EMU, part-time lecturers reach agreement to hold election on unionization

The new bargaining unit would include instructional staff teaching at least one credit hour at the university. It would not represent tenure-track faculty or full-time lecturers represented by the American Association of University Professors. Visiting professors, doctoral fellows and teaching assistants also would not be included in the new unit.

“This agreement will give an additional estimated 500 teachers the opportunity to elect a collective bargaining representative and join our many valued teaching faculty who are already represented,” Jack Kay, EMU provost and executive vice president, said in a statement.

EMUFT representative and part-time math instructor Paul Horvath said in a statement that the union looks forward to working with administrators through the election.

The agreement comes after several weeks of talks between the university and representatives of the proposed unit. Supporters of the unit staged several, day-long sit-ins in the office of President Susan Martin and spoke at several regents meetings.

The parties have already contacted the Michigan Employment Relations Commission to announce their agreement and to begin the election process, which is supervised by the commission, the release said.

An election will be conducted by mail ballot. Should the EMU Federation of Teachers be certified as the collective bargaining representative for the adjunct teaching instructors, contract negotiations for an initial agreement would begin in the fall, the release said.