20,000 University of Wisconsin Faculty Gain Bargaining Rights
More than 20,000 faculty members at two midwestern universities are one step closer to good union contracts. Yesterday, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed the state’s biennial budget, which includes a provision extending collective bargaining rights to more than 20,000 University of Wisconsin (UW) faculty, academic staff and research assistants.
The same day, some 430 instructors and adjunct faculty at Western Michigan University (WMU) voted for the Professional Instructors Organization (PIO), an AFT affiliate, to represent them.
Michigan State Nontenure-Track Faculty Vote for AFT
Nontenure-track faculty at Michigan State University (MSU), who work on year-to-year contracts, now have more job security after voting last week for a union. The 650 full-time and part-time workers now will be represented by the Union of Nontenure-Track Faculty/AFT.
Job security, health insurance and wages are the top concerns of the new union members. Says sociologist Ralph Pyle, who has been teaching at MSU for 12 years:
Although I have been treated well in my department, I feel that I would have more peace of mind if I knew that my job was secure.
