Eastern Michigan University and the EMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors have reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract. EMU's professors will vote on whether or not to accept the agreement in September.
"Both teams operated in an environment of mutual respect and we were still able to represent the faculty forcefully and responsibly," EMU-AAUP President Susan Moeller said in a message to union members on its website.
Like the previous contract, this one was agreed upon several weeks in advance of the August 31 deadline. The new contract would include a 2.5 percent pay raise for all faculty, free parking, and a $500 increase in promotion increments. These are pay increases for promotions, like for faculty going from a assistant to associate professor, for example. It would also mean an "8.5 percent annual increase in premiums."
Also on the table are a new catalogue of summer research awards with 40 packages of $12,000, plus five new faculty research fellowships and various new grants that can be worth between $50,000 and $100,000.
Moeller's press release said that the professors would now also get the power "to remove disruptive students from their classrooms, and there will be a process to resolve the situation that will respect faculty and student rights."
The contract would give several concessions to EMU , including modest increases in prescription drug prices, restrictions on overload courses and spouses of EMU faculty who get their healthcare through their employer, will have to use those plans for their primary coverage.
Also, "the waiver to refuse EMU coverage has been increased from $1,000 to $2,000," according to Moeller's message to the faculty.
EMU's Interim President and Provost Kim Schatzel was similarly positive about the negotiations that began in June. According to a press release from EMU's University Communications, Schatzel said that the agreement showed an "indication of trust and shared mission."
"Working together like this, we can continue to provide an excellent educational experience for our students that encourages intellectual growth and career preparation in high-demand areas, along with offering a supportive environment that enables the University to attract, retain and develop exceptional faculty," Schatzel said.
If the EMU-AAUP votes to approve the contract, it will last until 2019.
