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January 2024 Newsletter

Welcome to the 10th anniversary issue of the National Center's monthly electronic newsletter. The electronic newsletter continues the center's tradition since 1973 of publishing regular newsletters with news, data, and analysis.


In this month's newsletter, we remind our readers to register early for our 51st annual conference, which will take place on March 17-19, 2024 in New York City at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center.


The March conference will include a broad range of sessions and speakers of interest to administrators, faculty, post-doctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate employees and staff. Additional conference sessions and participants will be announced soon. We encourage other higher education institutions, law firms, companies, and unions to become conference sponsors.


In this newsletter, we present data collected by National Center researchers concerning new bargaining units and pending representation cases in higher education for calendar year 2023. The data demonstrates a strong steady increase in unionzation among faculty, postdocs, and graduate and undergraduate student employees.


The newsletter also reports on a faculty bargaining unit at Illinois State University certified this month, the upcoming faculty and postdoctoral scholar representation election at Wellesley College, the neutrality and election agreement for contract faculty at New York University, and the recently filed representation petition for tenure track faculty at Michigan State University. It also reports on the new researcher and postdoctoral scholar bargaining unit at the National Institutes of Health and the recent ruling in Hawai'i finding graduate student employees to be covered under that state's collective bargaining law.


Lastly, the newsletter includes a report on our September regional conference at the University of Illinois-Chicago, links to video recordings from our 2023 annual conference in March, links to articles in the current volume of our Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy, announcements about four recently published books that will be the subject of panel discussions at our annual conference, and job postings from Hunter College, the Professional Staff Congress, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, AAUP, and the California Faculty Association.

Register Now for the National Center's 51st Annual Conference

in New York City on March 17-19, 2024

Early Bird Special

The National Center's 51st annual national conference will take place on March 17-19, 2024 in New York City. The conference will be held at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and at the CUNY Graduate Center.


The theme of the conference will be New Crossroads in Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations in Higher Education and the Professions.


Click here to register.


Below is a list of confirmed panels and speakers. Additional panels will be announced in future newsletters and on our website.


Panel: Higher Education Leadership in Challenging Times: The Year Ahead with Ann Kirschner, Interim President, Hunter College, CUNY, Daniel Greenstein, Chancellor, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Catherine Bond Hill, Managing Director, Ithaka S+R, and former President, Vassar College, and Frederick P. Schaffer, former General Counsel, CUNY, Moderator.


Panel: Supreme Court Affirmative Action Decisions: Impact on DEI in Higher Education Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining with Kapil Longani, SUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Channing Cooper, AFT Legal Department Deputy Director, J. Brian Charles, Senior Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Angela Thompson, Member, Administrative Review Board, United States Department of Labor, Moderator.


Panel: Navigating Generative AI in Higher Education: Implications for Collective Bargaining, Pedagogy, and Research with Kyle Arnone, AFT Collective Bargaining Center, and Anthony G. Picciano, Professor, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center, School of Education, M'Hammed Abdous, Associate Director, Faculty Innovation & Teaching, Academic Affairs, Old Dominion University, and Rob Weill, AFT Director of Policy, Research and Field Services, Panelist and Moderator.


Panel: The First Amendment and the Erosion of Managerial Authority with Martin Malin, Professor Emeritus at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, Monica C. Barrett, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC and Rachel Paster, New York State United Teachers, Commentators, and John Wirenius, Chairperson, New York State Public Employment Relations Board, Moderator.


Panel: Collaborating Across the Table: The Value of Labor-Management Cooperation in Reversing Contingency to Improve Outcomes for Women Faculty and Students with Carla Katz, JD - NTT Faculty, Bargaining Team Member, Rutgers University, Kim O’Halloran, PhD - VP of Academic Planning & Administration, Bargaining Team Member, Rutgers University, Heather Pierce, PhD - Adjunct Faculty, Bargaining Team Member, Rutgers University, and Melissa Sortman, Director of Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, Michigan State University, Moderator.


Panel: Addressing Institutional Betrayal at the Table: Tackling Harassment and Title IX Issues Through Collective Bargaining with Risa Lieberwitz, Professor of Labor and Employment Law in the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and AAUP General Counsel, Karen R. Stubaus, National Center Affiliated Researcher, Alexandra Matish, Associate Vice Provost for Academic and

Faculty Affairs and Senior Director, Academic Human Resources, University of Michigan, Sarah M. Arveson, UAW Local 5810 Vice President – UC Berkeley, and Paula E. Burke, Senior Associate, Huron Consulting, Moderator.

 

Facilitated Session: Bargaining Over Job Security for Contingent Faculty with Benjamin Superfine, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Relations, University of Illinois-Chicago and Julie Schmid, AFT Senior Director of Higher Education, Facilitators and Theodore H. Curry, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources Emeritus, Professor Emeritus, School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, Michigan State University, Moderator.


Book Discussion: Contingent Faculty and the Remaking of Higher Education: A Labor History with Gwendolyn Alker, Associate Arts Professor, Department of Drama, New York University, Joe T. Berry, Ph.D., City College of San Francisco and University of Illinois (retired), COCAL, HELU, Anne McLeer, Director of Higher Education and Strategic Planning, SEIU Local 500, Joseph van der Naald, PhD Candidate in Sociology, Graduate Center, CUNY, and Eric Fure-Slocum, Associate Professor of History (Emeritus), co-editor, Contingent Faculty and the Remaking of Higher Education, Moderator.


Panel: Best Practices in Collective Negotiations with Pamela Silverblatt, Senior Counsel, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, Joseph P. McConnell, Partner, Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, Frederick Floss, Professor, Economics and Finance, and Co-Director, Center for Economic Education, SUNY Buffalo State University, Elizabeth Vignaux, Labor Relations Specialist, NYSUT, and Scott M. Sommer, Commissioner, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Moderator.


Panel: Best Practices in Arbitration with Homer LaRue, Labor Arbitrator, Mediator, and Professor, Howard University Law School, Marlene Gold, Labor Arbitrator, Mark Gaston Pearce, Labor Arbitrator, Visiting Professor and Executive Director, Workers’ Rights Institute, Georgetown University Law School, Katie Rosen, Labor Arbitrator, and Marlene A. Gold, Arbitrator. Co-sponsored by the National Academy of Arbitrators.


Facilitated Session: Stress Reduction and Resilience Building for Labor Management Professionals with Monique Schubert, Adjunct Lecturer, Bronx Community College and Lili Palacios-Baldwin, Deputy General Counsel for Labor, Employment and Dispute Resolution, Tufts University.


Panel: Annual Legal Update (CLE) with Henry Morris, Jr., ArentFox Schiff, LLP, Amy L. Rosenberger, Willig, Williams & Davidson, Aaron Nisenson, Senior Legal Counsel, AAUP, Brian Selchick, Cullen and Dykman LLP, and Jessica Alvarez, Acting General Counsel, Hunter College, CUNY, Moderator.

 

Panel: Enrollment and Degree Attainment in the United States: Patterns in States with and without Collective Bargaining with Nathaniel J. Bray, Professor, Program Coordinator, Higher Education Administration, Associate Director, Education Policy Center, University of Alabama, Senior Fellow, College Promise, Noel Keeney, Research Associate, Education Policy Center, University of Alabama, F. King Alexander, Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University, Senior Faculty Fellow, Education Policy Center, University of Alabama, Faculty Affiliate, Cornell University, and Higher Education Research Institute Senior Fellow, College Promise, and Stephen G. Katsinas, Professor, Higher Education Administration & Political Science, Director, Education Policy Center, University of Alabama, Senior Fellow, College Promise, Moderator.


Panel: Graduate Student Representation Election Outcomes, 2020-2023: Navigating a New Era of Graduate Student Unionization with Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Sociology, York College, CUNY, Gary Rhoades, Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Arizona, Commentator, Nicholas DiGiovanni, Partner, Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, Commentator, and Kathy Collins, Director, Huron Consulting, Moderator.


Facilitated Session: A New Wave of Undergraduate Student Unionization in Higher Education with Cory McCartan, founder, Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers; former bargaining committee member, HGSU-UAW L. 5118 and Joseph Jelincic, Assistant Vice Chancellor in Collective Bargaining at the California State University, Facilitators.


Book Discussion: The Costs of Completion: Student Success in Community College with Robin G. Isserles, Author, The Costs of Completion: Student Success in Community College, Professor of Sociology, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, and Grievance Counselor for Full-time Faculty, PSC BMCC Chapter, Christine Mangino, President, Queensborough Community College, CUNY, James McKeever, Sociology, Los Angeles Pierce College, CA, AFT 1521 Faculty Guild President, Brian Kapitulik, Sociology, Greenfield Community College, MA, Department Chair, Social Sciences; Former Acting Dean of Faculty, Colena Sesanker, Associate Professor, Philosophy, Gateway Community College, CT, Member of Board of Regents of CSCU, and Jennifer Shanoski, Chemistry, Merritt College, Oakland California, Moderator.


Panel: Academic Union Responses to Vaccine Mandates at Higher Education Institutions in Canada and the United States with Alison Braley-Rattai, Associate Professor, Department of Labour Studies, Brock University, Larry Savage, Professor, Department of Labour Studies, Brock University, Jean Grassman, Associate Professor, Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences, CUNY School of Public Health, Kara Laskowski, Professor and Chair, Communication Studies, Shippensburg University and State APSCUF Meet and Discuss Chair, and Jamie McCallum, Associate Professor, Sociology, Middlebury College and author, Essential: How the Pandemic Transformed the Long Fight for Worker Justice, Moderator.

 

Panel: Trustees’ Perspectives on Collective Bargaining with Susan Solomon, City College of San Francisco Trustee, Mark Gaffney, Wayne State University Board of Governors, Paul Brown, University of Michigan Board of Regents, and Kenneth M. Mash,

President, APSCUF , Moderator.


Panel: Bargaining Issues For Classified, Clerical, and Other Campus Staff with Jeffrey Grider, President, Portland Community College Federation of Classified Employees AFT Local 3922, Christine O'Connell, President, Union of Rutgers Administrators AFT Local 1766, Tony Johnston, President, Cook County College Teachers Union AFT Local 1600, and Andre’ Poplar, Vice Chancellor – Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice, Oakland Community College – District, Moderator.


Panel: Collective Bargaining Concerning Library Personnel in Higher Education with Meredith Kahn, LEO AFT-MI 6244, Campus Chair, Galleries, Librarians, Archivists and Museums (GLAM) and Librarian for Gender & Sexuality Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Kelly McElroy, United Academics of Oregon State, AAUP/AFT Local 9609, Adriene Lim, Dean of Libraries; Professor of the Practice, College of Information Studies, Dean's Office, University of Maryland - College Park, and Consuella Askew, Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian, Rutgers University Libraries, Panelist and Moderator.


Panel: Labor Justice and Labor Studies in Higher Education with Joy Blanchard, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Lutrill and Pearl Payne School of Education, Louisiana State University, Jordan Harper, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Morgan State University, Ananya Malik, MEd, doctoral student, Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, Letitia F. Silas, Labor and Employment Attorney and Consultant, Commentator, Calvin John Smiley, Associate Professor, Sociology Hunter College, Commentator, and Adrienne Eaton, Dean, Office of the Dean and Distinguished Professor, Labor Studies and Employment Relations (LSER), Rutgers University, Moderator.


Book Discussion: The Right to Learn: Resisting the Right-Wing Attack on Academic Freedom with Jennifer Ruth, Professor of Film, College of the Arts, Portland State University co-editor, The Right to Learn, Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History, retired, Yeshiva University, co-editor, The Right to Learn, Helena Worthen, labor educator, retired, University of Illinois, School of Labor and Employment Relations, contributor, The Right to Learn, and Charles Toombs, Professor of Africana Studies, San Diego State University; President, California Faculty Association, Moderator.

 

Book Discussion: Unionizing the Ivory Tower: Cornell Workers' Fifteen-Year Fight for Justice and a Living Wage with Al Davidoff, Organizational and Leadership Development Director, Solidarity Center, author, Unionizing the Ivory Tower: Cornell Workers' Fifteen-Year Fight for Justice and a Living Wage, Carlos Aramayo, President, UNITE HERE Local 26, Commentator, Carrie Barbash, President, Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, Commentator, and Scott Phillipson, Chair of Higher Ed Council, SEIU, Moderator.

51st Annual National Conference Sponsors

Become a 51st Annual Conference Sponsor or Program Advertiser

2024 Conference Sponsorships


To help support the National Center and its 51st annual national conference, we encourage higher education institutions, unions, law firms, organizations, and companies to become a sponsor of our 2024 annual conference. 


Through a conference sponsorship you will demonstrate support for the National Center’s mission, programing, and research agenda.


Major Supporting Partner: $15,000

 

Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for 3 attendees and a 50% reduction for a fourth;
  • Your organization’s logo and link to your site on the National Center website;
  • Opportunity to make introductory remarks at the plenary or mid-day greetings;
  • Your organization’s name referenced in our monthly newsletter;
  • Inclusion of a one-page display ad in the conference program;
  • Listing as a major supporting sponsor of the annual conference, webinars and conference receptions.


Supporting Partner: $10,000

 

Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for 2 attendees and a 50% reduction for a third;
  • Your organization’s logo and link to your site on the National Center website;
  • Your organization name referenced in our monthly newsletter;
  • Inclusion of a one-page display ad in the conference program;
  • Listing as a supporting sponsor of the annual conference, webinars and conference receptions.


Participating Sponsor: $5,000


Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for one conference attendee;
  • Your organization’s logo and link to your site on the National Center website;
  • Your organization name referenced in our monthly newsletter;
  • Inclusion of a half-page display ad in the conference program;
  • Listing as a participating sponsor of the annual conference, webinars and conference breaks.


Basic Sponsor: $2,500


Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for one conference attendee;
  • Listing as a sponsor on the National Center website;
  • Your organization’s name referenced in our monthly newsletter;
  • Inclusion of a one-quarter display ad in the conference program;
  • Listing as a basic sponsor of the annual conference, webinars and conference breaks.


Introductory Sponsor: $1,500


Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for one conference attendee;
  • Listing as a sponsor on the National Center website;
  • Your organization’s name referenced in our monthly newsletter;
  • Inclusion of a one-quarter display ad in the conference program;
  • Listing as an introductory sponsor of the annual conference, webinars and conference breaks.


Friend of the National Center: $500


Benefits:


  • Complimentary registration for one conference attendee;
  • Listing of your name as a friend of the National Center on our website, newsletter and in the conference program.


2024 Conference Program Advertisements


Another important way to celebrate the National Center’s 51st anniversary and demonstrate support for our mission and research is for your institution, union, law firm, organization or company to place an advertisement in our 2024 conference program.


Full-page advertisement:      $ 1,500

Half-page advertisement:      $   750

Quarter-page advertisement: $  275


Please email us with any questions about sponsorships and ad purchases at: [email protected]

Join the Campaign for an Interactive Collective Bargaining Website

Join the National Center's campaign to fund a permanent interactive website that will provide access to the National Center's database of information and contracts concerning all academic collective bargaining relationships listed in our upcoming 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in Institutions of Higher Education.


The funds from the campaign would help build the website and allow us to employ graduate students to maintain the website and regularly update our database with information such as successor agreements and new collective bargaining relationships.


The features of the interactive website would include the ability of negotiators, representatives, and scholars to:


  • search our repository of close to 900 current contracts individually or in a group utilizing a word search function.


  • search and display variables in our database by institution, bargaining agent, unit composition, and state and would allow the download of data in different formats so that users would be able to analyze the data using their favorite program.


Lastly, the website would include a data entry portal for users to update the data by adding or correcting any data points.


An interactive website will be of immense value to all institutions of higher education, unions representing faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and graduate assistants, law firms representing institutions and unions, as well as scholars of higher education and labor.


Making the interactive website a reality requires financial support. The creation of an operational website may cost as much as $50,000 with additional annual costs to employ graduate students to maintain and update the website.


We, therefore, encourage higher education institutions, unions, law firms, and others to contribute toward the creation and maintenance of the interactive website, which we hope to put online by the end of 2024.


The following are suggested donation amounts to fund the interactive website:


$10,000


$ 5,000


$ 2,500


$ 1,000


$ 500


Other amounts: $250, $100, $50, or $25.Donate Now

Donate Now

2023 Year in Review

New Higher Education Collective Bargaining

 Units and Pending Representation Cases

Below are tables setting forth data collected by National Center researchers documenting the growth in calendar year 2023 of new collective bargaining units and pending representation cases involving faculty, post-doctoral scholars, graduate assistants, and undergraduate student employees. Pending matters are listed in green and one case that was withdrawn is listed in red. We use * to identify private institutions.


The data was collected from documents filed with or issued by labor relations agencies along with documents available on websites. Scholars and reporters who use this data should cite the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions January 2024 Newsletter and include a link which can be found on our website.


The data reveals an accelerated growth in faculty unionization efforts since our September 2023 report, which reported a post-pandemic slowing during the period of January 1, 2022-June 30, 2023. The recently certified faculty unit at Illinois State University and the pending faculty representation cases at the University of Southern California, University of Kansas, and Wellesley College indicate that the apparent trend referenced in our September 2023 report was an anomaly.


Throughout calendar year 2023, massive growth continued in unionization among graduate student employees, postdoctoral scholars and researchers. There were 26 newly certified or recognized bargaining units representing a total of over 48,000 employees. The list of pending cases does not include the continuing efforts by graduate student employees seeking voluntary recognition of their union at Indiana University.


There were 11 new undergraduate student bargaining units in 2023 representing close to 2,000 student employees. Growth in the number of represented undergraduate student employees could substantially increase in 2024 following representation elections in the eight pending cases including the largest at California State University (CSU). As we reported in last month's newsletter, CSU and the California State University Employees Union, SEIU Local 2579 (CSUEU) entered into a consent election agreement for an election, involving a 20,000 student employee bargaining unit, to be conducted electronically by the American Arbitration Association with the voting period beginning on January 25, 2024 and concluding on February 22, 2024, with the ballot count taking place on February 23, 2024.

New Faculty Units in 2023 and Pending Faculty Representation Cases

State

Institution

National Affiliate

Composition

Unit Size

Illinois

Art Institute of Chicago*

AFSCME

FT-PT NTT

600

Illinois

University of Chicago*

SEIU

FT-PT NTT

39

Massachusetts


Tufts University*

SEIU

FT NTT

33

Maryland

Anne Arundel Community College

SEIU

PT NTT

606

Maryland

Frederick County Community College

AFT

FT TT-NTT

106

Maryland

Howard County Community College

AFT

FT TT-NTT

170

Michigan

Michigan School of Psychology*

AFT

FT-PT TT-NTT

25

New York

American Academy of Dramatic Arts*

IND

FT-PT NTT

55

Ohio

Columbus College of Art and Design*

AFT

FT TT

38

Ohio

Columbus College of Art and Design*

AFT

FT-PT NTT

114

Ohio

Miami University

AFT-AAUP

FT TT

804

Ohio

Miami University

AFT-AAUP

Librarians

28

California

California College of the Arts*

AFT

FT-PT NTT

163

California

University of Southern California*

UAW

PT-NTT

250

Illinois

Illinois State University

AFT-AAUP

FT TTT

650

Kansas

University of Kansas

AFT-AAUP

FT-PT TT

1,625

Massachusetts

Wellesley College*

UAW

FT-PT NTT & POSTDOCS

151

Maryland

Washington College*

AAUP

FT TT

80

Michigan

Michigan State University

NEA

FT TTT

1763

New York

New York University*

UAW

FT NTT

940

New Graduate Student Employees, Postdocs, and Researchers Bargaining Units in 2023 and Pending Representation Cases

State

Institution

National Affiliate

Composition

Unit Size

Alaska

University of Alaska

UAW

GSE

500

California

University of Southern California*

UAW

GSE

2,861

California

Stanford University*

UE

GSE

3,410

Connecticut

Yale University*

UE

GSE

3,214

District of Columbia

National Institute of Health

UAW

Researchers and Posdocs

4,982

Georgia

Emory University*

SEIU

GSE

1,647

Illinois

Northwestern University*

UE

GSE

3,000

Illinois

University of Chicago*

UE

GSE

3,200

Maine

University of Maine

UAW

GSE

1,000

Mass.

University of Mass.- Dartmouth

AFT

GSE

302

Mass.

Northeastern

University*

UAW

GSE

2,914

Mass.

Tufts University*

SEIU

GSE

265

Mass.

Tufts University*

OPEIU

GSE-UG

142

Mass.

Brandeis University*

SEIU

GSE

290

Mass.

Boston University*

SEIU

Postdocs

7

Maryland

Johns Hopkins University*

UE

GSE

3,186

Minnesota

University of Minnesota

UE

GSE

4,169

New Hampshire

Dartmouth College*

UE

GSE

787

New York

Cornell University*

UE

GSE

3,175

New York

Weill Cornell Medical College*

UAW

Postdocs

488

New York

Syracuse University*

SEIU

GSE

1,124

New York

SUNY Research Foundation*

CWA

GSE

82

North Carolina

Duke University

SEIU

GSE

2,500

Oregon

University of Oregon

IND

GSE-UG

3,922

Oregon

Oregon Health Services University

AFSCME

Postdocs

240

Washington

Western Washington University

UAW

GSE-UG

700

Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania*

UAW

GSE

4,500

Washington

Washington State University

UAW

Postdocs

160

California

California Institute of Technology*

UAW

GSE-Postdocs

2,050

Mass.

Brown University*

AFT

GSE

34

Mass.

Brown University*

AFT

Postdocs

380

New York

Icahn School of Medicine at Mt.Sinai*

UAW

GSE

300

Vermont

University of Vermont

UAW

GSE-Postdocs

650

New Undergraduate Student Employee Bargaining Units in 2023 and Pending Representation Cases

State

Institution

National Affiliate

Composition

Unit Size

Mass.

Boston University*

SEIU

UG

300

Mass.

Harvard University*

UAW

UG

320

Mass.

Smith College*

UFCW

UG

77

New York

Fordham University*

OPEIU

UG

101

New York

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*

OPEIU

UG

79

New York

Columbia University*

IND

UG

153

Oregon

Reed College*

OPEIU

UG

44

Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania*

OPEIU

UG

218

Pennsylvania

Swathmore College*

OPEIU

UG

56

Rhode Island

Brown University*

AFT

UG

541

Vermont

Bennington College*

IND

UG

36

California

California State University

SEIU

UG

20,000

California

University of California (Santa Barbara)

UAW

UG

450

Mass.

Smith College*

OPEIU

UG

403

Mass.

Emerson College*

OPEIU

UG

87

New Hampshire

Dartmouth College*

SEIU

UG

15

New York

New School*

UAW

UG

900

Ohio

Kenyon College*

UE

UG

600

Washington

Western Washington University

UAW

UG

1,100

Illinois State University: AFT Certified to Represent a FT TT Faculty Unit

Illinois State University, IELRB Case No. 2024-RC-0001


On January 8, 2024, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) certified United Faculty of Illinois State University, University Professionals of Illinois, IFT-AFT, AFL-CIO to represent a bargaining unit of 652 tenured and tenure track faculty at Illinois State University. The certification following a card check conducted by IELRB which demonstrated that 59.2% of employees in the bargaining unit had signed cards authorizing the union to act as their exclusive collective bargaining representative.


The following is the description of the faculty bargaining unit at Illinois State University:


Included: All tenured and tenure-track faculty employed at Illinois State University in a .50 full-time equivalent position or greater, including Program and Center Directors, Heads in the Milner Library, Associate or Assistant Department Heads, Associate and Assistant Department Chairs, and Associate or Assistant School Directors.


Excluded: All adjunct, part-time, and other non-tenure-track faculty; tenured and tenure-track faculty in the following categories or classifications, including acting or interim positions: the University President; the Vice-President and Provost and all other University Vice-President, Associate Vice-Presidents and Assistant Vice-Presidents; the Special Assistant to the Provost; the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer; the Chief Information Officer; the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics; Deans, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans; Department Chairs and Heads; School Directors; the Director of the Graduate School; the Director of the Illinois Tutoring Initiative; the Director of the Center for Integrated Professional Development; the Program Director of the Efaw Center; the Head of Technical Services for Milner Library; the Director of the Center for Math, Science and Technology; the Director of Clinical Experience and Licensing Process (a.k.a. the Director of the Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center); the Director of the Honors Program; the Director of Creative Technologies; Visiting Faculty; retirees; students; all managerial, supervisory and confidential employees as defined by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act; all Civil Service positions; and all other persons employed by Illinois State University

NYU: Neutrality and NTT Faculty Election Agreement Reached with UAW

On January 3, 2024, New York University (NYU) and Contract Faculty United-UAW (CFU-UAW) entered into a neutrality and non-NLRB election agreement that could lead to the university voluntarily recognizing CFU-UAW as the exclusive representative for a unit of approximately 940 non-tenure track contract faculty.


Under the agreement, an in-person manual representation election will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) after CFU-UAW presents a showing of interest from at least 30% of the bargaining unit. If a majority votes in favor of representation, NYU has agreed to voluntarily recognize CFU-UAW "with all of the rights and obligations of a union certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to the extent consistent with this Agreement."


Under the agreement's neutrality provision, NYU "administration's officers, agents or, representatives shall not engage in any efforts to influence the vote in any election conducted pursuant to this Agreement, including but not limited to speeches, one-on-one meetings, distribution of literature, organized get-out-the-vote campaigns, or other activities intended to influence the free choice of the covered employees. The University administration shall communicate this commitment to its officers, agents, and representatives, including to all presidents, provosts, chancellors, and deans of all ranks, full chairs and heads of academic departments, divisions, or programs, Executive Directors, and directors of degree-granting academic programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science and the School of Global Public Health who do not report to a Chair and whose

programs employ full-time continuing contract faculty."


The following is the bargaining unit agreed upon between NYU and CFU-UAW:


Included: full-time continuing contract faculty employed by New York University.


A. Excluded:


1. All faculty in the School of Medicine (Grossman School of Medicine & Grossman

Long Island School of Medicine), School of Law, College of Dentistry, and Stern School

of Business; all tenured and tenure-track faculty; visiting faculty (all ranks), instructors,

assistant professors/Courant instructors, assistant professors/faculty fellows, assistant

professors/emerging scholars, assistant curators/faculty fellows, acting assistant

professors, global professors, global distinguished professors, global instructors, global

visiting professors, writers in residence, distinguished writers in residence, artists in

residence, distinguished artists in residence, scientists in residence, distinguished

scientists in residence, journalists in residence, distinguished journalists in residence, and library associates; faculty who are not full-time continuing contract faculty and hold the title of faculty fellows; all employees appointed as part-time or adjunct faculty; all

emeritus faculty; all faculty employed by NYU global sites; all professional research

staff; all post-docs;


2. All ranks of provosts, chancellors, and deans; all full chairs and heads of academic

departments, divisions, or programs; Executive Directors; Director, Marron Institute;

directors of global academic centers; Director, Center for Experimental Humanities &

Social Engagement (Faculty of Arts and Science); Director, International Relations

(Faculty of Arts and Science); Director, Museum Studies (Faculty of Arts and Science);

Director, Hellenic Studies (Faculty of Arts and Science); Director, Global and

Environmental Public Health Program (School of Global Public Health); Director, Public

Health Nutrition Program (School of Global Public Health); and any other directors of

degree-granting academic programs in Faculty of Arts and Science and School of Global

Public Health who do not report to a Chair and whose programs employ full-time

continuing contract faculty;


3. Any full-time continuing contract faculty who holds one or more of the following

administrative positions: vice/associate/assistant chair; directors of institutes (other than

Marron Institute) and cultural houses; directors of degree-granting academic programs

(outside of those listed in A(2) above); directors of studios in the Tisch School of the

Arts; directors of undergraduate studies and graduate studies (except for Faculty of Arts

and Sciences and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences directors of

undergraduate studies and graduate studies); Academic Directors in the School of

Professional Studies and the Center for Urban Science and Progress; Coordinator of the

Westchester and Rockland Campuses at the Silver School of Social Work; and all faculty

with administrative titles in the Division of Libraries (hereinafter, Specified

Administrative Positions), and who meet one of the following criteria: (a) receives course

release from one or more of the Specified Administrative Positions that reduces the

faculty member's standard course load for the academic year by 50% or more; or (b)

receives administrative compensation from one or more of the Specified Administrative

Positions that equals at least 50% or more of the faculty member's base salary; or (c)

receives a combination of course release, and the monetary equivalent of a course release through administrative compensation, from one or more of the Specified Administrative Positions, that is equivalent to 50% or more of the faculty member's standard course load for the academic year. (The monetary equivalent of a course release through administrative compensation would be calculated at the school's established course buyout rate, or if no such established rate exists, then equal to 17% of the faculty member's base salary);


The University shall provide advance written notification to the faculty member that

states the amount of course release and/or administrative compensation specifically

associated with the Specified Administrative Position(s), and whether the position falls

into this paragraph A(3). The University further agrees to develop an electronic tracking

system for the course release and/or administrative compensation associated with the

Specified Administrative Position(s).


B. Excluded as to Specified Administrative Position Only


Any full-time continuing contract faculty who holds one or more of the Specified

Administrative Positions, and who is not excluded under A(3) above, shall be included in

the bargaining unit as to their faculty appointment, but their administrative position shall

be excluded from coverage under the collective bargaining agreement. Specifically, the

terms and conditions of such administrative appointment, including but not limited to,

appointment, reappointment, compensation, term length, and duties, shall be at the

discretion of the Employer and not subject to any provisions of the collective bargaining

agreement.


In disciplinary matters involving faculty who hold the Specified Administrative

Position(s) in this paragraph B, the University agrees to confer in good faith with the

Union to address whether the disciplinary matter pertains to the administrative role or the

faculty role.


C. Included: Faculty on Temporary International Assignment


Full-time continuing contract faculty employed by New York University on temporary

international assignment shall be included in the unit and the terms and conditions of the

collective bargaining agreement shall apply to their international assignment to the extent

they do not conflict with applicable foreign law or any applicable policies specific to the

global site or camp

Michigan State University: NEA Files to Represent TT Faculty Unit

Michigan State University, MERC Case No.: 23-L-1965-RC


On December 22, 2023, the Michigan Education Association filed a petition on behalf of the Union of Tenure System Faculty with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission seeking to represent a bargaining unit of 1763 tenure system faculty and librarians at Michigan State University. Excluded from the proposed bargaining unit are non-tenure system faculty and administrators.


In addition, the union has a pending request with MSU for voluntary recognition under the 2021 collective bargaining policy adopted by the MSU Board of Trustees calling for neutrality and acceptance of a proposed bargaining unit as long as it is deemed reasonable.

Wellesley College: NTT Faculty and Postdocs Election Scheduled

Wellesley College, NLRB Case No. 01-RC-330948


On December 21 2023, the National Labor Relations Board issued a notice of election scheduling an in-person election for January 29 and 30, 2024 concerning a petition by the UAW to represent a unit of 151 full-time and part-time non-tenure track faculty and post-doctoral scholars at Wellesley College.


The following is the at-issue bargaining unit:


Included: All full-time and regular part-time employees employed by Wellesley College at

any of the Employer's facilities, regardless of funding source, in the following positions: faculty on term appointments, defined as visiting lecturers, lecturers, senior lecturers, adjunct assistant professors, distinguished visiting lecturers, visiting assistant professors, distinguished visiting associate professors, distinguished visiting professors, distinguished senior lecturers; instructors in science laboratory, and senior

instructors in science laboratory; and fellows funded by the Andrew Mellon post-doctoral fellowship endowment (EN34823).


Excluded: All tenured and tenure-track faculty; faculty in physical education recreation

& athletics (PERA), director of the writing program; director of the botanical garden; director of the child study center; director of theatre and theatre studies; curator of special collections; associate provost; co-chair of computer science; director of New England arts & architecture program; director of book studies program; co-chair of music; research scientists and administrators within the Wellesley Centers for Women;

all other employees, including but not limited to undergraduate student employees, post-doctoral workers/fellows (other than Andrew Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellows Endowment (EN34823)); and guards, and supervisors as defined by the Act.

NIH: UAW Certified to Represent Research Fellows and Postdocs Unit

National Institutes of Health, FLRA WA-RP-23-0038


On December 15, 2023, the National Institutes of Health Fellows United/UAW was certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to represent a unit of 4,982 research fellows and postdocs at the National Institutes of Health. The certification followed an election in which the at-issue employees voted 1,601-36 in favor of union representation.


The following is the newly certified unit at the National Institutes of Health:


Included: All Trainees, Scholars, Fellows, Research Fellows, and Clinical Fellows employed by the employer nationwide, including but not limited to: postbaccalaureate Cancer Research Training Award ("CRTA") and Intramural Research Training Award ("IRTA") Fellows; predoctoral CRTA, IRTA, and Visiting Fellows; Research Fellows; Senior Research Fellows; Clinical Fellows; Communications Fellows; Data Science Fellows; Genetic Counseling Training Program Fellows; Medical Research Scholars; National Biosafety and Biocontainment Fellows; Otolaryngology Surgery Fellows; Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) Scholars, and Technology Transfer Fellows.


Excluded: All summer fellows, scholars, students, and interns who are currently enrolled in higher school or undergraduate programs, externally funded fellows and scholars, staff scientists, lab managers, Principal Investigators, supervisors of employees, management officials, confidential employees, non-professional employees, and employees described in 5 U.S.C. 7112(b)(3), (4), (6), and (7), nationwide.

University of Hawai'i: HLRB Rules in Favor of GSE Employee Status

University of Hawai'i, HLRB Case No. 23-DR-00-120


On January 4, 2024, the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board granted a petition by Academic Labor United for a declaratory ruling finding that graduate assistants at the University of Hawai'i are public employees under that state's public sector collective bargaining. The ruling is consistent with court and administrative decisions rendered in other states and under the National Labor Relations Act.

State of Washington: Student Employee Bargaining Rights Expanded

In 2023, the State of Washington enacted an amendment to its pubic sector collective bargaining law to grant unionization rights to student employees at the following higher education institutions: Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University and Evergreen State College.


Under the amendment, "employees" are defined as those enrolled in an academic program with duties substantially equivalent to those employees in the following classifications: graduate teaching assistant; teaching assistant; graduate staff assistant; tutor, reader, and grader in all academic units and tutoring centers; lab assistant; faculty assistant; research assistant; and graduate research assistants who are not performing research primarily relating to their dissertation.

Western Washington University: UAW Seeks Student Bargaining Unit

Western Washington University, WPERC Case No.138066-E-23


On December 13, 2023, Western Academic Workers-UAW filed a petition with the Washington Public Employment Relations Commission seeking to represent a unit of 1,100 undergraduate student employees at Western Washington University.


The following is the bargaining unit proposed in the petition:


All employees enrolled in an academic or certificate program on any campus of Western

Washington University, including those employees who are employed by Western Washington University during an academic break and are enrolled in an academic or certificate program immediately before or after that academic break; excluding confidential employees, supervisors, employees covered under RCW 41.56.0215; 41.56.021, 41.56.022, 41.56.024, or chapter 28B.52, 41.76, or 41.80 RCW, and employees included in any other bargaining unit

September 2013 Regional Higher Education Collective Bargaining Workshop at the University of Illinois-Chicago

On September 14 and 15, 2013, the National Center held a regional higher education collective bargaining workshop at the University of Illinois-Chicago. The regional conference was co-sponsored by the University of Illinois System, and the University of Illinois School of Labor & Employment Relations’ Labor Education Program.


The sold-out workshop included over 100 attendees and speakers from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, and California.


This was the third regional workshop organized by the National Center since 2013, with the last two being held in California. It is part our effort to revive the tradition of holding regional programming similar to the events the National Center sponsored in earlier decades.

The workshop program at the University of Illinois-Chicago included facilitated sessions on specific collective bargaining issues as well as traditional panel discussions on collective bargaining, community colleges, academic freedom and free speech rights on campus, affirmative action and discrimination, best practices in arbitration, and legal obligations under public sector collective bargaining laws and the National Labor Relations Act. The conference keynote speaker was Sameer Gadkaree, President, The Institute of College Access and Success.

Best Practices in Collective Bargaining Panel with (l-r) Diana Valera, President CFAC/IFT, Columbia College, Mark Bennettt, Laner Muchin, Marcia Mackey, Michigan Education Association (moderator), Melissa Sortman, Assistant Provost and Director, Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, Michigan State University, and Elizabeth Towell, SEIU Local 73

Best Practices in Collective Bargaining Panel with (l-r) Stephen Yokich, Dowd, Bloch, Bennett, Cervone, Auerbach & Yokich, LLP, Robb Craddock, Labor and Employee Relations Executive Director, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Mike Newman, Deputy Director, AFSCME Council 31, Richard W. Fanning, Jr., Clark Hill, PLC, and Terry Curry, former Associate Provost and Associate Vice President, Michigan State University (moderator)

Collective Bargaining, Discrimination, Affirmative Action, & Title IX Panel with (l-r) Ricky Baldwin, Assistant Director, State Division, SEIU Local 73, Risa Lieberwitz, Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Cornell ILR and AAUP General Counsel, Augustus Wood, Assistant Professor, School of Labor & Employment Relations, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Julie Miceli, Husch Blackwell, and Karen Stubaus, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rutgers University and National Center Affiliated Researcher (moderator)

Legal Obligations under Public Sector Statutes and NLRA Panel with (l-r) Richard W. Fanning, Jr., Clark Hill, PLC, Ellen Strizak, General Counsel, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, Angie Cowan Hamada, National Labor Relations Board Region 13 Director, and Alice Johnson, General Counsel Cook College Teachers Union (moderator)

Community Colleges: Distinct Bargaining Issues and Challenges Panel with (l-r) Robert Boonin, Dykema, PLLC, Tony Johnston, Cook County Teachers Union Local 1600 President,

Andre' L. Poplar, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Oakland Community College,

Shannon Altson, Director of Business, Legal & Human Resources, Michigan Education Association, and Joshua Welker, Dean of Business and Institutional Effectiveness, John Wood Community College (moderator)

10 Best Practice Tips from Experienced Labor Arbitrators with (l-r)

Meeta Bass, Arbitrator

Cary Morgen, Arbitrator, and Betty Widgeon, Arbitrator, (moderator and panelist)

50th Anniversary Conference Video Recordings

The National Center's 50th anniversary conference on March 26-28, 2023 was a major success.


Click here for the full conference program. And click here for the webpage dedicated to the 50th Anniversary conference, which was developed with the assistance of Iris Finkel, Hunter College Web and Digital Initiatives Librarian.


Below are links to video recordings of certain presentations at the National Center's 50th Anniversary Conference.


We thank Roosevelt House Production Coordinator Daniel T. Culkin and Peter Jackson, Hunter College's Chief Digital Media CLT & Production Coordinator and the students of the Hunter College Film & Media Department for recording and producing the videos.


Welcoming Remarks by National Center Executive Director William A. Herbert, Anne Ollen, Managing Director, TIAA Institute, Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy, and Karen Stubaus, Rutgers University and Associate Editor, Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy.


Keynote Presentation by Michael Sandel, Political Philosopher and Harvard University Professor with Introductory remarks by Hunter College President, Jennifer J. Raab.


Panel: Title IX: Its Past, Its Present, and Its Future with Frazier Benya, Senior Program Officer, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Lance Houston, Title IX Coordinator and Director of Equity and Compliance, Adelphi University, Risa Lieberwitz, Professor of Labor and Employment Law in the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and General Counsel of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Tamiko Strickman, Special Advisor to the President and Executive Director of the Office of Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX, University of Michigan, and Moderators: Karen R. Stubaus, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rutgers University and Alexandra Matish, J.D., Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Senior Director, Academic Human Resources, University of Michigan. This panel was co-organized by the National Academies' Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education.


Panel: Treasuring the Past and the Spirit of Change: Perspectives from Experienced Arbitrators with Rosemary A. Townley, Arbitrator and Mediator, Howard C. Edelman, Arbitrator and Mediator, Jacquelin F. Drucker, Arbitrator and Mediator, and Homer LaRue, Arbitrator, Mediator, and Professor, Howard University Law School, Moderator. This panel was co-sponsored by the National Academy of Arbitrators.


Panel: Higher Education Unionization: Perspectives from Labor Relations Agencies with John Wirenius, Chairperson, New York State Public Employment Relations Board, Marjorie Wittner, Chairperson, Massachusetts Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, Mary Beth Hennessy-Shotter, Director of Conciliation and Arbitration, NJ Public Employment Relations Commission, and Michael P. Sellars, Executive Director, Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission, Moderator. This panel was co-sponsored by the Association of Labor Relations Agencies.


Panel: Annual Legal Update with Amy L. Rosenberger, Willig, Williams & Davidson, Monica C. Barrett, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, Henry Morris, Jr., Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP, Aaron Nisenson, Senior Legal Counsel, AAUP, and Brian Selchick

Cullen and Dykman LLP, Moderator.


Panel: Yesterday and Today: Experienced Faculty Leaders in Higher Education with Jamie Dangler, former Vice President for Academics, United University Professions, Art Hochner, Associate Professor Emeritus, Management, Temple University & former President, Temple Assn. of University Professionals, AFT 4531, Charles Toombs, President, California Faculty Association, Kenneth Mash, President, APSCUF, and Penny Lewis, Secretary, Professional Staff Congress/CUNY, AFT Local #2334, Moderator.


Panel: Exploring the Retirement Income Equity Gap with Brent Davis, Economist, TIAA Institute, John Dorsa, Chief Pension Officer, Office of the New York City Comptroller, Valerie Martin Conley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Idaho State University, and Anne Ollen, Managing Director, TIAA Institute, Panelist and Moderator.


Panel: College Athletes, NCAA and the NLRA: An Update with Gabriel Feldman, Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law, Tulane Law School, Joshua Nadreau, Fisher Phillips LLP, Mark Gaston Pearce, Executive Director, Workers’ Rights Institute, Georgetown University Law School, and former National Labor Relations Board Chairman, and Jeffrey Hirsch, Geneva Yeargan Rand Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law, Panelist and Moderator.


Panel: Labor Issues Facing Independent Musicians with Marc Ribot, Guitarist and Composer, Phillip Golub, Pianist and Composer, Amir Elsaffar, Trumpeter and Composer, Sulynn Hago, Guitarist and Composer, and Larry Blumenfeld, Moderator. This panel was co-sponsored by the Music Workers Alliance.



The National Center's Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy has published Volume 14. The volume title is "Learning from the Past to Enhance our Future."


The Journal's Editors-in-Chief are Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona, Karen Stubaus, Rutgers University, and Jeffrey Cross, Eastern Illinois University (Emeritus).


Op-Ed:


A New Foundation, Revisited by Richard J. Boris


Articles:


Protecting Academic Freedom Through Collective Bargaining: An AAUP Perspective by Michael Mauer


In the Beginning, Long Time Ago: A Brief History of the National Center’s Origin and Evolution by William A. Herbert


Power Despite Precarity: A Conversation with the Authors, Joe Berry and Helena Worthen by Gary Rhoades


Centering Anti-Racism and Social Justice, Toward A More Perfect Union: A Conversation with the Authors, Cecil E. Canton and Charles Toombs

by Gary Rhoades


Practitioner Perspective:


Factors that Led to Crossing the Picket-Line: An Autoethnography of a Faculty Striker by Giovanna Follo


Proceedings Materials:


50th Anniversary: Proceedings of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions by Daniel J. Julius


The Academic Mission and Collective Bargaining by Sidney Hook


Management Rights Issues in Collective Bargaining in Higher Education by

Margaret K. Chandler and Connie Chiang


The Yeshiva Case: One Year Later by Joel M. Douglas


State Support of Higher Education: A 20-Year Contextual Analysis Using Two-Year Percentage Gains In State Tax Appropriations by Edward R. Hines


Sexual Harassment on Campus and a Union's Dilemma by Rachel Hendrickson


Collective Bargaining and Technology by Christine Maitland


Faculty and Management Rights In Higher Education Collective Bargaining: A Faculty Perspective by Ernst Benjamin


The Current Status of Graduate Student Unions: An Employer's Perspective

by Daniel J. Julius


New Models of Contingent Faculty Inclusion by Frank Cosco


The Professionalization of Non-Tenure Track Faculty in the United States: Three Case Studies From Public Research Institutions: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, and University of Oregon by Karen Stubaus


This Much I Know is True: The Five Intangible Influences on Collective Bargaining by Nicholas DiGiovanni Jr.


The History Of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education: The Case of HBCUs

by Derryn Moten


Collective Bargaining and Labor Representation for Higher Education in a “Right to Work” Environment by Thomas Auxter


The Journal is an open access, peer-reviewed, online periodical, the purpose of which is to advance research and scholarly thought related to academic collective bargaining and to make relevant and pragmatic peer-reviewed research readily accessible to practitioners and to scholars in the field.


We encourage scholars and practitioners in the fields of collective bargaining, labor relations, and labor history to submit articles for potential publication in future volumes.


The Journal is supported, in part, by a generous contribution from TIAA and is hosted by the institutional repository of Eastern Illinois University.

New Book: The Costs of Completion-Student Success in

Community College by Robin G. Isserles

New Book: Contingent Faculty and the Remaking of Higher Education-

A Labor History, edited by Eric Fure-Slocum and Claire Goldstene

New Book: The Right to Learn- Resisting the Right-Wing Attack on Academic Freedom, Edited by Valerie C. Johnson, Jennifer Ruth, and Ellen Schrecker

New Book: Unionizing the Ivory Tower-Cornell Workers' Fifteen-Year Fight for Justice and Living Wage by Al Davidoff

Job Posting:

Hunter College Legal Counsel and Labor Relations

Hunter College invites applications for the position of Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director. Hunter College, a flagship campus of the City University of New York (CUNY), is a vibrant institution with a diverse and accomplished student body and eminent faculty. With more than 23,000 students, it is CUNY’s most populous senior college campus with a strong commitment to educating those whose access to higher education has historically been limited.


The Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director reports to the General Counsel and provides legal advice to the College on a broad range of issues including employment and labor law, contracts, compliance, governance, ethics, intellectual property and immigration. The position provides legal support to Vice Presidents, Deans, Chairs, faculty, and administrators, and serves as a liaison to the University Office of Legal Affairs with respect to litigation and arbitration.


Title Overview, the responsibilities include but are not limited to:


  • Negotiate and draft of contracts, licenses, releases, and other legal documents.
  • Work with attorneys in CUNY Office of the General Counsel and Office of Labor Relations in connection with litigation and arbitration including matters relating to students, employees, and third parties.
  • Represent the college at hearings and arbitrations as the hearing officer and oversee the prompt completion of confidential staff investigations.
  • Provide legal counsel with respect to compliance with legal requirements, college and university policies and procedures, and contractual obligations.
  • Research sensitive college-wide HR issues and provide recommendations to the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources.
  • Review and respond to subpoenas, Freedom of Information Law requests, and other requests for college, employee, and student records.
  • Educate senior leadership on various labor relations policies and procedures.
  • Develop a thorough understanding of labor agreements, rules, and policies of the City University of New York (i.e. PSC/ CUNY Collective Bargaining Agreement, CUNY's Rules and Regulations, New York State Civil Service Laws, etc), and apply CUNY regulations appropriately by providing Deans, Vice Presidents, and Department Heads with guidance and mentorship.


QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree and eight years’ related experience required.

Membership in New York State Bar required.

Preferred Qualifications

-Ability to work well as part of a team, take on a supervisory role when needed, work effectively and independently on multiple tasks.

-Substantial non-profit law and contract negotiation and preparation experience.

-Experience in large law firm setting with increasing managerial responsibility.

-Experience in higher education setting.

-Exceptional analytical and communication skills and judgment.

-Experience interpreting laws and drafting and interpreting organizational regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines.


CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

Directs College Labor Relations functions requiring the highest degree of confidentiality, skill, sound judgment and attention to detail.

  • Represents the College at grievances and disciplinary proceedings
  • Writes labor/legal related briefs and decisions
  • Responds to policy and procedural inquiries from a wide variety of College officials, including Vice Presidents, Deans and Department Chairs
  • Responds to a variety of requests, such as employment discrimination complaints from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the New York State Division of Human Rights; subpoenas, and document requests
  • Provides time-sensitive reports and information to internal and external sources, such as the New York Commission on Public Integrity
  • Serves as liaison to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Labor Relations, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Management, and Office of the General Counsel
  • Performs related duties as assigned.


Job Title Name: Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director

CUNY TITLE

Higher Education Officer

FLSA

Exempt


COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary commensurate with education and experience($129,310-$141,858).

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.


HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted online by accessing the CUNY Portal on City University of New York job website www.cuny.edu/employment. To search for this vacancy, click on SEARCH ALL POSTINGS and in SEARCH JOBS field, enter the Job Opening ID number

Click on the "APPLY NOW" button and follow the application instructions. Current users of the site should access their established accounts;. New users should follow the instructions to set up an account.


Please have your documents available to attach into the application before you begin. Note, the required material must be uploaded as ONE document under CV/ Resume (do not upload individual files for a cover letter, references, etc.). The document must be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or text format- and name of file should not exceed ten (10) characters – also DO NOT USE SYMBOLS (such as accents (é, è, (â, î or ô), ñ, ü, ï , –, _ or ç)).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please include:

  • Cover Letter and/ or Statement of scholarly interests
  • Curriculum Vitae/ Resume
  • Names and contact information of 3 references

Upload all documents as ONE single file-- PDF format preferred


CLOSING DATE

The search will remain open until the position is filled. The committee will begin reviewing complete applications on December 8, 2023. Applications submitted after the deadline will only be considered if the position/s remain open after initial round.


JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job Posting:

Director of Legal Affairs

 Professional Staff Congress


The Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, is a progressive, activist union representing 30,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York and the CUNY Research Foundation. The PSC provides a collaborative, supportive environment to drive progressive change in the context of the nation’s largest urban public university. The PSC is seeking to hire an attorney to direct our Legal Department; lead the union’s legal strategy; handle disciplinary proceedings, arbitrations, and proceedings before relevant agencies; and coordinate legal issues related to internal union governance.


EXEMPT/NON-EXEMPT: Exempt, Unionized, Professional Bargaining Unit

FULL TIME/PART TIME: Full Time

REPORTS TO: Executive Director


Summary of Responsibilities:


  • Advises the Officers, Executive Director and union staff on issues related to contract enforcement, collective bargaining, internal governance, and the legal affairs of the union
  • In consultation with Officers and Executive Director, develops and carries out a legal strategy which aligns with the union’s overall strategic vision and goals
  • Supervises and mentors Coordinator of Legal Affairs, and co-supervises Administrative Associate
  • Represents instructional staff charged with disciplinary infractions
  • Represents union at arbitration of contract grievances
  • Represents union in proceedings before relevant federal, state and local agencies
  • Coordinates on legal matters with outside counsel and state and national affiliates
  • Coordinates with and advises Contract Enforcement Director and staff
  • Responds to inquiries from union chapter officers, grievance counselors and members regarding contract enforcement and disciplinary issues
  • Leads special projects


Qualifications:


  • Admitted to the New York State Bar
  • Demonstrated commitment to progressive trade unionism and social justice
  • Uncommonly strong written and spoken language skills; excellent organizational skills
  • Demonstrated ability to exercise excellent judgment in handling confidential material and to work with and relate to others
  • J.D. from an accredited law school
  • Excellent research, writing, and analytical skills
  • Strong oral advocacy and communication skills


Experience Requirements:


  • 6+ years’ experience in labor law


Compensation:


Salary: $122,000 + depending on experience. Comprehensive benefit package

The PSC supports justice and equity for all people facing oppression and exclusion. We particularly encourage women and people of color to apply for this position.

Application deadline: January 26, 2024, at 5PM


To Apply:

Send cover letter, résumé and legal writing sample to: Denise Poché Jetter, Director of Human Resources and Operations, [email protected]

Job Posting:

Open Education Research and Policy Specialist

 Massachusetts Teachers Association

The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Center for Education Policy and Practice is hiring an Education Research and Policy (ERP) Specialist who will work with educators, students, community groups and other experts to identify obstacles to success for students and educators that are rooted in structural racism, economic inequality, and other forms of oppression and develops solutions that dismantle those barriers. The ERP specialist also works with our government relations, field, grassroots, and communications teams on campaigns to achieve those policy goals.


The full job description and information on applying can be found here: Recruitment (adp.com)


In addition to working for a union, you will belong to a staff union with all the advantages and feeling of solidarity that unions provide. The salary scale for this position is $103,000 to $137,000, depending on experience. Wherever you start, each year you move up one step each year that you are in the position until you reach the top step.

Job Posting: AAUP Executive Director

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Executive Director in our Washington, DC office. Application packets and resumes for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Screening will continue until the position is filled. This position requires a commitment to racial equity and involves working with diverse individuals both inside and outside of the AAUP office.


Duties and Responsibilities

The executive director is the chief administrative officer of the Association, appointed by and responsible to the AAUP’s governing Council. The executive director is responsible for implementing Council and executive committee policies, initiatives, plans and personnel directives, along with actions and mandates approved by the biennial meeting. The person appointed to that office shall be well acquainted with academic institutions and committed to core AAUP principles, including academic freedom, shared governance, and collective bargaining. The executive director approves academic freedom and shared governance investigations, collective bargaining campaigns, and searches for positions on the administrative staff. In all aspects of employment, the executive director promotes and furthers the AAUP’s mission.


The executive director is responsible for the financial stewardship of the association as well as managing the budget and operations; day-to-day decisions are delegated to the deputy executive director who is responsible for the routine management of the national office and for ensuring its smooth and efficient operation. The executive director exercises a significant role in the planning and coordination of the Association’s programs and services in line with Council’s initiatives and priorities. Currently these include (1) fighting back against inappropriate interference into higher education, especially partisan legislative interference and other inappropriate interference into academic institutions by politicians and donors, (2) an initiative to enact permanent, structural, organizational change in order to view all AAUP work through a racial equity lens and to address racial justice in the AAUP and the academy, and (3) overseeing the ongoing implementation of the AAUP affiliation with the American Federation of Teachers – infusing AAUP standards and principles more widely into higher education and building membership while AAUP retains its independence and autonomy.


The executive director provides staff service to the AAUP president, executive committee, Council, and the AAUP Foundation board. The executive director speaks for the Association and serves as a national voice on higher education issues, when appropriate. The executive director is expected, as a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, to collaborate with chief officers of other higher education organizations. The executive director works with key education leaders in government and higher education. The executive director coordinates relationships with other higher education unions and promotes collective bargaining nationally. The executive director shall seek adherence to AAUP's recommended standards in the community of higher education.


The executive director will be accountable to and will report directly to the Council. The Council will evaluate the performance of the executive director on an annual basis using this position description as a basis for evaluation. In the evaluation process, the Council will solicit the views of the staff, Association chapters and members, and others in the higher education community who work and interact with the executive director on a regular basis.


Qualifications

Candidates must be very familiar with and committed to AAUP principles. Experience as a faculty member is desirable.


Administrative experience, knowledge of collective bargaining, leadership within the AAUP at the local, state, and/or national level are desirable.


Education:   Required: Advanced terminal degree.

Skills:   Required: Demonstrated organizational, interpersonal, leadership, and

management skills. Proven communications, public relations, and writing

skills. Must have the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.

Experience in development/fundraising a plus.


Compensation   

Expected salary range is $200,000-$230,000, commensurate with educational background and work experience. Generous benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance; and 401(K).


Position Classification

This regular full-time position is categorized as a confidential staff position and is excluded from the staff bargaining unit. This is an exempt position and is not eligible for overtime pay.


To Apply

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications must include a statement of interest and a curriculum vitae and should be emailed to the Chair of the Search Committee at [email protected]. Questions, inquiries, and nominations should also be directed to [email protected]. No phone calls please.


The AAUP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, homelessness, or other characteristics unrelated to professional performance. (EEO Know Your Rights | Family Medical Leave Act | Employee Polygraph Protection Act).


Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Job Posting: Open Staff Positions

California Faculty Association

Working for CFA

A union of 29,000 tenure-track faculty, coaches, librarians, and counselors, CFA is seeking candidates with a strong knowledge and background in racial and social justice work. Candidates who have relevant experience (formally or informally) and can translate that into the range of job responsibilities listed below are strongly encouraged to apply.

CFA is proud to be a member-run union and believes in employing hard-working and creative staff whose talents complement those of our elected leadership. 


CFA is an Affirmative Action Employer. Women, People of Color/Native People, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.


CFA complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected].


Click here to view job listings.


Job Postings

Campus Service Representatives – NorCal & SoCal


The CSR responsibilities are communicated by the CFA campus Field Representative and will work in coordination with the CFA Chapter Executive Board’s, which organizes and represents approximately 29,000 faculty, librarians, counselors, and coaches.


General Summary


The CSR is a non-exempt part-time position.


The position ensures that the California Faculty Association’s (CFA) new member recruitment and organizing goals are executed through the work of the CSR and chapter that they are assigned to support. Overall, the position will support and help add capacity to well-functioning ongoing priorities for new member recruitment and organizing support.


Rate of Pay: $25.00 hour


Hours Per Week: 19 hours per week.


Working Days/Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am – 2pm, Fridays 2pm-5pm


**Any alterations to the scheduled days/hours must receive prior approval by the Field Rep


Job Functions and Essential Duties


Recruitment of new members:


  • Daily hall walking campus buildings to engage in recruitment discussions with non-members – nonmember target lists and tracking form provided during bi-weekly check ins
  • Provides welcoming experience and exceptional service to non-members


Required meeting attendance:


  • Attends monthly membership organizing committee meetings
  • Attends monthly luncheons, workshops, and other activities – coordinates with OM to identify rsvp’s of non-members to engage with during the event
  • Attends 2nd Executive Board meeting of each month to provide report progress made in chapter goal of recruitment
  • Events/activities in which membership organizing committee has scheduled for the upcoming month
  • What has been successful for recruitment and what has not


Optional meeting attendance:


  • 1st Executive Board meeting of the month
  • Events, workshops and activities where no nonmembers have rsvp’d


Reporting:


  • Friday bi-weekly – turn in tracking form from prior weeks and workplan for upcoming week to field rep and chapter president
  • Friday 3pm bi-weekly check in with field rep (and occasionally chapter president) – meeting will be to discuss and review progress on recruitment goals using tracking form, workplans and hall walking scheduling for the upcoming weeks, overcoming any obstacles to recruitment
  • Weekly check-in with regional organizing director and team meetings


Office Organization and Administrative/ Clerical Duties (when needed):


  • Keeps track of all conversations with nonmembers with dates, times, issues/concerns and follow up, if any, that is needed
  • Communication with Executive Board members who have volunteered to assist in activities as to time, date, location i.e. tabling event, appreciation event, etc.
  • Communicates to Field Representative if supplies are needed i.e. membership cards, pens/pencils, paper, binders, etc.
  • Updates and maintains the CFA bulletin boards in each campus building with membership recruitment materials


Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:


  • Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and under general supervision, and to handle multiple projects simultaneously. Effective organization and time management skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively, creatively and strategically in a team environment, including CFA officers, members, interns and staff.
  • Ability to learn and communicate CFA organizational structure and policies
  • Attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to communicate professionally with nonmembers, members, staff, students and leadership.
  • Ability to follow verbal and written instructions.
  • Ability to work independently and under general supervision to meet required tasks/duties.
  • Possess high integrity and demonstrated ability to handle highly confidential information
  • Effective and appropriate communication with members, staff, administrators, and supervisors.
  • Ability to lift 25 lbs. (subject to reasonable accommodation).


To apply send cover letter and resume to: [email protected].

National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining

in Higher Education and the Professions

[email protected]; [email protected]

 http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/ncscbhep

Hunter College, City University of New York

New York, NY 10065

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