Academy for Academic Personnel Administration
Fall 2003
Round Table Report
1. Institution Information
Name of Institution/System: Central Michigan University
Name of Individual Responding: Robert C. Martin
Title of Individual Responding: Associate Vice Provost
2a. Description of Faculty Bargaining Unit(s) – Size and Composition
Roughly 675 regular faculty (i.e., tenure-track and tenured faculty), including department chairpersons, librarians, counselors and athletic coaches.
Bargaining Agent: Michigan Education Association
Date of First Contract: 1970
Number of Succeeding Contracts: 12, most recent being 2002-2005.
3. Activity Report (e.g., status of current agreement or negotiations, details of last contract settlement, etc.):
Current contract is for the three-year period, July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2005; ratified by faculty union in November 2002.
Key details of the new contract:
1) average wage increase of 4.0% in 1st year; 4.1% in 2nd year; and 4.1% in 3rd year;
2) average increase in university contribution for health/dental/prescription drug insurance of 30% in 1st year; 18% in 2nd year; 14% in 3rd year;
3) numerous non-economic clauses of contract modified and/or clarified.
4) Committees established to discuss:
a) duties of chairpersons
b) web-based courses
c) concept of “merit” pay
4. Special or noteworthy happenings (e.g., relevant arbitration or court decisions, organizing campaigns, labor agency decisions, etc.)
Six months of bargaining during which time faculty conducted several public demonstrations against administrative proposals enlisting student support in the process. Faculty Association also filed ULP during bargaining, claiming administration improperly sought to “survey” the faculty about terms and conditions of employment. ULP was subsequently withdrawn.
5. Special happenings related to fiscal issues (e.g., salary reductions, health and dental insurance costs, reductions in force, early retirement programs, program consolidation or elimination, etc.):
Overall State of Michigan budget reduction for FY 03-04 amounts to $2 billion. CMU committed to deal with consequent reductions in state appropriations without impact to numbers of regular faculty. Budget reductions accomplished through a variety of measures impacting staff positions and programs.