ROCHESTER, Mich. (WXYZ) — After failing to come to a deal in recent talks with the University, Oakland faculty have informally voted to authorize a strike and could strike the day before classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
The union and the school are set to speak again on Tuesday before a mediator. If no deal is reached by the end of that session, OU teachers could go on strike just before the 2024-25 school year starts.
This comes after more than 300 OU faculty members met Friday to start the strike authorization vote, with teachers fighting for higher wages.
WATCH OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Oakland University and faculty at odds over contract as school year set to start
The Oakland University American Association of University Professors (OU-AAUP - AFT Local 6762) met with university officials earlier today for hours, with the union telling us they made an economic proposal that administration did not agree to.
“What’s at stake isn’t about getting faculty large gains,” says union spokesperson Phyllis Ness in a press release. “At this point it’s about trying to make sure we don’t fall any further behind.” According to the union, OU faculty make about 25% less than their colleagues nationwide.
The union says that the two sides are in disagreement when it comes to salary increases for full-time and part-time faculty, with another point of contention being a lack of any retirement contributions for part-time faculty.
When asked for comment, the university sent us the following statement:
At today’s bargaining session, the University unconditionally withdrew all of its proposals on
faculty workload by agreeing to the faculty union’s last proposal on that article of the
agreement. Therefore, workload will no longer be discussed at the bargaining table and will not
be an impediment to a new agreement.
The parties also tentatively agreed to four other articles and an appendix, including increases to
faculty travel, research funds, and raises for faculty promotions.
The primary issue remaining is compensation for full-time faculty and part-time special
lecturers. The faculty union rejected the University’s economic package of a total increase of
21% over five years, which includes an increase of 16% to base salaries over five years plus an
additional 1% in one-time bonus payments.
In contrast, the faculty union insists upon an economic package of a total increase of 30% over
five years, which is neither feasible nor sustainable.
Bargaining is scheduled to continue Tuesday, Sept. 3, when the sides meet again with the state-
appointed mediator. The University remains committed to finalizing a new agreement in time
for the Fall semester to start as planned Sept. 4.
If you'd like to learn more about what OU faculty are fighting for, you can find out more at their bargaining diary at this link.
