February 28, 2024
After introductions of the Union and administration’s teams, UFISU Spokesperson Ashley Farmer (Associate Professor, CJS) delivered our opening statement, saying how ISU faculty felt siloed and isolated in their schools and departments prior to unionization. She said that before these conversations occurred, “we never realized that we faced similar challenges. The expectations for scholarly production, student success, and teaching innovation continued to mount, even though we lacked the resources to support our work.”
Our team presented the admin with paper copies of our comprehensive proposal, based on the UFISU Bargaining Pillars. Ashley then walked the administration’s team through its highlights and described how they were created. “The proposals we bring to the table today are the culmination of years of organizing efforts, [representing] thousands of conversations…thorough interrogation of current policies and practices, and rigorous analysis of ISU’s financial position.” At the heart of the proposals was our Union’s credo: “every faculty member deserves to work at a university where they can not only survive, but thrive,” and that ensuring those conditions “strengthens this institution, raises ISU’s reputation and academic recognition, supports our students, and enhances our community.”
Admin’s team, led by outside counsel Mark Bennett (Laner Munchin) asked questions about the proposals, including whether our Union had calculated the cost of our proposals (We had 🙂). It was apparent that the admin’s team had not expected our level of preparation, which might explain why Bennett engaged in some grandstanding, angrily interrupting Ashley when she used the word “stalling” to describe admin’s approach to collective bargaining. Bennett doubted that the admin team would have counter-proposals ready by the next session, Monday, March 4.
Nevertheless, it was a productive session, not least because of the presence of dozens of UFISU members, who filled the room to capacity. Bargaining Team member Debbie Shelden (Associate Professor, Special Education) put it best. “It felt amazing to have a crowd there. Absolutely amazing.”