| Abstract/Notes |
Introduction:After a twenty year hiatus, the organization of part-time college faculty, graduate students, and full-time faculty members who are off the tenure track is again making a comeback. Several factors have led to the formation of collective bargaining at academic institutions; among them: the “casualization of academic labor,” the “corporatization” of academic institutions, and the erosion of faculty compensation. Objective:The purpose of this poster is to present the events that occurred at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa which led to the formation of a collective bargaining unit (CBU) and to describe the process of negotiations that led to the adoption of the initial collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in May 2005. Methods:In reviewing the history of the formation of the CBU and the subsequent negotiation of its initial CBA the authors relied on personal notes, faculty senate minutes, and correspondence, both electronic and paper. These materials were organized chronologically and a synopsis of events was compiled. All corroborating materials are available for review with the lead author. The final product of the negotiations, the initial CBA, is available at the website http://www.chiro-educators.org/, as well as in the Palmer College Library. Results:Several factors led to the formation of a CBU at Palmer College. In 1991 the formation of a university system at Palmer College contributed to the “corporatization” of a formerly collegial and paternalistic system. Loss of long-term contracts, loss of full tuition benefits for dependents, the imposition of additional work requirements with no additional compensation and a perceived inequity between faculty and administrative salaries also contributed to the successful organization drive. In September 2001, 86% of the faculty who voted (85% of those eligible to vote) authorized their affiliation with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). After a protracted and often adversarial negotiation process, interrupted by administrative personnel changes, a CBA was ratified in May 2005. The CBA defined the faculty workload as 12 credit hours, capped salary increases at 5%, increased the pension benefit by 1%, and required a system of comprehensive annual evaluation of bargaining unit faculty performance. Discussion:Collective bargaining is no panacea for a lack of communication, mutual trust and respect between college faculty and administration. Months and even years of focused attention to detail can be required on the part of both the bargaining unit and the college’s negotiating team to reach an agreement that will be ratified by both parties. The establishment of trust and mutual respect in a collegial environment is to be preferred over the establishment of a collective bargaining unit. When such an atmosphere is unattainable, however, the formation of a collective bargaining unit can guarantee limited rights for eligible faculty. This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher. |
