Letter to Non-Tenured Faculty

Kalamazoo Valley Community College

Non-Tenured Faculty Association

January 11, 2012

Dear KVCC Non-Tenured Faculty Member and Colleague:

As you may already be aware, discussions began a few months ago about establishing a union of non-tenured faculty at KVCC.  In sounding out our colleagues—both tenured and non-tenured, we found widespread support across all disciplines, as well as a core group willing to commit to serving on the organizing committee.  At that point, we contacted the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which has been lending its support and resources to us as we strive to gain collective bargaining rights.  We have now reached our prerequisite goals and a union membership drive is about to begin in earnest on Tuesday,  January 17^th.

Non-tenured faculty teaches more than 60% of the college courses offered each semester.  As our numbers grow, exceeding those of tenured faculty by two to one, our vital role in the college’s welfare has become increasingly evident.  Although we have a commitment to and a passion for the education of our students, certain issues have recently arisen that have contributed to an atmosphere in which we feel disrespected as well as fearful about our continued employment.  One such piece of evidence is the change in the language of our contracts stating our assignment can be canceled, without due process, as a result of excessive student complaints.

During discussions with our colleagues, other pressing concerns surfaced.  The solution to confronting these challenges is to come together as a single body.  By uniting, we will have one voice with the strength to benefit our students, the college, and our profession.  In short, we must establish a union with the legal power to negotiate as equals with the administration.

We are asking you to sign on as a member of our proposed union organization.  This part of the process is anonymous and discreet.  Once we receive the signatures of two-thirds of the current part-time faculty, we will submit our petition to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) for consideration.  MERC will submit our names to the administration to confirm our employment, and the administration may react in such a way as to inspire more fear.  However, it cannot dismiss our greatest strength—the solidarity behind so many signatures.

We are in the process of talking to each and every non-tenured faculty member.  The decision to sign a union membership card is entirely up to you.  Read it carefully and make sure all your questions are answered before you sign.  No union can promise that all concerns, accumulated over the years, will be remedied, but what we do promise is a professional union that will ethically strive to represent your concerns.

If you would like to be personally involved in building the union or if you have a colleague that has not been contacted by an organizing committee member or would like more information about the association, please email unionfever@gmail.com to schedule an appointment with a member of the organizing committee.  If you would like to stay abreast of the newest developments, please visit unionfever@blogspot.com.

Respectfully,

Catherine Barnard/Psychology                      

Nancy Beers/History

Ann Marie Boyle /Music  

Kyle Kelly/Communications

Laurie Nic/ Mathematics

Edward O'Dowd/Criminal Justice                                                      

                            Kelly O’Leary/ Foreign Language/English
MM                    Marie Rogers/ Health       
                            Nishani Samaraweera/ Humanities                                                                                                                                  

                            Jean Snow/ Nursing/Psychology

Respe