On Monday, February 1st, members delivered a letter to PSU President Wim Wiewel introducing themselves and asking him to pledge to not interfere in any way in the formation of their union. They've already spoken to hundreds of grad employees on campus, and it’s clear that organizing a union is the right way forward. read more >

The U.S. Department of Education has suspended student-aid eligibility at 26 for-profit education programs, in California, Illinois, and Nevada, after an investigation found several rules violations by the programs, the department announced on Monday. read more >

We began constructing a solution to AP workload issues this session. Although, still in a conceptual stage, the teams are working on a Letter of Agreement, which defines reasonable workload expectations for academic professionals. The agreement also clarifies what it means to be a professional employee. read more >

Portland State University faces tough questions from groups whose support it will need in November. read more >

Susan Czechowski has spent 15 years on the faculty at Western Illinois University. Ms. Czechowski, a tenured professor of art, said she has been an active member of the campus community and a key contributor to her department’s recruitment and retention efforts. "My classes are full," she said. read more >

NLRB rejects bid from tenure-line professors at Carroll College, suggesting that it remains difficult to win collective bargaining rights at private colleges. read more >

Only 14 percent of the students who start out in a community college transfer to a four-year university and earn a bachelor’s degree within six years, according to a report released on Tuesday by three groups that are studying ways to plug the leaky pipeline between two- and four-year colleges. read more >

We came to the table today feeling optimistic about finding a solution to the workload problems our academic professional employees face. In our previous session, we worked-off of an option that the administration had crafted to address AP workloads and terms of employment. We had some very productive discussions about how the option met or failed to meet our interest. It felt like we were moving closer to some kind of resolution. So, our charge for this week was to revise this option based upon the discussions we had in our last session. read more >

Good news! We’ve come to a conceptual agreement that addresses the pay and promotional issues faced by our academic professionals. read more >

Texas Exes, an organization representing alumni of the University of Texas at Austin, has apologized for its criticism of inflammatory remarks that Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court made last week in hearing a challenge to race-conscious admissions on that campus. read more >

It was great to see so many academic professionals attend our bargaining session. Having members in the room shows the administration that our bargaining unit cares about the issues on the table, and it also helps keep our own bargaining team energized and informed. Being able to talk with members helps us have a better understanding of the specific issues our members face and inspires us to push harder to find solutions that will improve people’s working conditions. read more >

At least 21 Chinese labor activists in Guangdong province were apprehended in their homes and offices December 3, in what their supporters are calling a “sweep.” read more >

Board members at comprehensive universities are often frustrated by their own lack of knowledge or understanding about the institutions they're tasked with leading, a new report finds. read more >

Last Friday, we got into some in-depth discussions about how to fix academic professional (AP) pay structures. Currently, academic professionals have little opportunity for advancement in pay or position, so as a group, they face serious salary compression and inversion. For example, on average, Advisor/Counselor I’s with 4-7 years of experience earn less money than those who have been here less than one year. read more >

Pam Miller, President of PSU-AAUP, addressed the Faculty Senate with a bargaining update on November 30th. read more >

Faculty leaders on three University of Wisconsin System campuses objected to proposed new tenure policies ahead of a systemwide task force meeting on the new guidelines Monday. read more >

The University and AAUP are pleased to announce that we have come to two more tentative agreements during contract negotiations read more >

The University and AAUP are pleased to announce that we have come to two more tentative agreements during contract negotiations. read more >

Lawmakers in some states are seeking more openness and transparency from public university governing boards. read more >

We had a short bargaining session yesterday. At the beginning, we presented a list of data that we’ll need from the administration to process economic issues. We’re going to attempt to use Interest-Based Bargaining to negotiate salary and benefits. Our facilitator has successfully used this process with other educational unions in Oregon, and she assures us that it can work. read more >