AAUP Unit 2 negotiations: Dec. 12

The bargaining teams for the AAUP Unit 2 contract met on Friday, Dec. 12, for about 90 minutes.

The Administration Team at the session included Executive Vice President Carla Chance, Interim Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development Soni Hill, Director of the Advising Center Temesha Corbin, Manager of Labor Relations Steve Brooks, and Associate Dean of Health & Public Safety Jennifer Hall.

The Faculty Team members are Geoff Woolf, Darlene Gray, and Pam Ecker.

Mediator John Gray attended the session also.

Faculty Team members said the session focused on gaining additional understanding of the concerns that were identified during Thursday’s bargaining session.

Topics of discussion included the Unit 2 faculty annual calendar and scheduling of workday responsibilities, the use of vacation days, and the work performed by Unit 2 members that provides service to the College community, which sometimes occurs on evenings and weekends.

The teams also exchanged ideas about the value and importance of tenure for Unit 2 faculty members.

Faculty Chief Negotiator Geoff Woolf said, “Today we focused on general concepts rather than specific proposals. Both sides talked honestly about our concerns, which should help us establish a good foundation for the eventual exchange of proposals.”

Geoff said the Faculty Team also provided some background information about Unit 2 faculty work.

“Several of the members of the Administration Team are new to bargaining for this unit,” Geoff said. “In some instances, providing some of the history of the unit can help these administrators better understand certain aspects of the contract.”

“The faculty members in Unit 2 are highly credentialed and highly qualified, and their work has a special place in the life of the College community,” Geoff said. “We believe the members of Unit 2 are entitled to working conditions and rights that are commensurate with their faculty counterparts in Unit 1.”

Geoff added, “As a faculty organization, AAUP has the same expectations for members of Unit 2 as we do for those in Unit 1. In bargaining, we generally resist efforts to make changes that would create more differences between the two units.”

The next negotiation session is not yet scheduled, but Geoff said he expects the bargaining teams to meet again early next week.