AAUP: Organizing to Bargain for a New Contract

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the University of Delaware and the University of Delaware Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (UD/AAUP) expires on June 30, 2016.   Calvin Keeler, President of UD/AAUP, has informed the University administration that our chapter intends to initiate bargaining for a new contract at the beginning of Spring 2016.

The upcoming contract negotiations are singularly important for setting terms of employment for all full time faculty members. Salaries, benefits, retirement benefits, security of employment, workload, merit pay policy, s-contract compensation, and many other conditions of employment will be determined by the CBA negotiated between the AAUP and the University.  Moreover, all of the policies in the Faculty Handbook that affect faculty members, including peer reviews, promotion and tenure, and sabbaticals are subject to the grievance procedure stipulated in the CBA.

The appointment of a Bargaining Team is the very important first step in preparing for contract negotiations. Following the Chapter’s Constitution and Bylaws, the Executive Council appointed a Chief Negotiator and proposed a slate of AAUP members to serve on the bargaining team to the Steering Committee.  At its December 9, 2015 meeting, the Steering Committee had a full and robust discussion of the upcoming negotiations and unanimously approved the slate of bargaining team members proposed by the Executive Council.