John Schaefer speaks about the frustration faculty and librarians are feeling about management’s delays during contract negotiations. At the end of his speech, members rise up and walk toward Board members. For more on FAM’s direct action at the Board meeting and links to other speeches members made to the Board, click here.
End of John’s speech, when FAM members surge toward the Board of Trustees to deliver pro-FAM holiday messages:
Chair Schell and members of the Board,
My name is John Schaefer and I am a professor of Anthropology. I am speaking on behalf of the Faculty Alliance of Miami, AAUP-AFT.
Unnecessary hangups like this are one reason why we aren’t finished with this first contract. As of today, we have been bargaining with management’s team for 471 days. Faculty and librarians have gone without raises for the past two years. What’s more, management’s proposals weaken job protections for tenure-stream and TCPL faculty, block librarians from providing vital community programs, and set no limits on workloads for librarians.
Meanwhile, university management is spending many millions on outside consultants, anti-union law firms and other things unrelated to the academic mission. What message does this send to the people who put Miami in the top 3 for undergraduate teaching in the country?
Management has refused to recognize status quo job security for our TCPL colleagues. Our TCPL deserve the peace of mind of knowing whether they have a job year to year. We have proposed processes for the collective bargaining agreement that permit flexibility for management and reasonable expectation of renewal for TCPL. But management wants to turn our dedicated continuing-contract TCPLs into precarious employees.
Unnecessary hangups like this are one reason why we aren’t finished with this first contract. Another is the delays created by management’s team. If the Board truly wanted to get this contract done, you could direct your negotiating team to meet with ours more than the bare minimum of twice a month. Other needless delays are happening because management isn’t able to answer questions or understand your own proposals. An error we pointed out over a month ago in your benefit proposal has still not been corrected or clarified.
FAM is ready to work to get this contract finished and ratified so we can start the spring semester with a collective bargaining agreement. Our members are getting frustrated and angry over these delays and the lack of respect from university administration. We are willing to work through the winter break to finish this contract. We ask the board to direct your team to meet with us again this month so we can make progress on finishing this contract.
With that, in spirit of the season, FAM members have holiday cards for you! If you’re in need of ideas for your New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll find some suggestions on the cards. For example — how about making a New Year’s Resolution to give us a Fair Contract Now?
Meanwhile, university management is spending many millions on outside consultants, anti-union law firms and other things unrelated to the academic mission. What message does this send to the people who put Miami in the top 3 for undergraduate teaching in the country?
Management has refused to recognize status quo job security for our TCPL colleagues. Our TCPL deserve the peace of mind of knowing whether they have a job year to year. We have proposed processes for the collective bargaining agreement that permit flexibility for management and reasonable expectation of renewal for TCPL. But management wants to turn our dedicated continuing-contract TCPLs into precarious employees.
Unnecessary hangups like this are one reason why we aren’t finished with this first contract. Another is the delays created by management’s team. If the Board truly wanted to get this contract done, you could direct your negotiating team to meet with ours more than the bare minimum of twice a month. Other needless delays are happening because management isn’t able to answer questions or understand your own proposals. An error we pointed out over a month ago in your benefit proposal has still not been corrected or clarified.
FAM is ready to work to get this contract finished and ratified so we can start the spring semester with a collective bargaining agreement. Our members are getting frustrated and angry over these delays and the lack of respect from university administration. We are willing to work through the winter break to finish this contract. We ask the board to direct your team to meet with us again this month so we can make progress on finishing this contract.
With that, in spirit of the season, FAM members have holiday cards for you! If you’re in need of ideas for your New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll find some suggestions on the cards. For example — how about making a New Year’s Resolution to give us a FAIR CONTRACT NOW?
[Chanting and FAM action begins]
Leave a Reply