WSU Faculty Union OKs Possible Strike

[Johnnny5]

"The talks have been contentious, starting with a proposal from the administration that faculty members said would kill tenure and allow professors to be fired without cause. ."


I really can't blame the faculty if they are being asked to sign a contract that eliminates tenure. Their employment should not be dependent on their popularity with the current administration, nor should they be at risk of being fired and replaced just because it would help the school financially.

[Wesley Mouch]

...I really can't blame the faculty if they are being asked to sign a contract that eliminates tenure. Their employment should not be dependent on their popularity with the current administration, nor should they be at risk of being fired and replaced just because it would help the school financially.

Heaven forbid the school manages its finances and might even try to keep tuition down. How un-American.

As far as popularity goes -- I guess we'd all like tenure. No matter how well we teach or get along with others. What a world it would be. What a world it must be for professors.

Sympathy -- not from me.

Do a good job. If you're unpopular, get another job at another school if you're good. If you're not, oh well.

Those with such benefits never do want to give them up, do they?

[aoife]

Heaven forbid the school manages its finances and might even try to keep tuition down. How un-American.

As far as popularity goes -- I guess we'd all like tenure. No matter how well we teach or get along with others. What a world it would be. What a world it must be for professors.

Sympathy -- not from me.

Do a good job. If you're unpopular, get another job at another school if you're good. If you're not, oh well.

Those with such benefits never do want to give them up, do they?

Wow. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

Tenure is not a popularity contest- it is earned. Earned through research and by giving presentations and through publications. And it isn't just faculty that have to do it- librarians and other academic staff have to do it as well. It is working your ass off for five years to prove your worth- that is on top of a teaching schedule or your daily 9-5 duties. So having earned it, someone should be happy to give it up? I certainly wouldn't.

If Wayne State was interested in keeping its tuition down it would start by making a large cut on the administrative level, among other things. What they are trying to do is get rid of full professors so they can replace them with cheaper adjuncts.

There is a lot more to the negotiations than just tenure, though that is the cause that has gotten WSU a bad rep nationally. Hopefully it can be sorted out so there won't be a strike. Shutting down campus is a lose-lose for everyone, particularly the students.

[Wesley Mouch]

Wow. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

You're right here. I was reacting, not thinking.

Tenure is not a popularity contest- it is earned.

OK. Is the idea untouchable? If a school has an valid idea of how to improve itself without tenure, should they be allowed to experiment? Or must we always do things the way they always were, just because we did it yesterday?

If Wayne State was interested in keeping its tuition down it would start by making a large cut on the administrative level, among other things. What they are trying to do is get rid of full professors so they can replace them with cheaper adjuncts.

I hear your opinion. But is it possible that doing this is responsible, and in the best interest of the students? Shouldn't Wayne be able to make decisions on the most efficient and responsible way of delivering quality education? Or is that decision only to be made but those with tenure?

There is a lot more to the negotiations than just tenure, though that is the cause that has gotten WSU a bad rep nationally. ...

I do not mean to be argumentative. But like the RTW issue, it gets my blood boiling that its not possible to consider alternatives to the way its always been done. When change is proposed, there's an immediate statement that quality or safety will end if RTW, tenure, pay scales, work rules, or anything else dear to unions is touched.

I'm not really against tenure, nor unions. But we need a reset button to allow some changes. Or do we really believe everything is perfect today except for the lack of funding from Obama?

So I rant and whine. But rather than an attack, can anyone say something about what it takes for Unions to become agents of change? I only see this when they are threatened, such as charters or RTW? If there's another way, it might change the debate from the same old tired ways as well.

[Zacha341]

Are the WSU Adjunct Faculty represented by a union?

[Zacha341]

Many post secondary institutions are moving towards adjuncts now, adjuncts forever!

It used to be Adjuncts was a path towards being a full time professor as you were working on a Master etc. Now there are adjuncts with their masters for years. I think this is the future.

...So having earned it, someone should be happy to give it up? I certainly wouldn't.

If Wayne State was interested in keeping its tuition down it would start by making a large cut on the administrative level, among other things. What they are trying to do is get rid of full professors so they can replace them with cheaper adjuncts.