Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:42:44 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Faculty Union Update - March 31, 2007
From: ddreed@mtu.edu
To: acadforum-l@mtu.edu

All:

The faculty union has filed a motion asking for clarification of an
apparent disparity between the wording in the text of Judge Stern's recent
Decision and the wording of her Recommended Order. They are asking the
Michigan Employment Relations Commission to adopt a 120 day extension to
the Union's certification year as mentioned in the Decision, rather than
the 90 day extension that is specified in the Order.

The University believes that this is an administrative issue for the
Commission, and Judge Stern will decide which time period she intended.
Since the University has been ordered by MERC to go back to the
bargaining table and negotiate in good faith toward a collective
bargaining agreement, Michigan Tech will not oppose or respond to the
Union's latest motion. This is a faculty issue. If individual faculty
members feel the need to respond on their own initiative that is their
right, but you need to remember that in your role as managers, you cannot
be involved.

Whatever the eventual outcome of the MERC ruling on the Motion, there
will likely be some resolution to the confusion which has arisen from the
apparent inconsistency between the Judge's Decision and her Recommended
Order.

Dave R