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EMU professors to hold strike vote, seeking contract for tenured professors

Eastern Michigan University
Posted at 7:42 PM, Sep 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-04 23:14:57-04

YPSILANTI, Mich. — A work stoppage could begin on Eastern Michigan University's campus as soon as Wednesday, Sept. 7, as EMU professors plan to hold a vote on whether or not to authorize a strike in the coming days.

The EMU-American Association of University Professors (EMU-AAUP) said in a press release that union members plan to decide whether of not they will go forth with the strike on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

EMU faculty organized a picket late last month. More than 500 tenured and tenure-track professors have been working without a contract since August 31st, and the EMU-AAUP is starting to lose patience in the school's administrration.

“Our goal remains a fair settlement but unfortunately the EMU Administration is throwing every possible obstacle in the way of a new labor agreement,” said Matt Kilpatrick, an associate professor of English language and literature at EMU and chair of the EMU-AAUP negotiating team. “The uncertainty and instability of forcing faculty to work without a contract is tremendously unfair to our students, especially after everything we’ve all been through in the past two-and-a-half years.”

The negotiating team for EMU-AAUP claims that part of a reason why talks have stalled is because the school's administration is asking faculty to accept a health care plan that is "more costly and onerous than the insurance plans agreed to and currently in effect for other campus bargaining units."

EMU has addressed the negotiations on their website, saying the school will continue to conduct classes and "work with AAUP on negotiating an agreement by the first practical date."

In a statement sent to 7 Action News late Sunday night, EMU said in part that it would be "unfortunate that rather than continue to follow the mediator’s path, with active negotiations still underway, the faculty union is suggesting that its members walk out on our students on Wednesday, disrupting their education, just seven days into the semester." They also said the strike would be illegal under Michigan law.

Classes for EMU students began on Monday, Aug. 29.