate solution in sight.
The teachers embarked on industrial action last week to press for a monthly salary of $1,7 billion and improved working conditions.
According to information at hand, only headmasters and their deputies reported for duty.
The country’s largest teachers’ union, Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta), told the Zimbabwe Independent that the strike would continue until the government meets their demands.
Peter Mabhande, the chief executive officer of Zimta, ruled out an immediate engagement with the government to end the strike.
“The natio
Comments Off on Zimbabwe: Teachers intensify strike
Posted in International, Strikes & Labor Disputes
Daily Illini: Unionized UI faculty in minority
Lack of support hinders collective bargaining power
In the Feb. 7 edition of The Daily Illini in the article “Unionized UI faculty in minority,” reported that University faculty have had bargaining rights since 2003. The faculty has had those rights since as early as the 1970s. Also, the article referred to Vice President of the Campus Faculty Association Alfred Kagan as Alan Kagan. The Daily Illini regrets the errors.
The following is the story as it originally ran on Feb. 7
Legislators in Wisconsin are seeking to give faculty members at public universities the ability to bargain collectively with university administration, a practice currently not condoned at Wisconsin public universities.
However, finding support to form Wisconsin faculty unions may be difficult if perceptions are anything like those at the University of Illinois.
Since 2003, faculty at all three University campuses have had the right to form unions and bargain collectively with administration, but have had little success finding a majority of the faculty to support it.
Comments Off on Illinois: Unionized UI faculty in minority
Posted in Unions
The News Journal: North Central State College faculty selects bargaining agent
MANSFIELD — North Central State College faculty have selected an agent to negotiate their first contract with the school.
The NCSC Faculty Association, a chapter of the American Association of University Professors, was selected by 61 percent of voters in the 60-member bargaining unit. Thirty-nine percent voted for no representative.
Comments Off on Ohio: North Central State College faculty selects bargaining agent
Posted in Uncategorized
Hawaii Reporter: Faculty Protests Inequitable Search for University of Hawaii’s Academic Head During Manoa’s Centennial Year
As current and former members of the Manoa Faculty Senate with 65 years of teaching experience at University of Hawaii at Manoa between us, we are shocked and saddened by the unfair, inequitable and underhanded search process for the key position of vice chancellor for academic affairs.
That tainted process is encouraging Gary Ostrander to pole-vault from his privileged position as co-chair of the search committee to the newest — and seemingly hand-picked — applicant to become Manoa’s vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Comments Off on Faculty Protests Inequitable Search for University of Hawaii’s Academic Head During Manoa’s Centennial Year
Posted in Administration
Star Phoenix: U of S board of governors grilled on housing, recent labour strife
Students, student representatives and union workers quizzed the University of Saskatchewan board of governors Friday at the board’s annual public accountability meeting.
The meeting, only the second of its kind at the U of S, drew a large, sometimes emotional, crowd with questions that ranged from how the board plans to tackle the lack of off-campus housing to how the university plans to repair relations with the labour force following a strike by support staff this winter.
A member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees expressed his frustration at not having a voice on the board of governors, which has representatives for both faculty and students. U of- president Peter MacKinnon said he plans to hold discussions in the next few months about the labour environment on campus.
Comments Off on Saskatchewan: U of S board of governors grilled on housing, recent labour strife
Posted in Governance
Lambda Legal: Gay Couple Sues University of Hawaii Following Denial of Family Housing
‘It makes no sense for the University to suddenly decide to discriminate against them just because they are gay.’
(Honolulu, March 10, 2008) — At a press conference today, Lambda Legal announced its intent to file a lawsuit against the University of Hawai`i, representing Phi Ngo and Joseph O’Leary, a gay couple not allowed to move back into family housing after living there for one year.
Comments Off on Hawaii: Gay Couple Sues University of Hawaii Following Denial of Family Housing
Posted in Equity
Denver Post: Moves target affirmative action
A group trying to end preferences says it has enough signatures to reach the ballot.
Affirmative action foe Ward Connerly speaks to reporters Monday after delivering signatures to the secretary of state in support of putting Amendment 31 on November’s ballot. ( Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post )
Supporters of a ballot measure that would ask Coloradans to end state affirmative action programs said Monday that they have enough signatures to put the issue before voters in November.
Comments Off on Colorado: Moves target affirmative action
Posted in Equity
Inside Higher Ed: Ohio Court Unravels Professor’s Victory in Age Discrimination Case
It is probably cold comfort to Robert Lipset that the three judges of the Ohio Court of Appeals who heard his age discrimination case against Ohio University acknowledged in their ruling that the university may have paid too little heed to his teaching excellence, saying that “we, if sitting as Lipset’s promotion and tenure committee, may have valued educational considerations over financial and research considerations. It is unfortunate that the ability to teach students may not be as highly valued as the ability to procure research funds.”
But the comfort almost certainly ended there, given that the Ohio court roundly rejected the victory that the former Ohio assistant professor won in 2006 from the state’s Civil Rights Commission, which ordered the university to offer Lipset a tenured associate professor position and award him $266,000 in back pay after finding “reliable, probative and substantive evidence” that it had denied him tenure in 2001 because of his age. (Lipset was 51 at the time he was turned down for tenure, and the industrial and manufacturing systems engineering department cited “significant reservations about [his] commitment to funded research and … progress towards an identifiable personal research track” in rejecting him)
Comments Off on Ohio Court Unravels Professor’s Victory in Age Discrimination Case
Posted in Employment rights
Houston Chronicle: New class of campus police is bigger and better-armed
University police departments are bigger and more likely to arm their officers than a decade ago, according to a recent study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
In Texas, law enforcement departments on college campuses seem to be ahead of this trend, with nearly 94 percent of surveyed universities arming their police and just as many employing sworn officers.
Comments Off on New class of campus police is bigger and better-armed
Posted in Campus Life
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. State GOP group wins free-speech case
To the relief of a campus Republican group, the 417,000 students at California State University’s 23 institutions no longer face the possibility of discipline for failing to be civil to one another.
The change was part of a settlement approved by a federal magistrate in Oakland this week in a lawsuit by the San Francisco State College Republicans, whose members were subjected to a disciplinary hearing after some of them stomped on two flags bearing the name of Allah during an anti-terrorism rally in October 2006.
Comments Off on S.F. State GOP group wins free-speech case
Posted in Free speech
Reno Gazette-Journal: UNR whistle-blower accused of plagiarism
University of Nevada, Reno professor and whistle-blower Hussein S. Hussein is undergoing his second disciplinary hearing in three years, this time for allegedly plagiarizing work done by his graduate students and improperly keeping a portion of research money that should go to UNR.
Comments Off on Nevada: UNR whistle-blower accused of plagiarism
Posted in Faculty
