We encourage institutions, unions, law firms, and individuals to donate to help support the National Center’s research and programming.

December 2024 Newsletter

William A. Herbert, Executive Editor

Daniel Cronin, Student Editor

Jenna Salem, Student Editor

In our December newsletter, we provide updates concerning our 52nd annual conference on March 23-25, 2024 including confirmed panels and speakers, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities.

The keynote presentation on March 23, 2025 will be titled Unity in Defense of Higher Education with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, American Association of Colleges and Universities President Lynn Pasquerella, and Chronicle of Higher Education Senior Reporter Adrienne Lu, moderating.

The conference plenary on March 24, 2025 will be titled Five Years after George Floyd: A New Era for DEI in Higher Education with Hunter College President Nancy Cantor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones, California Faculty Association President Charles Toombs, and the Leadership Alliance Executive Director Taiese Bingham-Hickman. Adrianna J. Kezar, Professor of Higher Education, University of Southern California, will be moderating the plenary.

This month's newsletter provides the key findings and links to the National Center's recent studies. It also reports on faculty unionization efforts at the New York Film Academy, the University of Southern California, Chatham University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music and updates on unionization efforts by student employees and others at Pennsylvania State University, the University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University, Kenyon College, Temple University, College of Saint Benedict, and Pomona College.

The newsletter includes information about recent unionization efforts by physicians and museum workers, a vote by interns and residents at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia against union representation, and links to a new survey by the American Historical Association about the working conditions of historians employed as contingent faculty.

Lastly the newsletter provides information about our Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy and job postings from Hunter College, the University of Michigan, and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Register Today for the National Center's 2025 Annual Conference

Registration is open for our 52nd annual conference, which will take place on March 23-25, 2025 in New York City with the theme of Unity in Defense of Higher Education and Collective Bargaining.

To register for the 2025 annual conference click here.

The following is a list of currently confirmed conference panels:

Keynote Presentation: Unity in Defense of Higher Education and Collective Bargaining with Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, Lynn Pasquerella, President, American Association of Colleges and Universities, and Adrienne Lu, Senior Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Moderator.

Plenary: Five Years after George Floyd: A New Era for DEI in Higher Education with Nancy Cantor, President, Hunter College, CUNY, Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Charles Toombs, President, California Faculty Association, Taiese Bingham-Hickman, Executive Director, The Leadership Alliance, Brown University, and Adrianna J. Kezar, Professor, Higher Education and Director, Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern California, Moderator.

Research Panel: 2024 Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Higher Education with William A. Herbert, Executive Director, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, CUNY, Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Sociology, York College, CUNY, Joseph van der Naald, PhD Candidate in Sociology, Graduate Center, CUNY, Susan Kelly, President, Microsearch Corporation, Mary Taber, Director of Research, UUP, Commentator, Dana Fleming, Associate General Counsel, Tufts University, Commentator, and Malini Cadambi-Daniel, Executive Director, Professional Staff Congress-CUNY, AFT Local 2334, Moderator.

Panel: Loper Bright, Labor Rights, and the Attack on the Administrative State with Diana Reddy, Assistant Professor of Law, Faculty Co-Director, Center for Law and Work, UC Berkeley Law, Seth D. Harris, Distinguished Professor of Practice, Doctoral Program in Law & Policy and Affiliated Faculty and Senior Fellow, Burnes Center for Social Change, Northeastern University, David Lopez, University Professor of Law, Professor Alfred Slocum Scholar, and Co-Dean Emeritus, Rutgers University, and Deepa Das Acevado, Associate Professor of Law, Emory University Law School, Moderator.

Panel: Artificial Intelligence: Changing the Bargaining Landscape with Jeffrey M. Hirsch, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Geneva Yeargan Rand Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law, Kyle Arnone, Director, AFT Collective Bargaining, Rob Weil, AFT Director of Policy, Research and Field Services, Nicholas L. Collins, ArentFox Schiff LLP, and Framroze M. Virjee, President, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Moderator.

Panel: Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations: Looking Back, Looking Forward with Carl Levine, Levy Ratner, Joseph Ambash, Fisher & Phillips LLP, Faye Moore, Director of Contract Administration, Professional Staff Congress, CUNY, AFT Local 2334, Thomas H. Riley, Jr., Executive Director of Labor and Special Counsel, University of Illinois System, 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: Organizing Professionals: Academic Employees Negotiating a New Academy (Rutgers University Press, 2025) with author Gary Rhoades, Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Arizona. (Panel in formation).

Workshop: The Fundamentals for Labor-Management Committees in Higher Education with Stephanie Burkes, Program Associates for Labor Management Services, NYS-CSEA Partnership, Daniel Shook, Program Associates for Labor Management Services, NYS-CSEA Partnership, and Liesl K. Zwicklbauer, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Employee Relations, Moderator.

Panel: “We have a first contract – now what?” with Katherine H. Hansen, Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss, LLP, John H. Gross, Ingerman Smith LLP, John Coverdale, Arbitrator, Ahsan Ali, Director of Labor Relations, Tufts University, Robin J. Sowards, Technician, Collective Bargaining, Research, and Benefits, United Steelworkers, and Katie Rosen, Arbitrator & Mediator, Moderator.



Panel: New Developments, Old Problems for Contingent Faculty with Elizabethada Wright, Professor, University of Minnesota Duluth, and Contract Administrator, UEA, Rebecca Ropers, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Minnesota Duluth, Gretchen McNamara, President, Wright State University AAUP, Commentator, Randa Wahbe, Vice President, Community College Association (CTA/NEA), Commentator, and Christina Gallup, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Duluth.

Panel: Antiracism and Social Justice Issues and Working Conditions as Negotiable Subjects with Sharon Elise, Professor of Sociology, California State University, San Marcos and Associative Vice President, Council for Racial and Social Justice, California Faculty Association, Donna Murch, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Region 4 AAUP National Council Member and former Chapter President of the New Brunswick chapter of the Rutgers AAUP AFT, Kathy Sheffield, Director of Representation and Bargaining, California Faculty Association, Karen R. Stubaus, National Center Visiting Scholar and former Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rutgers University, and Margarita Berta Avila, Professor of Education, Sacramento State University and Vice President, California Faculty Association, Moderator.

Panel: Administrator Responses to Campus Protest: Lessons from History

with Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History (retired), Yeshiva University, member AAUP Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, Paul Ortiz, Professor of Labor History, Cornell ILR, and Jelani Favors, Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor, Department of History and Political Science and Director, Center of Excellence for Social Justice, North Carolina A&T State University. (Panel in formation).

Panel: The Uses and Abuses of Title VI with Rana Jaleel, Associate Professor, Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies and Asian American Studies, University of California-Davis, Chair, Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, AAUP, Risa Lieberwitz, Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Frederick P. Schaffer, former General Counsel, CUNY, and Suzanne B. Goldberg, Herbert and Doris Wechsler Clinical Professor of Law, and Director, Center for Gender & Sexuality Law & Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, Columbia University Law School, Moderator.

Panel: Annual Legal Update (CLE) with Damien DiGiovanni, Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP, Amy L. Rosenberger, Willig, Williams & Davidson, Aaron Nisenson, Senior Legal Counsel, AAUP, Brian Selchick, Cullen and Dykman LLP, and Ayanna T. Blake, Director Labor Relations, Weill Cornell Medicine, Moderator.

Facilitated Workshop: Mindfulness as Both a Life Skill and a Negotiator's Asset with Lili Palacios-Baldwin, Deputy General Counsel, Tufts University and Joshua Wright, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, The City College of New York.

Panel: A New Approach to Interest-Based Bargaining in the State of Florida: Successful Bargaining in Challenging Times with Eric Scarffe, President UFF-FIU, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Florida International University, Daniel Saunders, Chief Negotiator UFF-FIU, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Florida International University, Heather Russell, Vice Provost, Faculty Leadership and Success, Florida International University, Barbara Manzano, Chief Negotiator, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, Florida International University, and Andrea Cancer, Commissioner, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Moderator.

Research Panel: Work Stoppage Across the Educational Continuum: K-12 to Higher Education with Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, Sociology, York College, CUNY and National Center Affiliated Researcher, Melissa Arnold Lyon, Assistant Professor of Public Policy Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY, Daniel Iskhakov, Graduate of Hunter College, CUNY, and Rhiannon M. Maton, Associate Professor, Foundations and Social Advocacy, SUNY Cortland and National Center Visiting Scholar, Panelist and Moderator.

Panel: Faculty Members’ Perceptions of the Impact of Unionization on Shared Governance with Brian Rossman, Associate Professor, Open Educational Resources and Scholarly Communication Librarian, Montana State University Library, Bozeman, Ernesto Longa, Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law, Commentator, Catherine Bond Hill, Managing Director, Ithaka S+R, and former President, Vassar College, Commentator, and Rotua Lumbantobing, Vice President, AAUP, Moderator.

Panel: Beyond the Table: Best Practices for Collaboration in the Implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreements with Kim C. O’Halloran, Vice President for Academic Planning & Administration, University Academic Affairs, Rutgers University, Heather Pierce, Lecturer, Political Science, Contract Enforcement Chair, PTLFC-AAUP-AFT, Local 6324, Rutgers University, Kamil Robakiewicz, Senior Labor Relations Representative, College of Literature, Science and Arts, University of Michigan, Kirsten Herold, President, LEO, AFT-MI Local 6244, and Bronte Burleigh Jones, CFO, Vice President and Treasurer American University, Moderator.

Panel: Empowering Classified Staff: Advancing Equity and Mindfulness in Higher Education through Collective Bargaining with Anel Gonzalez, President, CCE/Local4522, Anthony Solis, CFT Field Representative, Lead Negotiator,

Carmelino Cruz, CCE Negotiator and Steward, Anna Pedroza, Vice President Human Resources, and John Rose, Dean, Diversity and Compliance, Hunter College, CUNY, Moderator.

Panel: Lessons from Negotiating: Selection of Bargaining Team Members and Dealing with Rogue Bargaining Team Members with Terry Calaway, President Emeritus, Johnson County Community College and Professor of Practice, Community College Leadership, Kansas State University, Andre’ L. Poplar, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Oakland Community College, Martin Balinsky, Professor, Tallahassee State College, President, United Faculty of Florida-Tallahassee State College and Vice-President, College Bargaining Council, and Deborah H. Williams, Professor and Chair, Johnson County Community College, former JCCC Faculty Association President and Lead Negotiator, Moderator.

Panel: Demographics and the Doctorate: Predictors of Graduate Student Organizing at Research Universities with Lauren McGuire, M.P.P., Ph.D. Student, Educational Leadership, Policy, & Human Development, College of Education, North Carolina State University, Alissa G. Karl, Statewide Vice President for Academics, UUP, Commentator, Mike Miller, Director, UAW Region 6, Commentator, Marcelle Grair, Chief of Staff, SEIU Local 509, Commentator, and Alexandra (Sascha) Matish, Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Senior Director, Academic Human Resources, University of Michigan, Moderator.

Panel: Graduate Unions as a Training Ground for Higher Education Collective Bargaining with Sikander Khare, UF-GAU Bargaining Chair, Cassandra “Cassie” Urbenz, UF-GAU Co-President, Lane Demaske, URI-GAU Grievance Chair, Danielle Dirocco, NEA Higher Ed Organizational Specialist, and Kate Birdsall, Director of Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, Michigan State University, Moderator.

Panel: The New Wave of Campus Student Workers: The Historic Unionization of CSU Student Assistants with Joseph Jelincic, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Collective Bargaining, The California State University, Christina Checel, Associate Vice Chancellor for Labor and Employee Relations, The California State University, Jim Philliou, Executive Director, California State University Employees Union, SEIU Local 2579, Catherine Hutchinson, Statewide President, California State University Employees Union, SEIU Local 2579, and J. Felix De La Torre, General Counsel, California Public Employment Relations Board, Moderator.

Panel: Negotiating over Tenure Procedures with Joseph P. McConnell, Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP and Rosemary A. Townley, Arbitrator and Mediator, Townley ADR, P.C., Moderator. (Panel in formation).

Panel: Funding of Higher Education over the Next Decade with Thomas L. Harnisch, Vice President for Government Relations, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and Frederick G. Floss, Professor, and Co-Director, Center for Economic Education, Buffalo State University, Panelist and Moderator. (Panel in formation).

Additional confirmed panels and speakers will be announced in future newsletters and blasts.

52nd Annual National Conference Sponsors

Become a 52nd Annual Conference Sponsor or Program Advertiser

2025 Conference Sponsorships

To help support the National Center and its 52nd annual national conference, we encourage higher education institutions, unions, law firms, organizations, and companies to become a conference sponsor. 

Through a conference sponsorship, you will demonstrate support for the National Center’s mission, programming, 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's 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's 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.

2025 Conference Program Advertisements

Another important way to celebrate the National Center’s 52nd conference and demonstrate support for our mission and research is for your institution, union, law firm, organization or company to place an advertisement in our 2025 conference program.

Full-page advertisement:      $ 1,500

Half-page advertisement:      $   750

Quarter-page advertisement: $  275

Please email us with any questions about sponsorships and advertisement purchases at: msavares@hunter.cuny.edu

New Study: Anti-Discrimination Clauses in

Higher Education Collective Bargaining Agreements

Last month, the National Center released a new study titled Anti-Discrimination Clauses in Higher Education Collective Bargaining Agreements. 

Download the study here.

The study is based on research that led to the publication in September of our 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in Higher Education.



The purpose of the study is to assist negotiators, labor representatives, and administrators in developing, amending, and implementing anti-bias contract provisions.

The study includes excerpted anti-discrimination text from 30 collective bargaining agreements negotiated by different nationally-affiliated unions and institutions at all levels of higher education from across the country involving tenured and tenure track faculty, non-tenure track faculty, postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers, and graduate student employees.

For each contract, the monograph includes the contract's anti-discrimination clause and the relevant negotiated procedure concerning enforcement when the contract does not permit, limits, or modifies the use of the standard grievance-arbitration procedure to enforce the anti-discrimination clause. In addition, the monograph includes a hyperlink to each contract to permit the contextualization of the excerpted provisions within the terms of the entire agreement.

KEY FINDINGS



• While most anti-discrimination clauses explicitly prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, and union activity, there are wide differences with respect to other protected categories.

• Over the course of time, anti-discrimination clauses have changed, reflecting the historical context during which they were negotiated. Examples of those changes over the years are prohibitions against discrimination based on civil union status, HIV status, and Vietnam-era veteran status.

• Recent contract clauses have expanded protections against discrimination to include caste; citizenship status; immigration status; ancestry; marital or parental status; status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; gender expression; gender identity; genetic information; height; weight; arrest record; military status; veteran status; or unfavorably discharged from military service. Only one contract has an anti-discrimination clause limited to prohibiting discrimination based on union activity.

• Certain contracts expand upon sex as a protected category to explicitly address sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, as well as faculty-student relationships. The most detailed definitions of sexual harassment, with special procedures for investigating and remedying sexual harassment complaints under Title IX and anti-discrimination clauses, are in contracts involving postdoctoral scholars and graduate student employees.

• A significant difference among the contracts is the agreed-upon means of enforcement. Some contracts permit discrimination claims to be processed under the regular grievance-arbitration procedure. Others modify those procedures for handling discrimination issues and some agreements exclude alleged violations of the anti-discrimination clause from the grievance process. Lastly, some parties have opted to condition the arbitration of a discrimination grievance on the employee waiving her or his rights to pursue statutory discrimination claims in court or other external forums.

2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and

Contracts in Institutions of Higher Education

In September, the National Center published our 2024 Directory of Bargaining Agents and Contracts in institutions of Higher Education on the scope of higher education unionization involving faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate and undergraduate student employees.

The 2024 Directory includes data and analysis concerning over 900 collective bargaining relationships in higher education through January 1, 2024, and hyperlinks to 813 recent contracts in higher education. Click here to download 2024 Directory

KEY RESEARCH FINDINGS



• The faculty union representation rate was 27% as of January 1, 2024, with a total of 402,217 unionized faculty across 29 states and the District of Columbia;
• California, New York, and New Jersey have the highest number of unionized faculty;
• The total number of unionized faculty grew by 7.5% since 2012;
• Represented faculty at the private non-profit institutions grew by 56%, relative to a 4% growth in the public sector, since 2012;
• As of January 1, 2024, there were 10 bargaining units of exclusively postdoctoral scholars with a total of 11,471 employees and two academic research units with a total of 6,132 employees.
• The graduate student employee union representation rate was 38% at the beginning of 2024 with over 150,000 employees in 81 bargaining units;
• Graduate student representation increased by 133% since 2012 with 60% of that growth at private non-profit higher education institutions;
• As of January 1, 2024, there were 19 exclusively undergraduate student employee units, with a total of 3,515 represented employees.

New York Film Academy: UAW Certified to Represent Faculty Unit

New York Film Academy Ltd., NLRB Case No: 31-RC-353465

On December 16, 2024, the Association of Teachers and Staff Los Angeles – UAW was certified by the NLRB to represent a unit of 276 faculty employed by the New York Film Academy at its Los Angeles campus. The certification followed a December 6, 2024 tally of ballots, which demonstrated that the faculty voted 172-8 in favor of representation by Association of Teachers and Staff Los Angeles – UAW.

The following is a description of the new bargaining unit at the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus:

Included: All professional employees, including those working remotely, and including Faculty, Instructors, Teaching Fellows, Adjunct Instructors, Adjunct Assistant Professors, Adjunct Associate Professors, Adjunct Professors, Assistant Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors, and Therapists, employed by the Employer at its Los Angeles, CA campus.

Excluded: All other employees, including non-professional employees, seasonal employees, managerial employees, confidential employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the Act.

University of Southern California: UAW Files to Represent Faculty Unit

University of Southern California, NLRB Case No. 31-RC-356388

On December 10, 2024, United Faculty-UAW filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to represent a bargaining unit of 2528 full-time and part-time faculty employed by the University of Southern California (USC). 

A pre-election hearing was scheduled by the NLRB Regional Director to commence on December 18, 2024. In response to a joint request by United Faculty-UAW and USC that the pre-election hearing be rescheduled until January 21, 2025 because of the academic calendar and vacation schedules, the Regional Director issued an order rescheduling the hearing for January 6, 2025. In response, USC filed on December 19, 2025 a Request for Special Permission to Appeal and Appeal of Regional Director’s Order Rescheduling Hearing.

The following is a description of the bargaining unit sought in the United Faculty-UAW representation petition:

Included: All full-time, part-time and/or adjunct Research-track, Teaching-track, Practitioner-track, and/or Clinical-track faculty (collectively referred to as “RTPC Faculty” and/or “Non-Tenure Track Faculty”) employed by the University of Southern California.

Excluded: All tenured or tenure-track faculty; all faculty in the Keck School of Medicine; all faculty employed at Children's Hospital Los Angeles; all part-time and/or adjunct faculty in the USC School of Cinematic Arts; all visiting faculty; all emeritus faculty; all non-faculty employees; and all managers, supervisors, and guards as defined in the Act.

Chatham University: AFT Pauses Faculty Representation Effort

Chatham University, NLRB Case No: 06-RM-336076

Following a demand for voluntary recognition made by Chatham Faculty United-AFT, Chatham University filed a representation petition on February 16, 2024 with the NLRB seeking an election concerning a bargaining unit of 133 full-time and regular part-time faculty at its institution. 

On November 25, 2024, the petition was withdrawn after Chatham Faculty United-AFT declared that it was pausing its unionization efforts in light of the expected changes to the NLRB Board majority in the second Trump administration.

The following is a description of the bargaining unit that had been proposed in the Chatham University petition:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time Chatham University faculty members.

Excluded: Supervisors, non-teaching administrators, clerical employees, adjunct faculty members, and maintenance employees.

Cleveland Institute of Music: AFM Seeks to Expand Faculty Unit

Cleveland Institute of Music, NLRB Case No: 08-UC-355891

On October 7, 2024, the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 4 was certified by the NLRB to represent a unit of 132 full-time and part-time faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The certification followed the September 26, 2024 tally of ballots in a representation election in which the faculty voted 56-25 in favor of Cleveland Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 4 representation.

On December 2, 2024, Cleveland Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 4 filed a unit clarification petition seeking to add directors and division/department heads to the existing bargaining unit at the Cleveland Institute of Music:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time faculty employees who are employed by The

Cleveland Institute of Music at 11021 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.

Excluded: All Deans, Associate Deans, Guest instructors and Guest conductors, non-

faculty professional employees, office clerical employees, casual employees, confidential

employees, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined by the National

Labor Relations Act.

AHA Surveys About Historians Employed as Contingent Faculty

The American Historical Association (AHA) is conducting surveys of working conditions of historians employed as contingent faculty. There are two surveys, one for non-tenure-track faculty (NTT) and the other for department chairs.

The stated goals for the AHA surveys are:

• To collect quantitative and qualitative data that will document the range of positions, remuneration, and professional treatment of contingent historians in the academy.

• To frame a conversation about improving labor conditions for historians in the academy.

• Most importantly, to provide individual historians with the data they need to make employment decisions, negotiate contracts, and advocate for themselves and their colleagues.

It is expected that the surveys will be kept open until May 1, 2025.

Pennsylvania State University: UAW Files to Represent GSE Unit

Pennsylvania State University, PLRB Case No.

On December 14, 2024, the Coalition of Graduate Employees at Penn State-UAW (CGE-UAW filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board seeking to represent a bargaining unit of approximately 5,000 full-time and regular part-time graduate student assistants and trainees at Pennsylvania State University.

The following is the description of the proposed unit in the CGE-UAW petition:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time professional employees who are graduate students on graduate assistantship or traineeship and who perform services as teaching assistants, research assistants or administrative support assistants.

Excluded: Graduate students on fellowship, management level employees, supervisors, first level supervisors, confidential employees and guard as defined in the Act.

Univ. of Rochester: Non-NLRB Election Agreement Reached for GSE Unit

According to a media report, SEIU Local 200United and the University of Rochester have entered into an agreement for a non-NLRB election concerning the representation of a unit of 1700 University of Rochester graduate student employees with the election to take place in April 2025. Additional details of the agreement are not available at this time.

Vanderbilt University: UAW Withdraws Petition for GSE Unit

Vanderbilt University, NLRB Case No. 10-RC-351808

On December 13, 2024, the NLRB approved the request by Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United - International Union, UAW (VGWU-UAW) to withdraw its petition seeking to represent 2200 graduate student employees at Vanderbilt University.

The processing of the petition had been delayed by university objections premised on FERPA to the pre-hearing subpoena duces tecum issued by the NLRB Regional Director. A university lawsuit resulted in an injunction being issued by a United States District Court Judge finding that the release of the subpoenaed personal student information would violate FERPA.

The following was the proposed bargaining unit described in the VGWU-UAW representation petition:

Included: All graduate student employees enrolled at Vanderbilt University who provide instructional services, research services, or administrative services, regardless of funding source. These include, but are not limited to, the following: "Scholar" that provides service; "Service Free Stipends" that provide service; Department Stipends that provide service; Graduate Stipend that provide service; Graduate Research Assistant; Grad Student Research Assistant Monthly; Graduate Student Research Assistant (Exempt); Graduate Student Teaching Assistant; Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Monthly; Graduate Student Teaching Assistant (Exempt); International Graduate Student Stipend, 1042 Scholar and any other Stipend for an international graduate worker that requires service; Instructor of Record; Graduate/Professional Student Worker; Graduate/Professional Student Worker (Exempt); Professional Student Worker (Exempt); Professional Student Research Assistant (Exempt); Graduate/Professional Student Teaching Assistant (Exempt); Professional Student Teaching Assistant Monthly; Professional Student Research Assistant Monthly; FWS Grad Student Worker; FWS Graduate/Professional Student, Exempt; Graduate/Professional Assistant; Graduate Assistant.

Excluded: All undergraduate students employed by the employer, all other employees, guards, and supervisors as defined in the Act.

Kenyon College: UE Withdraws Petition to Represent Student Employees

Kenyon College, NLRB Case No. 08-RC-284759

On December 18, 2024, the NLRB accepted the withdrawal of the petition filed by UE that had sought certification to represent a unit of 600 student workers at Kenyon College.

The following is a description of the proposed unit in the UE representation petition:

Included: All student employees of Kenyon College

Excluded: All managerial employees, guards, professional employees and supervisors as defined by the Act, and all other employees

Temple University: OPEIU Files Petition to Represent Resident Advisors

Temple University, PLRB Case No. PERA-R-24-232-E

On October 9, 2024, OPEIU Local 153 filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board seeking to represent a unit of 132 resident assistants and peer mentors at Temple University. 

The following is the proposed unit in the OPEIU Local 153 petition:

Included: All Resident Assistants, Peer Mentors, and Residence Hall Association Executive Board Members.

Excluded: All other employees.

College of Saint Benedict: Bus Drivers Vote for IBT Representation

College of Saint Benedict, NLRB Case No. 18-RM-355064

On December 12, 2024, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 638, was certified by the NLRB to represent a bargaining unit of 10 full-time and part-time bus drivers at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota following a tally of ballots that demonstrated the drivers had voted 8-1 in favor of union representation.

The following is a description of the new bargaining unit at the College of Saint Benedict:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time bus drivers employed by the Employer out of its facilities currently located in St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota

Excluded: All other employees, faculty, monastics, interns, independent contractors, on-call employees, casual employees, temporary employees, confidential employees, managerial employees, and guards and supervisors as defined in the Act.

Pomona College: Baristas Vote for UNITE HERE! Representation

Pomona College, NLRB Case No. 21-RM-340136

On December 17, 2024, UNITE HERE! Local 11 was certified by the NLRB to represent a bargaining unit of approximately 53 baristas, student supervisors and others working at Pomona College. The certification followed a tally of ballots on December 6, 2024 which demonstrated the employees had voted 34-0 in favor of UNITE HERE! Local 11.

The following is a description of the new bargaining unit at Pomona College:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time coopsters/baristas, student supervisors, Milk and Honey Baristas, and Milk and Honey Managers employed by the Employer at the Smith Campus Center at its facility currently located at 333 North College Way, Claremont, California.

Excluded: All other employees, office clerical employees, professional employees, managerial employees, guards, confidential employees, and supervisors as defined in the Act

Physicians Seek to Unionize in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon

Mass General Brigham Medical Group Northern Massachusetts, Inc.

NLRB Case No. 01-RC-356527

On December 12, 2024, AFSCME Council 93 filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to represent a unit of 7 full time and regular part time endocrinology physicians.

CFG Health Systems, LLC, NLRB Case No. 22-RC-356500

On December 12, 2024, District 1199J, National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, AFSCME, AFL—CIO filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to represent a unit of 23 full-time, regular part time, and per diem Medical Doctors, Physicians Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners employed by the Employer at the Essex County Correctional Facility currently located at 954 Doremus Ave., Newark.

Legacy Clinics, LLC and Legacy Clinical, LLC d/b/a Legacy Medical Group NLRB Case No.: 19-RC-356660

On December 13, 2024, Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, American Federation of Teachers Local 6552, AFL-CIO filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to represent a unit of 35 full-time, regular part-time and per diem physicians employed by the Legacy Medical Group at its facilities located in Oregon and Washington and who woPediatric Medical Specialties in the following areas of pediatric medicine: Critical Care, Endocrinology/Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Genetics, Hematology/Oncology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Neurology, Development and Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Interns and Residents Reject SEIU

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, NLRB Case No. 04-RC-355206

On December 20, 2024, the NLRB tallied the ballots in a representation election concerning a petition by Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU Local 1957, to represent a bargaining unit of 500 interns, residents, and fellows employed by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . The tally demonstrated that the employees voted 178-195 against representation by SEIU Local 1957.

The following is the description of the at-issue bargaining unit:

Included: All full-time and regular part-time interns, fellows and residents employed by the Employer at its facility located at 3401 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Excluded: All other employees, Pediatric Chief Residents, Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatric Chief Resident(s), directors, managers, guards and supervisors as defined in the Act.

Museum Cultural Workers Seek to Unionize in New York and Maryland

Noguchi Museum NLRB Case No.: 29-RC-355796

Technical Office and Professional Union, Local 2110 UAW, AFL-CIO filed a petition with the NLRB on November 29, 2024 seeking to represent a union of 55 full-time and part-time employees at the Noguchi Museum in Astoria, Queens.

Baltimore Museum of Industry, NLRB Case No. 05-RC-356130

On December 5, 2024, Teamsters Local 570 filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to represent a unit of 39 museum educators, facilities staff, visitors' services, associate marketing and other workers at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Submit Articles to the Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

The Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy is a publication of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions. It is an open-access, peer-reviewed, online periodical advancing research and scholarly thought related to collective bargaining in higher education, and making relevant and pragmatic peer-reviewed research readily accessible.

The Journal is now accepting submissions for Volume 16 to be published in March 2025. Our authors customarily include college and university faculty and administrators, scholars, graduate students, union activists and leaders, and others interested in collective bargaining in higher education.

Our Journal editors are particularly interested in submissions for Volume 16 dealing with the following subjects: artificial intelligence and collective bargaining; social justice issues as negotiable subjects; Title IX compliance in the context of legal challenges; graduate and undergraduate student unionization and bargaining; ombudsperson offices co-existing or conflicting with academic labor; and other important issues in today’s fast-changing and growing campus collective bargaining world.

Please see the Aims & Scope page for more information or contact the editors with any questions on possible submissions.

Journal editors are Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona, Karen Stubaus, National Center Visiting Scholar and former Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University, and Jacob Apkarian, York College, City University of New York. It is supported in part by a generous contribution from TIAA and is hosted by the institutional repository of Eastern Illinois University, The Keep, a service of EIU's Booth Library.

Volume 15 of the Journal, which was published earlier this year, was titled "Learning From and Building on Collective Bargaining's Foundations and Experience." Below are links to articles that appeared in that volume:

Op-Ed

Collective Bargaining Among Undergraduate Students by Daniel J. Julius and Nicholas DiGiovanni Jr.

Articles

The Persistence of Separate and Unequal: Debunking Myths of the Market in Bargaining for Faculty Gender Salary Equity by Johanna E. Foster and Jen McGovern

The Role of the Chief Negotiator in Academic Collective Bargaining by Nicholas DiGiovanni Jr.

The 50 Year History of Collective Bargaining at Hofstra University by Herman A. Berliner, Peter C. Daniel, Bernard J. Firestone, Estelle S. Gellman, Elizabeth J. Ploran, and Liora P. Schmelkin

Analyzing the Upward Trend in Academic Unionization: Drivers and Influences

by Andrea Clemons

Practitioner Perspectives

TAUP's 50-Year Collective Bargaining Story by Arthur Hochner

Some Thoughts of Faculty Strikes by Margaret E. Winters and William Connellan

Job Title: Director, Title IX Investigations (HEO) - Office for Diversity and Compliance

Location: Hunter College

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

POSITION DETAILS

The Office for Diversity and Compliance provides oversight to ensure fair and equitable hiring processes for faculty and staff and provides support and expert advice to departments and constituents to create and maintain a safe, inclusive, and equitable campus. Specifically, the Office for Diversity and Compliance is responsible for administering the CUNY and Campus Policies on Non-Discrimination, Sex-Based Misconduct, Workplace Violence Prevention, Reasonable and Religious Accommodations, and implementing the requirements of federal, state and city Human Rights and Civil Rights laws and ensuring equitable recruiting processes. Reporting to the Dean of Diversity and Compliance, the Director of Title IX Investigations plays a critical role in ensuring legal compliance. In addition to the CUNY Title

Overview, specific duties include:

• Oversees receipt, administration, and status of all sex-based misconduct/Title IX, discrimination and reasonable accommodations complaints;

• Conducts objective and confidential fact-finding investigations into reports of sex-based harassment, sex-based discrimination and related misconduct that ensure due process for all parties, including case intake/interviews, providing resource referrals and interim supportive measures to all parties involved in the investigative process;

• Collects statements and documentary evidence; maintain accurate and thorough records and notes of the investigatory process and writes comprehensive, detailed, high-quality, unbiased investigative reports and memorandum on incidents involving sex-based misconduct and accommodations appeals;

• Serves as the primary liaison with parties during the investigation process including overseeing operational aspects of all hearings;

• Provides expert advice on process and procedure improvements;

• Drafts internal policies and procedures in collaboration with Human Resources, Legal Affairs, Student Affairs and Public Safety;

• Oversees implementation of the CUNY Student Athlete Violent Conduct Policy;

• Assists Legal Affairs to identify and collect documents and evidence in connection with outside discrimination complaints, subpoenas, FOIL requests, and lawsuits;

• Drafts executive summaries and correspondence to Senior Administration on behalf of the Office of Diversity and Compliance;

• Ensures the College and Hunter College Campus School’s (K-12) compliance with CUNY Policies, State, Federal, and City Laws;

• Maintains statistics and data for internal and external reporting purposes, including but not limited to preparing annual reports, both internal and community focused;

• Manages the College’s compliance documents for the NYSED, EEOC and OFCCP;

• Plans, executes and evaluates communication strategy to ensure that students, faculty and staff have access to resources and policy information relative to Office of Diversity and Compliance areas of responsibility;

• Formulates PowerPoint trainings and presentations hosted by the Office of Diversity and Compliance on a variety of matters including sex-based misconduct/Title IX, mandatory reporters, pregnancy and pregnancy related reasonable;

• Plans, convenes and oversees monthly student workshops for Sex-Based Misconduct Prevention issues in conjunction with the Mt. Sinai Sexual Assault Prevention Program and Adolescent Health Center;

• Oversees SPARC compliance with the addition of the dashboard in CUNYfirst and oversee cohort enrollment for thousands of students in Study Abroad, Resident Life, Athletics and Student Clubs;

• Drafts departmental responses to inquiries from internal and external entities or individuals;

• Represents the Title IX Coordinator at pre-conference hearings for Title IX adjudications;

• Acts as a designee for the Dean of Diversity and Compliance for decisions and approvals;

• Represents Hunter College on various CUNY Working Groups and CUNY-wide Policy

implementation groups;

• Prepares and trains on CUNY compliance mandates and relevant city, state, and federal statutes such as Title VI. Title VII, Title IX (Sex- Based Harassment Policies), Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act;

• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctor Degree

• Eight years' relevant experience

• NY State Bar License

CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

Oversees programs, activities, and initiatives designed to foster a climate that respects pluralism and diversity.

• Develops effective strategies to promote diversity in faculty and staff hiring and actively

participates in building strong networks and recruitment sources;

• Serves as a key recruiting team member, coordinating recruitment plans, advertising, and selection processes;

• Implements the College's Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity policies and ensures

compliance with relevant city, state, and federal statutes such as Title VII, Title IX, Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, responding to and conducting investigations of non-compliance complaints;

• Collects and analyzes data for College and University reports;

• Develops and presents training programs and disseminates information related to Diversity, EEO, and other compliance at the College;

• Coordinates with University offices to assure consistency of University-wide policies;

• Maintains current knowledge and materials related to laws, rules, regulations, and best practices for advancing EEO/Diversity;



• Performs related duties as assigned.

CUNY TITLE: Higher Education Officer

FLSA: Exempt

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $111,560-$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

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).

Alternatively apply here

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 above listed documents as ONE single file-- PDF format preferred.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Select the link to access our careers site.

2. Sign In to access your account or if you are not an existing user select the New User link to create one.

3. Review the job description and select the Apply button to begin your application.

University of Michigan Executive Director Labor Relations and Special Advisor

How to Apply

Select the option that best describes you to apply for the position:

• U-M Regular Employee
• U-M Temporary Employee
• External Applicant
• U-M Graduate Student on the Ann Arbor campus
• U-M Graduate Student on the Dearborn or Flint campus

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Our Impact

Being part of something greater, of serving a larger mission of discovery and care - that's the heart of what drives people to work at Michigan. In some way, great or small, every person here helps to advance this world-class institution. It's adding a purpose to your profession. Work at Michigan and become a victor for the greater good.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, we offer a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
•  

You will work on-site with some opportunity for hybrid work.

Responsibilities*

• As an individual contributor reporting to our three Executive Vice Presidents, the Executive Director of Labor Relations and Special Advisor will provide strategic leadership and coordinate overall labor matters across the university in partnership with the Associate Vice President Human Resources and our three labor relations teams responsible for negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, recognition of new bargaining units, and labor contract administration.
• With unions representing employees in academic, health care and other operational settings, you will regularly report on and discuss labor strategy and negotiations and other labor activity with university leadership and the Board of Regents and the Associate Vice President Human Resources. Provide input and advice on university decisions affecting or affected by labor relations. 
• Build collaborative relationships internally with university administration and executive leadership, and inform the Board of Regents, President, EVP's, Chancellors, HR leaders, and other internal and external stakeholders, including union leaders, concerning the status of, and recommended strategies for engaging with unions representing University of Michigan employees. Work with other university offices with whom labor issues may overlap, including general counsel, academic affairs, business and finance, governmental relations, and public affairs.
• Coordinate through the labor relations teams and Office of General Counsel the provision of sound, practical and timely advice on day-to-day issues cognizant of labor laws, regulations, the "Board Resolution Regarding Employer Neutrality, Cooperative Determination and Recognition of Bargaining Units, and Notification of Agreements", and overarching strategies, including in policy application, communications, interpretation of union contract provisions, jobs actions, processes such as due deduction and pay practices, in grievance and arbitrations, and operational needs impacting labor commitments.
• You will advise, coordinate, and provide synchronization with labor teams in Staff HR, Academic HR, and Michigan Medicine HR.
• Educate and advise on Labor-Management/Collective Bargaining concepts
• 
  

Required Qualifications*

• Ten years of relevant work experience within a governmental, public higher education or labor organization, or a similarly complex organization, with progressive leadership responsibilities. Preferably will have broad industry experience in higher education, healthcare and general industry in contract negotiations representing either labor and/or management and developing labor strategy  
• Ability to influence at the executive level and in a matrix organization to drive change
• Thorough understanding of the relationship between a major public university and the state and federal regulating, sponsoring and governing bodies as it relates to labor relations, and in-depth knowledge of national and state labor law
• Comprehensive knowledge of and experience working in collective bargaining agreements, and the approaches to effective process and decision models that result in agreements responsive to employee and organizational needs
• Experience managing labor relations issues, resolving disputes, and fostering positive labor-management relationships with union officials, elected representatives, organization and operational leaders and staff at all levels
• An advanced degree in Law, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration or related field.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Job Detail

Job Opening ID

257458

Working Title

Executive Director Labor Relations and Special Advisor

Job Title

Exec Dir Labor Rel and Spec Ad

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Onsite

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Exe Vp Chf Fin Off

Department

Office of Executive VP & CFO

Posting Begin/End Date

12/03/2024 - 12/31/2024

Career Interest

Human Resources

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) seeks a visionary, collaborative, inclusive, and service-oriented executive to serve as its next assistant provost/senior director of academic labor relations (assistant provost).

UMass Amherst is the flagship institution for the Commonwealth, ranked #26 among the over 700 public colleges and universities included in U.S. News and World Report’s 2025 annual survey. The University is a major doctoral-degree granting university with prolific research activity, global reach and a growing reputation for excellence and innovation. As part of the Five Colleges Consortium in the scenic Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, UMass Amherst benefits from shared resources and the rich cultural and intellectual energy of the region.

Reporting to the Associate Provost for Academic Personnel, the incoming assistant provost works directly with senior leadership, Deans, Directors and Department Chairs in all aspects of collective bargaining and labor contract administration with the University’s faculty, graduate assistant, and post-doctoral employee bargaining agreements. The assistant provost will serve as the principal negotiator in collective bargaining with one or more of these units.

The assistant provost will help develop strategic direction for labor contracts and will ensure compliant bargaining agreements and employment policies. The person in this role has the opportunity to shape relationships with unions and other campus partners, providing the foundation for ongoing positive negotiations and contract outcomes and delivery of excellent human resources support. The successful candidate will build credibility with constituencies across campus, create consensus and create and implement successful strategies. This person will be seen as a professional, credible, results-oriented leader, who collaborates to improve employee relations and experiences.

The successful candidate will be a forward-thinking, strategic, collaborative, skilled and innovative leader with proven experience in labor relations. The assistant provost will display integrity in behavior and decision-making and will demonstrate a commitment to understanding multiple perspectives. There is a separate position that works with university staff.

Qualifications:

• An advanced degree is required; J.D. is preferred.
• Five (5) or more years of professional experience specifically in labor and employee relations and collective bargaining.
• Demonstrated knowledge of collective bargaining, labor contract administration and interpretation, regulations and guidelines that govern employment relationships.
• Preferred Higher Education experience or K-12 education, healthcare, or non-profit.
• Knowledge of Massachusetts labor laws and regulations helpful but not required.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited and can be directed to WittKieffer consultants Christy Pratt, Ben Haden, and Jess Cummings at UMassAcademicLaborRelations@wittkieffer.com

Candidates should provide, as two separate documents, a resume and a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the Leadership Profile. Application materials should be submitted using the buttons below.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.