Ann Arbor-
In an effort to educate the general public about its goals, the
University of Michigan's Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO)
is planning a Campus Equity rally on Wednesday, October 29, from
noon to 1:00 p.m on the Diag in front of the Graduate Library.
The event
is part of a nationwide "Campus Equity Week" sponsored
by higher education locals of the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT), the national union with which LEO is affiliated, and other
higher education unions. The rally is intended to raise public consciousness
about the status of tens of thousands of nontenure-track instructors
at the University of Michigan and elsewhere.
"Campus
Equity Week is about getting the respect and recognition we deserve
for the important work that work we do," says Kirsten Herold,
a Lecturer in the English Dept. and co-chair for the Ann Arbor part
of LEO. "Nontenure-track faculty teach 40% of undergraduate
classes at U of M, but they are paid peanuts for their work, receive
poor benefits, and live on semester to semester contracts. Nor is
this situation atypical at universities across the US. We call it
the 'dirty little secret' of higher education."
The rally
is also timed to demonstrate support for LEO negotiators as they
present their proposals in upcoming meetings with the U of M Administration's
bargaining team. Among the issues to be addressed are: salary, job
security, governance, and the Administration's plans to increase
health care premiums.
WHO:
University of Michigan's Lecturers' Employee Organization
WHAT: Campus Equity Rally
WHERE: Diag (in front of the Graduate Library)
WHEN: October 29, from Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Included among Wednesday's rally events are dramatizations of the
contributions by nontenure-track faculty to the University of Michigan.
There will be a LEO table on the Diag from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., where
attendees and passersby can obtain a bargaining platform leaflet,
as well as a Fact Sheet on the role of nontenure-track faculty at
the U of M and their typical compensation packages. Also featured
on the table will be peanut jars sending the message "We work
for peanuts." Similar events will be held on the Flint and
Dearborn campuses on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
Employee
Organizations United.
At
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Graduate Employees
Organization will be gathering in support of the new unit for lecturers
at the university, the Lecturers Employee Organization. The two
will hold a joint rally to publicize the CEW message, with GEO trying
to ensure equity in its healthcare benefits, and LEO kicking off
its bargaining session.
http://leo.mftsrp.org/
Contact:
Kirsten Herold fogh@umich.edu
Ian
Robinson eian@umich.edu