----- Original Message -----
From: MTUAAUP
To: Recipient list suppressed
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 10:24 AM
Subject: Status of Negotiations, Decertification

Fellow Faculty:

As many of you may be aware, a group of represented faculty members have submitted a petition to MERC to hold a decertification election.  MERC's acceptance of the petition suggests that at least 30% of the represented faculty supported the petition.  For decertification of the MTU-AAUP Chapter as our bargaining unit representative to occur, a majority participating in the election would have to support it.  One result of this petition is that contract negotiations have been suspended pending resolution of the decertification petition and our unfair labor practice (ULP) filing against the Administration.  We may choose to legally fight this suspension, however.

It is our expectation that our ULP filing will be adjudicated before the decertification election takes place.  You will recall that our ULP filing deals with the Administration's refusal to bargain in good faith with respect to FY 06 salary adjustments.  The Association has proposed an 8% average salary adjustment, with both merit based and cost of living components.  The Administration's unilateral adoption of a 3%, merit only adjustment for FY 06 effectively undercuts the Association's ability to bargain and is the basis for our ULP filing.  It is likely that this unfair Administration action also supported the decertification efforts.

It is the Association's position that:
·         all faculty contribute to Michigan Tech's success
·          all faculty have been adversely affected by poor and non-existent salary adjustments in recent years
·          the salary adjustment plan should include a cost of living component to insure that all faculty who contribute to the institution receive some reward for their efforts
·          the mechanisms for allocation of merit adjustments should be transparent, fairly applied, and supported by a majority of the faculty to which they apply

During the coming months, while we may be precluded from negotiating a contract, we will vigorously pursue the ULP case against the Administration.  As partial remedy for the ULP, we intend to propose that the Administration be required to award a 3% cost of living adjustment to all represented faculty members in addition to the 3% merit adjustment already applied.  This is one of the few ways that we can envision creating a level playing field for the decertification election.  When the ULP is resolved, we will need to address the decertification election.  Whenever contract negotiations resume, we will then press for the remainder of the 8% adjustment in our original proposal.

We will keep you informed of developments.

MTU - AAUP Chapter
    Bruce Barna, President
    Cal White, Vice President
    Randy Freisinger, Secretary
    Tony Rogers, Treasurer
    Beth Flynn, Past President
    Madhu Vable, Chair of Liaison Council
    Carl Vilmann, Vice Chair of Liaison Council

Ellen S. Horsch
Vice President for Administration
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931

Phone: 906-487-1737
Cell 906-370-8646