From UCHC-AAUP: What Happens After the Election

Dear Doctor William A Mohler

What happens next if UCHC faculty vote for collective bargaining?

This memo seeks to clarify the process and the steps that would occur if the faculty would vote for a union in the upcoming elections on November 17 and 18. It should be noted that UCHC faculty members are the only decision makers for each of these steps.

1.Development of a constitution for the UCHC AAUP Faculty Association

Step 1: A group of UCHC volunteer faculty members (open to all) would draft a constitution for the UCHC AAUP Faculty Association using the UConn, Storrs AAUP constitution and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ; a unionized faculty) constitution as templates to develop a document that would meet be the special needs of UCHC medical and dental faculty

Step 2: The draft constitution would be circulated among all faculty members for their review and comment

Step 3: The initial drafters would review all comments and develop a final draft

Step 4: The final draft would be presented to a meeting of the general faculty (a kind of constitutional convention) for ratification by vote of all eligible faculty.

2. Election of officers

Step 1: The creation of an ad hoc committee to nominate faculty members for each office as provided for in the by-laws of the constitution. Faculty members would be free to nominate themselves for these positions

Step 2: A secret ballot for election of officers and members of the executive committee by all eligible faculty

3. Development of a collective bargaining agreement in negotiation with UCHC administration

Step 1: Appointment by the elected officers and self nominations to form a collective bargaining negotiation committee. This committee would have representation of the medical, dental and basic science faculty.

Step 2: The committee inventories concerns about the work environment, faculty compensation and other issues from the perspectives of the clinical, dental and basic science faculty to develop draft contract.

Step 3: The committee will utilize expert consultation from the national AAUP, faculty at Storrs, unionized schools of medicine and dental medicine who have experience in collective bargaining negotiation and legal counsel from a labor lawyers to develop the draft contract

Step 4: Initiation of negotiation with UCHC administration related to draft contract (it is hoped that such negotiation can be initiated in January, 2010)

Step 5: Development of a final contract that could be in two phases; i.e. (1) a one year contract addressing compensation in light of the lack of raises in the previous two years (critical for maintaining faculty); and 2) a subsequent contract for a longer duration (e.g. UConn, Storrs AAUP has a contract for the period of 2002-2012)

Step 6: Presentation of the final agreement to be voted on in secret ballot by all eligible UCHC faculty.

Step 7: Approval of the contract by the State Legislature (UConn, Storrs contracts have never been rejected over the last 25 years).

It should also be noted that AAUP is a no-strike union. This is true for all state employee union contracts. Failure to establish a mutually agreeable contract between UCHC AAUP faculty Association and UCHC administration will result in binding arbitration.

UCHC Faculty Association

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Visit www.uchcaaup.org FAQ to read AAUP is a No Strike Union