Eastern Michigan University’s negotiations for a renewed faculty contract will begin June 5. The existing contract expires Aug. 31.
According to EMU’s Association of American University Professors chapter president, Susan Moeller, the union is already working with the administration in preparation for the negotiations.
“We are working already with them on renegotiation items,” she said.
According to Moeller, the administration and the union have been working well together.
“So far everybody is getting along,” she said. “We’ve got a couple committees together already and we’ve met with the provost a number of times.”
The union has established subcommittees to work on proposals.
One subcommittee will administer and analyze the Bargaining Council Faculty Survey. The survey will give faculty the
opportunity to express their opinions to the Bargaining Council.
Other subcommittees will write proposals for negotiation in the areas of fringe benefits, compensation, extended programs and educational outreach, workload, research, retirement and evaluation.
EMU Director of Media Relations Geoff Larcom would not speculate on particular issues or terms that would be discussed.
He said the administration wants a “transparent” process, and will provide the public with a “clinical recitation of what’s going on.”
However, he stressed that the administration will not negotiate in the media, meaning the administration will not use the media to disparage the union or to gain leverage over it.
“We want to conduct this with the maximum respect that reflects the faculty’s valuable role here,” Larcom said.
EMU-AAUP’s Bargaining Council includes chapter President, Susan Moeller; chapter Vice President and Grievance Officer, Donna
Selman; chapter Treasurer, Howard Bunsis; chapter Executive Committee Member At-Large and Grievance Officer, Joe Bishop; and chapter Executive Committee Member At-Large, Suzanne Gray.
The union’s Bargaining Council will meet every Friday for the rest of the semester to work on proposals.
The administration’s negotiators will include interim Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Research, James Carroll; interim Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Programming, Rhonda Longworth; interim Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, David Woike; Director of the School of Health Promotion and Human Performance, Chrisine Karshin; and Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer, Todd Ohmer.
