Guest column: Faculty integrally involved in AAUP at UC, and in contracts
AAUP-UC'S John T. McNay
7:27 PM, May. 13, 2011

John T. McNay is president of the AAUP Chapter at the University of Cincinnati.

Dale Schaefer, a professor and former dean of the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering, wrote a column attacking the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapter at UC on a number of fronts ("Unions are playing hardball on Ohio college campuses," May 8).

Because the issues we all face in Ohio and nationally are so serious and deserve debate, it is unfortunate that a large portion of Schaefer's comments were simply inaccurate.

It is untrue that neither the taxpayers nor the faculty are present at contract negotiations. UC faculty members form the AAUP-UC's negotiating team and always have, since 1975. I was a member the faculty team in 2007. The team is supervised by an elected, 13-member executive council composed entirely of UC faculty members. (Everyone on the AAUP-UC bargaining team and the UC administration bargaining team are taxpayers, too, by the way. And if anyone thinks the UC team does not represent the employer's interests strongly, then you have not faced them across a negotiating table.)

It is also untrue that UC faculty do not approve the AAUP-UC contracts. All faculty members are routinely kept informed throughout the process by email and newsletter about the course and content of negotiations.

When the faculty negotiating team has reached what seems to be the best deal possible, the AAUP-UC Executive Council schedules meetings on all of UC's campuses to explain different aspects and answer questions. . Then active AAUP-UC members vote on the contract.

The current 2010-2013 contract was approved by 87 percent of the voting members. Only twice since 1975 has a contract been rejected and resulted in a strike, the last time being 18 years ago.

Contrary to the impression given by Schaefer, the AAUP is a faculty-controlled and faculty-driven organization, both at the local and national levels. No one is "forced" to be a member, as Schaefer states.

"Fair share" fees are just non-members' fair share toward services and benefits they receive. The fair-share fee rate is based on an annual audit done by an independent auditing firm. Fair share fees do not fund any political issues - they cannot be used for such purposes under the law.

Since 1975, the AAUP-UC chapter has donated to exactly one political campaign: Gov. Ted. Strickland in 2010. This rare and exceptional action was taken because chapter members predicted back then how disastrous a Kasich administration would be for public education in Ohio, and it certainly seems that is being proven true.

Shared governance in university decision-making is a key AAUP principle. The fact that Schaefer serves on a faculty senate that has real influence is guaranteed by article 7 of the AAUP-UC contract.

AAUP collective bargaining chapters have grown substantially in recent years, and have been an active force in fighting against the defunding and corporatization of American public universities. Both faculty salaries and the percentage of revenues devoted to the core education mission have fallen everywhere across the United States over the past 30 years.

This is wrong; it's unwise to disinvest in education, especially in Ohio.

The University of Cincinnati chapter's active union membership has increased by 24 percent over the past seven years in large part, we believe, because of this increased level of advocacy for preserving America's higher education system.

We will continue to fight for these principles because it's what's best for Ohio's citizens, in the short and the long run.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110...RONTPAGE|s