The BGSU-FA and administration negotiating teams met for eight hours Thursday, June 28, along with an independent mediator, in an effort to negotiate the first-ever BGSU faculty collective bargaining agreement.

Although the two sides made some progress by signing tentative agreements on three sections of the contract, the Mazey administration has failed to meet its commitment to negotiate a full contract by July 1.

When President Mazey took office last July, she pledged that her administration would make the ratification of the faculty contract a top priority to be finalized within one year. Faculty were encouraged that this was a positive sign of changed priorities for the administration and a new era of faculty-administration cooperation. The BGSU-FA immediately began working on the contract, and faculty volunteers have labored tirelessly and faithfully for the past year.

Unfortunately, a change in administration appearance has not resulted in a distinguishable change in administration policies, attitudes, or behaviors toward faculty. Until the defeat of Issue 2 this past fall, the administration negotiating team seemed little interested in conducting substantive bargaining. At that point, the Mazey administration finally committed in writing to meet the July 1 deadline. But even after that, the administration negotiating team refused to sign any tentative agreements — even on the administration’s own proposals!

Not until May, with the intervention of an independent mediator, did administration negotiators finally start to move.

During the June 28 session, the two sides did sign tentative agreements on Grievance and Arbitration, Working Environment, and Past Practices. The Grievance and Arbitration article is especially important: for the first time at BGSU, administrators are not the judge and jury on faculty grievances, without faculty recourse. Now, ALL full-time faculty members (including NTTF) will have access to a grievance process that will include an independent, third-party arbitrator. The existence of this new policy means that administrators will be more accountable while reviewing faculty grievances. This is a noteworthy and positive result of collective bargaining.

The negotiating teams have made significant headway with bargaining on non-economic issues. But the economic articles — compensation and benefits — still remain, and those may take considerable time to hammer out.

The failure to meet the July 1 deadline represents a broken promise by the BGSU administration, and faculty will stand together to demand that future contract deadlines are honored.

As of July 1, we will begin to count the days from the date of the broken original deadline and until the Mazey administration respects faculty by making good on its promise.

THIS IS DAY TWO.

In the meantime, here’s what you can do:

• Check your calendar every day. Every new day without a contract is a day without respect for faculty, salary increases, and shared governance.
• Ask your chair, director, or dean: When will the administration make good on its promises to faculty? By what date can faculty expect a contract?
• Join the BGSU-FA and make YOUR VOICE COUNT!

 

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