FACULTY ALLIANCE OF MIAMI - Updates

FACULTY ALLIANCE OF MIAMI

Transcripts from FAM Hearings

12/27/2022

We have just received the transcripts of the FAM hearings on whether our collective bargaining unit should be the inclusive one we want — including all who perform faculty duties, such as non-tenure-track faculty, librarians and some staff — or the exclusive unit the Miami administration prefers, which would comprise only tenure-line faculty. The hearings took place in Columbus on December 12 and 13, 2022.

Download complete transcripts of the hearing below. The two transcripts include testimony from Miami's four administrator witnesses and FAM's thirteen faculty witnesses. They are each roughly 300 pages long. We will be organizing and excerpting over the coming weeks and a summary is available here. Meantime, dig in.

fam_aaup_and_miami_university_-_vol_1.pdf
File Size:	676 kb
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fam_aaup_and_miami_university_-_vol_2.pdf
File Size:	728 kb
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Summary of #FAMhearings

12/19/2022

THE Arguments on both sides

FAM continues to push for an inclusive collective bargaining unit for all full-time faculty at Miami. At a hearing December 12 and 13, a state-appointed judge heard testimony from Miami’s administration in support of excluding all except tenure-line faculty and from FAM in support of an inclusive unit. A summary is below, and you can read our coverage on Twitter @famiamioh.

Administration’s argument:
only tenure-line faculty should be in the unit

Administration’s position is that only tenure-line faculty belong in the bargaining unit. Their four witnesses, all administrators, argued the following:

Various classifications of faculty are evaluated on different work and therefore do not constitute a community of interest.
A single bargaining unit would be inefficient.
A single bargaining unit would cause conflict across classifications. Tenured faculty members wouldn’t work well with non-tenure-track faculty, who should be left out of the bargaining unit for their own good.
Visiting faculty are “seasonal and casual” labor hired only as a stop-gap measure.
Librarians should not be in the unit because they are not categorized as faculty.
Staff who perform faculty duties are not categorized as faculty.
Non-tenure-line faculty do not have academic freedom protections and are easily expendable; therefore, they do not belong in the same unit as tenure-line faculty.

FAM’s argument:
we are all one faculty and should be in a single bargaining unit

Full-time faculty, librarians, and staff who have faculty duties all belong in FAM’s bargaining unit. Thirteen witnesses from FAM (representing TCPL, librarian, tenured, pre-tenure, and visiting faculty) argued the following:

All faculty, librarians, and staff with faculty duties do similar work—teaching, research, service—on behalf of Miami’s educational mission.
A single bargaining unit covers multiple types of faculty more efficiently than multiple bargaining units. The majority of collective bargaining units at unionized institutions in Ohio consist of multiple faculty categories, including librarians.
Historically, administration, not tenured faculty, have made decisions negatively impacting non-tenure-line faculty. When administration made the hasty decision not to renew hundreds of our colleagues in 2020, over 800 signed a petition asking them to discuss other options (including tenured faculty taking a temporary pay cut).
Administration’s expansion of non-tenure-track positions has exacerbated precarity; FAM is working to mitigate precarity and to establish better equity and job security for all.
Visiting faculty are not “seasonal/casual” employees but essential, often long-term, faculty who share a community of interest with other faculty. Likewise, staff who have faculty duties belong in the unit.

The judge will make a recommendation to the Ohio State Employment Relations Board in spring. A union election will follow. Keep an eye on your inboxes for updates!

Find out how to join the effort at miamiaaup@gmail.com. Happy holidays!

UPDATE: Hearing Dec. 12 & 13

12/10/2022

SERB Hearing Will Decide Who Votes in Union Election
A caravan of FAM supporters is traveling to FAM's State Employment Review Board hearing on Monday to prove to the administration and their lawyers that we are #OneFaculty. A judge will hear Miami administration’s case for excluding all faculty except tenure-line faculty from our bargaining unit and FAM’s case for including all full-time faculty, librarians, and staff who have faculty duties.

Let's pack the room with strong FAM solidarity! Show your support for FAM’s LUVing, inclusive, and accurate vision. When: December 12 & 13, Monday and Tuesday. Where: SERB HQ, 65 E State Street, Suite 1200, across from the State House in Columbus.

Live SERB Hearing Updates
We'll be live-tweeting the SERB hearing! Follow along on Twitter @famiamioh.

It’s Nearly GOTV Time!
After the hearing, the judge will make a recommendation about who will be in the bargaining unit to SERB. Soon after that, if all goes well and Miami does not create further delays, we'll have an election!

Voter Turnout = Bargaining Power
It's crucial that EVERYONE make a plan to vote! The stronger the election results, the more leverage the union will have at the bargaining table and the better our contract will be. The voting window lasts only two weeks. Faculty & librarians should watch their home mailboxes for the ballot and click here to confirm that their mailing addresses are up to date.

Ask Friends, Family & Students to Support FAM!
Upwards of 1400 supporters have signed FAM's Community Ally petition (students, faculty allies elsewhere, alums, parents). Many--including the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio AFL-CIO, many local unions, and local and state legislators--have also written letters of support for FAM to Miami's administration.

With the Columbus hearings around the corner, it’s time to call on allies in Oxford and beyond to step up. They can pressure Miami to drop objections and let us vote. Ask everyone you know—students, friends, and family—to sign now! Share the petition from @famiamioh on social (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) or send allies to tinyurl.com/LetThemVote.

Get the FAM Facts
As we gear up for GOTV, review and share the FAM Facts with your colleagues! These are the FACTS about unionizing, not the union-busting myths. And see our FAM Facts for International Faculty and for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty!

Real Budget Talk
On November 17, in a talk co-sponsored by #StudentsForFAM, AAUP financial expert Howard Bunsis demystified Miami’s finances. Miami’s financial situation is very strong, said Bunsis, but faculty salaries are lower than our peers—while management and athletics costs are higher. Bunsis also exposed transparency issues, stressing that as a public institution, more of our staffing, enrollment and financial data should be publicly available (something that will happen once we have a collective bargaining unit).

You can watch the full, captioned recording on Youtube and check out the slides. Here's a short clip on Miami's financial health (more clips here):

“There’s no doubt Miami’s in very strong financial condition”

12/4/2022

On November 17, faculty and students welcomed finance expert and CPA Dr. Howard Bunsis for an exhilarating, witty deep-dive into Miami University's finances.

Co-sponsored by FAM and #StudentsForFAM, "Follow the Money: Miami's Finances & You" covered Miami's overall financial condition, spending on instructional and administrative salaries, faculty pay as compared to our peers, enrollments, athletics deficits, and more. Here's a short summative clip :

"There's no doubt Miami is in very strong financial condition...solid reserves, cash flows, modest debt..."—Howard Bunsis

More clips below. Watch the full recording on YouTube and explore the slides.

Bunsis' findings:

Miami University is in very strong financial condition. This conclusion is supported by solid reserves and cash flows, modest debt levels, and increasing state support.
There are significant transparency issues at MU, as data that is publicly available at most universities is not available for Miami
The bond rating of MU is Aa3 stable, which Moody’s supports by noting solid reserves and state support
There was a decline in auxiliary revenue (housing, dining, parking, athletics) from 2019 to 2021, but total revenues were relatively stable, as COVID support and the state helped.
There is an issue with high administrative costs when viewed over time, by campus, and versus peer institutions
Faculty salaries are well below peers at all campuses.
MU Athletics had a huge deficit in 2021, but there were huge deficits even before the pandemic.

Some highlights from the presentation:

Miami’s transparency issues: “They act like they’re a small private university”

Large reserves: “Significant financial flexibility to deal with unexpected events like the pandemic”

“They can’t be crying poverty”

"Toward the bottom of peer group in terms of faculty salary"

“Reserves are high, debt is low, they take in more than they spend”

Moody's rating is Aa3: "Substantial absolute wealth...continued strong operating performance...steady student demand"

"From 2016–2020...admin salaries increased more than everybody else"

Spending: "toward the bottom on core mission, toward the top on admin"

"Athletic deficit every year...may shock you...but you're not special, no offense!"

FAM and #StudentsForFAM are grateful to Professor Bunsis for his time. Bunsis is an accountancy scholar and attorney with many years of experience analyzing university finances for the American Association of University Professors. Howard holds a PhD and MBA from the University of Chicago, a JD from Fordham University, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He is professor of accounting at Eastern Michigan University, where he has served as president of the AAUP collective bargaining chapter. He is easy to find and mentioned that he's happy to answer questions about his data and conclusions.

FAM UPDATE: HOLIDAY L.U.V.!

11/27/2022

A hearing on FAM's bargaining unit composition is set for December 12-13 in Columbus, and a decision on the bargaining unit and election will follow.

Latest news
As you likely know, despite state-confirmed supermajority support for FAM, Miami’s administration has objected to the FAM bargaining unit, seeking to exclude TCPL, Visiting Assistant Professors, Librarians, Instructors and research/teaching staff from FAM’s proposed bargaining unit. Miami administration want the bargaining unit to include T/TT faculty only, claiming that the groups do not share a “community of interest” as educators. FAM rejects the spurious assertion that we are more different than alike.

A hearing on FAM's bargaining unit composition is set for December 12-13 in Columbus, and a decision on the bargaining unit and election will follow. Meantime, Miami can still drop its objections at any time. Keep the L.U.V. (Let Us Vote!) pressure on! Display your FAM swag, share the community ally petition, and join the caravan heading for the Columbus hearing.

The university doesn’t decide the bargaining unit; SERB does.
The objection’s purpose is clear: to delay, divide and demoralize Miami faculty’s union. But the fact that 9 out of 10 faculty unions at state institutions in Ohio include non-tenure-track faculty suggests that the State Employment Relations Board will support our proposed bargaining unit.

We are one faculty and we will not be divided.
No matter the outcome from SERB's decision regarding the bargaining unit, FAM is committed to supporting you in organizing a union and getting a contract. We believe we are stronger when all employees are covered under a collective bargaining agreement.

We are stronger together.
The work of educators not on the tenure track at Miami is valuable and necessary. All faculty voices matter, and FAM will fight the administration’s indefensible effort to divide us. Together we will defend our educational mission, our right to organize, and our rights to equitable pay and working conditions.

Building a union committed to equity and justice requires inclusion.
FAM aspires to create and promote a community in which all faculty and librarians (whatever their status, demographic or discipline) have a voice and a stake. Non-tenure-track faculty are shaping and co-creating FAM governance, policies, and practices in partnership with other faculty and librarians to generate democratic policies and structures tailored to the Miami setting. While those in precarious positions need the support a union will provide, we all need one another: the power of a union—and the power to win a great contract—lies in solidarity.

It's the One Faculty FAMBOREE!

9/16/2022

Don't miss the #OneFaculty FAMboree! Thursday, September 22, 4:30 to 6:00 pm in Bachelor Courtyard. Welcome new faculty and get your FAM L.U.V. (Let Us Vote!) swag!

Play games (Raffle! Cornhole! Fortune-tellers to help you discover your FAM Future!). Have fun building solidarity across TCPL, librarians, VAPs, instructors, and tenure-line faculty.

Happy hour beverages (wine, beer, and soft drinks), light snacks, and friendship will be served.

What: FAMboree Welcome Party!
When: Thursday, September 22, 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Where: Bachelor Courtyard (Oxford)

See you there!
FAM Organizing Committee
famiami.org
follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Let Us Vote!

9/12/2022

As we settle into the new school year, the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM) continues efforts to build a better Miami for everyone. With faculty and community support, FAM has made great progress toward building our union. But Miami’s administration is deliberately obstructing your opportunity to be part of a historic decision on unionizing. They should LET US VOTE!

The state certified in July that a majority of full-time faculty and librarians support FAM. Miami’s administration can do the right thing by accepting FAM's proposed bargaining unit (all full-time faculty and librarians) and moving forward with a union vote.

Or they can continue to stall — spending more money on legal fees, wasting resources better spent on teaching and learning initiatives on campus.

On Tuesday, September 6, Miami lawyers confirmed that university leadership will continue their efforts to exclude non-tenure track faculty and librarians from our bargaining unit. Fighting this effort to divide faculty means a time-consuming formal inquiry—which could take several months, delaying a decision the majority of faculty and librarians already support.

Enough stalling. Enough dividing. LET US VOTE.

When faculty show collective strength, good things happen for teaching and learning, positively impacting the whole campus community. But replacing a provost or implementing a one-time salary increase is not enough.

Faculty deserve a seat at the decision-making table. Let’s finish the work of forming a union. If the administration really cared about faculty, it would stop stalling, stop trying to divide and exclude, and LET US VOTE.

We encourage you to get involved — wear/display FAM swag, sign the FAM mission, write a testimonial, spread the word about FAM's efforts, raise awareness about structural inequities on campus, visit the FAM website (famiami.org) and follow FAM on social media at @famiamioh (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter).

A union contract will enable a more collaborative, transparent and mutually responsive relationship between faculty and the administration. Tell Miami leadership to LET US VOTE.

Read the op-ed in The Miami Student and share!

LUV to all. Let Us Vote!

PS: Come out for the FAMboree at Bachelor Courtyard on September 22, 4:30-6pm. Have fun, hang out, meet colleagues! Meantime, be showing your LUV to our new faculty and solidarity to all, especially our non-tenure=track faculty. We are ONE FACULTY.

OHIO officially recognizes FAM Majority Support!

7/25/2022

Cards signed by Miami faculty and librarians

Great news! The Ohio State Employment Relations Board (SERB) has finished counting our submitted union cards and has confirmed via signed affidavit that FAM has majority support. This means that a majority of the faculty and librarians in our 1,000-person proposed unit supports our efforts to unionize. FAM has so much support, in fact, that it is legally possible for the university to recognize our unit outright if they wish (Miami, like most employers, will require an election—which we look forward to winning).

Miami leadership has tried to maximize exclusion by limiting the unit to tenure-line faculty. FAM is working with legal counsel to build a strong case for maximizing faculty inclusion, including non-tenure-track faculty and librarians. The final decision about the composition of the bargaining unit will be made by the Ohio State Employment Relations Board.

After that, the next step is an election to form a faculty union. We will keep everyone informed as we move through this exciting process!

Please spread this news widely! Find FAM on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @famiamioh. You can also help support our union and the upcoming election by signing the FAM Mission Statement and submitting a faculty testimonial.

NEWS: Affiliation Gains AAUP New Strength

6/29/2022

At the 2022 AAUP Biennial Meeting in Washington, DC, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) launched an affiliation with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). This partnership enables access to the greater resources and reach of AFT while preserving the independence, professional expertise and experience of AAUP, with its 107 years of organizing in higher education.

WE WILL NOT BE DIVIDED

6/28/2022

A response to the university’s move to exclude non-TT faculty and librarians from our union

We are stronger together.

In a classic union-busting move, the university seeks to divide us rather than unite us. The administration has filed an objection to FAM’s proposed bargaining unit, which includes all full-time faculty (tenured, tenure-track, TCPL, and librarians). The university says that the unit should only comprise tenured and tenure-track faculty, claiming that we do not form a shared “community of interest” with other full-time faculty.

The objection’s purpose is clear: to divide and delay Miami faculty’s union. But we are a faculty united in support of our educational mission, our right to equitable pay and working conditions, and our right to organize—and precedent suggests that the State Employment Relations Board will support our proposed bargaining unit.