WSU Faculty Union OKs Possible Strike

[noise]

http://www.freep.com/article/2012121...text|FRONTPAGE

Wayne State University's faculty has authorized the union leadership to call a strike against the university at any time as negotiations over a new contract drag on."A strike authorization is not a strike," union president Charles Parrish, a political science professor, said Monday. "It's a notification to the other side that things are very serious."

The two sides are scheduled to talk again Friday.

That said, union officials said they would be willing to call for the strike, if needed, although any such call likely would not come until the beginning of the winter semester in January.

University spokesman Matt Lockwood declined to comment Monday on the move.

[Danny]

Oh well, At least I graduated from Wayne State University with a BA of Liberal Arts from the College of Fine Performing Arts in 2010 YAY for me. I'm now have my own film company. Working to this day.

[Wesley Mouch]

While I think the time is past... I can respect the need for collective representation by trade union for auto workers.

For professors? No. Its a bad idea.

[Mark Smiles]

Who would they be striking against?

Why the People of Michigan who elected their Board.

When striking against the peoples representatives one is striking against the people.

How many will side with the strikers against the people?

I hope the people and the folks elected to represent them win this one.

[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.

[noise]

I'm not unbiased, so I'll just make a few comments:

WSU is a research institution. There are only 3 in Michigan. For many faculty, "teaching" is not part of the equation. Nor should it be.

A university becomes a research institution due to its research output. Reputation comes from quality output. Quality output comes from academic freedom. Academic freedom is only ensured through tenure.

While certain practices at an institution of higher education may not be the most financially logical, one must determine the purpose of such an institution.

It is my opinion that faculty & staff ARE the university. Not the administration. Students come & go. Reputation, programs, content, and most everything of tangible value begin & end with faculty & staff.

Tenure is no longer an issue in negotiations. That was taken off the table. There are other bargaining issues concerning benefits & salary, as with any employee in any business. There is probably a bit of concern over proposed 0.5% raises for union members, after the 9% [[I believe) administrative raises. Checks & balances.

[noise]

I should add, there are issues concerning online education, which is constantly growing, and a lack of quality control. It's a lot cheaper to pay adjuncts poorly with no benefits. Is that in the best interest of anyone?

[drjeff]

I'm on the WSU faculty. There is already a system in place for getting rid of underperforming faculty with tenure. This involves review by faculty peers. However, the current administration wants to be able to fire faculty simply by unilterally deciding they want them gone, with no input from the rest of the faculty.

This would have a devastating effect on retention and recruitment of new faculty, i.e. nobody in their right mind would take/keep a job at WSU unless they had no other options. One of the reasons for the tenure system is that a faculty member who may state things based on scholarship that the administration doesn't agree with for political reasons would not have to worry about their job- this is known as academic feedom. It's at the center of higher education. To remove this protection would kill the university as a research center.

Another thing many people don't understand is that it takes many, many years of work to even get an initial faculty appointment. I was 37 when I got hired by WSU after being in higher education of some type for 20 years [[and not paid well at all). This is pretty typical. Once you're hiredas faculty, you have 7 years to get tenure or else you no longer have a job. So this is a really big deal. There's no job security without tenure. And getting tenure requires an enormous amount of work including teaching, research, and service both to the university and the nationally for 5-6 years. Once tenure has finally been obtained, often when the faculty member is well over 40, there is finally some job security. If you don't get tenure, you're fired. Sound good?

[Warrenite84]

As a Senior at WSU, I can only say some of my teachers have been really great, & some have been driftwood riding on past achievements until they retire. You can tell who's taking an active interest in their students or not. I'm all for research, but tenured teachers earn their pay from students tuition. For what I'm paying, I'd like a little more bang for my buck.

One of the biggest areas WSU could improve is their graduation rates, now at around 35%. Since many of the students also work, why they don't provide morning and evening classes for undergrad seniors in particular is beyond me. This would help raise graduation rates and draw in more students.

[noise]

I'm all for research, but tenured teachers earn their pay from students tuition.

While students surely expect this to be true 100% of the time, it's not the reality of higher ed. Research often takes precedent.

Graduation rates were partly addressed by increased admittance standards.

[Wesley Mouch]

Warrenite84 #12: As a Senior at WSU, I can only say some of my teachers have been really great, & some have been driftwood riding on past achievements until they retire.

DrJeff #11: I'm on the WSU faculty. There is already a system in place for getting rid of underperforming faculty with tenure. This involves review by faculty peers. However, the current administration wants to be able to fire faculty simply by unilterally deciding they want them gone, with no input from the rest of the faculty.

Two different perspectives. Both want good results. If Warrenite is right, and there are teachers who are 'walking through' their jobs... does the system DrJeff outlines work?

We don't want our public employees tossed out every time there's a management shift. But we also want excellence for our tax money. Maybe Warrenite's experience is only one bad apple among many.

How do we get excellence within tenure and unions?

[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.

[noise]

Warrenite84 #12: As a Senior at WSU, I can only say some of my teachers have been really great, & some have been driftwood riding on past achievements until they retire.

DrJeff #11: I'm on the WSU faculty. There is already a system in place for getting rid of underperforming faculty with tenure. This involves review by faculty peers. However, the current administration wants to be able to fire faculty simply by unilterally deciding they want them gone, with no input from the rest of the faculty.

Two different perspectives. Both want good results. If Warrenite is right, and there are teachers who are 'walking through' their jobs... does the system DrJeff outlines work?

We don't want our public employees tossed out every time there's a management shift. But we also want excellence for our tax money. Maybe Warrenite's experience is only one bad apple among many.

How do we get excellence within tenure and unions?

The system requires some steps by an administration. If the administration isn't taking those steps, who should you blame?

[noise]

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.

This can be problematic for accreditation. Owens Community College in NW Ohio had trouble a few years back with their nursing program due to the ratio of non-terminal-degree holding adjuncts teaching courses.

[socks_mahoney]

The point here between whether or not the faculty should strike is a difference of opinion on how the University should be governed and function.

Universities are rich in history of self governing bodies. Student Government. Faculty Senate. You see the administration works for the University, the faculty and the students should be setting the agenda of the university, with the approval of the Board of Governors.

Lets get real here btw. If anyone thinks the Board of Governors race is a democratic one they are telling you hogwash. Its a money game and a name recognition game. Its a seat for vanity and glamour. Real democratic control is grassroots and comes from within through democratic self-governing institutions.

Alan Gilmour is one of the worst things to ever happen to Wayne State University.

-An Alumn

[evergreen]

As a Senior at WSU, I can only say some of my teachers have been really great, & some have been driftwood riding on past achievements until they retire. You can tell who's taking an active interest in their students or not. I'm all for research, but tenured teachers earn their pay from students tuition. For what I'm paying, I'd like a little more bang for my buck.

One of the biggest areas WSU could improve is their graduation rates, now at around 35%. Since many of the students also work, why they don't provide morning and evening classes for undergrad seniors in particular is beyond me. This would help raise graduation rates and draw in more students.

Probably don't offer enough classes at those times because it's not convenient for the profs.

[Wesley Mouch]

Probably don't offer enough classes at those times because it's not convenient for the profs.

Thank God there's a Union to protect the workers from unreasonable demands by Administration.

[noise]

Thank God there's a Union to protect the workers from unreasonable demands by Administration.

Thank God public opinion is based on false assumptions rather than facts.

[Warrenite84]

Noise, I appreciate the accolades that cutting-edge research provides my university. But if I am not receiving the benefits of this research, what is it worth to me? How will my employer reap the benefits of this research if the lack of class times push back or stop my achieving adegree? Graduation results=more students=more research money. Research and teaching are complimentary endeavors.

[noise]

Noise, I appreciate the accolades that cutting-edge research provides my university. But if I am not receiving the benefits of this research, what is it worth to me? How will my employer reap the benefits of this research if the lack of class times push back or stop my achieving adegree? Graduation results=more students=more research money. Research and teaching are complimentary endeavors.

How are you not receiving the benefits of this research? Everyone does, but most of all those affiliated with the university.

If there is a lack of class times, the blame should rest squarely on the administration. Of course, as a person who has supposedly dedicated themselves to an education, perhaps priorities must be re-evaluated.

Your equation, in all of its linear simplicity, is simply not adequate in describing a "Research I" institution.

[laphoque]

The hard research that drives innovation is done by universities and government because most of it is terribly unprofitable and will never lead anywhere father than new understanding. If Allan Gilmore jeopardizes this mission at Wayne State because he wants more control over professors, the damage to the university and the city will be enormous. He may also find that he will alienate the kind of liberal students who tend to go to Wayne.


From a business perspective: it'd be hard to find a plan that would misunderstand and disrespect the values of your employees and customers more than this one. It makes neither sense nor cents.