How You Can Help EMU Lecturers

Thanks to all of you who read my last post about Eastern Michigan University lecturers and asked what you could do to help.

Most of the efforts by ALOC (Adjunct Lecturers’ Organizing Committee) have been focused internally, meaning on campus. These include informational pickets, signature drives directed at lecturers and students, addressing the Regents at their last meeting, getting support from other unions on campus (part-time lecturers are the sole workers’ group on campus to not be represented, with the lone exception being graduate students), and other forms of campus outreach. Outreach to the greater community is just beginning.

We are hoping that President Martin and the Regents see the damage they are doing to EMU’s reputation by their refusal to deal honestly with lecturers and recognize the legitimacy of the lecturers’ concerns before a major outreach effort is necessary. Nevertheless, we seek and welcome support.

The following information is adapted from an ALOC/EMUFT informational flyer. It includes email addresses of President Martin and the members of the Board of Regents. If you would like to help, let them know that you support the legitimate right of all workers, including part-time lecturers, to represent themselves collectively.

Then send this link to your friends and tell them to join us.

While you’re at it, take a look at my articles in yesterday’s Labor Notes and Eastern Echo and post your thoughts to their blog sites. Thanks to both papers for opening up their pages to EMU’s lecturers. 

ALOC/EMUFT

ADJUNCTS UNITED FOR BETTER EDUCATION

What do EMU Adjuncts want?

Today EMU’s part-time lecturers are treated as temporary workers with minimal pay and no employment rights. We want the opportunity to vote to join with EMU’s full-time lecturers in a single lecturers’ union. The existing lecturers’ union (EMUFT) has invited us to join in providing better education by improving the working conditions of all its members.

What do President Martin and Provost Kay contend?

The administration has rejected our petition (endorsed by 65% of EMU adjuncts) to allow us to vote. They have terminated discussions and stated that we do not “share a community of interest” with other faculty simply because we do not have full-time appointments. It seems they believe we should have no voice in how and what we teach!

Why are they wrong?

EMU adjuncts provide EMU students with a rich array of academically demanding and professionally taught courses that fully support the EMU mission of “Education First.” Adjuncts provide one-third of student contact hours, often at times most convenient to students. We bring a wealth of real-world experience from the workplace to our teaching and many of us have taught at EMU for a decade or more.

What you can do!

Support your Adjunct Lecturers! Insist that the EMU administration gives all adjuncts the right to vote in a secret ballot election on whether to join the full-time lecturers’ union. Email President Martin and the Regents! Make sure that EMU stands by the democratic rights of all of its community members. Give us a voice!

Contact info:

Pres. Susan Martin: sue.martin@emich.edu – 734.487.2211

EMU Board of Regents: emu.regents@emich.edu – 734.487.2410

Roy Wilbanks – Chair – roywilbanks@aol.com – 734-395-2011

Francine Parker – Vice Chair – francine.parker@emich.edu – 734.487.2410

Floyd Clack – fclack1@yahoo.com – 810-232-7007

Gary Hawks – garydhawks@comcast.net – 517-347-8659

Philip Incarnati – phili@mclaren.org – 810-342-1130

Mohamed Okdie – emu.regents@emich.edu – 734.487.2410

Thomas Sidlik – thomas.sidlik@emich.edu – 734-487-2410

James Stapleton – jstapes@att.net – 810-794-9160