Thanks to friend, colleague, and union brother Michael Hill (Department of English, Henry Ford Community College; Negotiations Team member, HFCC-FT, AFT Local 1650) for this letter to our Chancellor.
Chancellor Brogan:
I am writing to encourage you to instruct your team to negotiate in good faith with your faculty. As one of the negotiators for our faculty union, I can tell you that faculty enter into negotiations earnestly with the intention of getting back to their real jobs of teaching and researching. Negotiations are necessary so that faculty can protect their institutions, protect student learning and protect the integrity of the professoriate, but they are a drain on the real work we do. It is especially disheartening when negotiations turn negative and when the negotiating team for administration becomes intransigent and flippant about the future of the higher education enterprise.
Please know that faculty and students across the nation are watching your negotiations with concern and we hope to be able to continue to respect the fine tradition of higher education in your state. Those of us who care about higher education implore you to negotiate and work out a fair settlement before your office does serious damage to your schools.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Hill
APSCUF-WCU 