Dear faculty colleagues,
The Akron-AAUP has been inundated with concerned emails, calls and visits in the weeks since cuts to 80 of our academic programs were announced. We have also met with units and colleges, and held listening sessions with the faculty.
Because it was simply unfeasible to obtain information about all situations and all adverse effects of the cuts in such a short period of time, the Akron-AAUP has filed an “umbrella” grievance regarding the University of Akron’s termination of academic programs. We have also filed one additional program-specific grievance based on faculty requests, and have submitted a request to the University to engage in effects based bargaining. You can view all three at the links below.
Grievance 2018-5: Program Termination Grievance (Umbrella)
Grievance 2018-6: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Demand to Bargain over Effects of Academic Program Changes
What does an umbrella grievance do?
The umbrella grievance extends our window of time to learn about factual and/or procedural errors that were used to justify program cuts. The timely file of an informal resolution on this grievance, on September 24, 2018, ensures that we continue to be able to address the adverse effects of program cuts on bargaining unit faculty members past the original grievance file deadline. We can now navigate the recent decisions and consider your individually-based program needs.
What does this filing mean for you?
The filing of this informal resolution gives your Akron-AAUP chapter limited additional time to hear from you, our constituents, and learn about the intricacies of program-specific grievances that may arise after the 20-day filing period. So far, we have heard from concerned faculty members across campus, both as individuals and as groups.
Who can we include in the umbrella grievance?
Under this umbrella grievance, we are only able to file program-specific grievances based on procedural errors and factual mistakes that resulted in program cuts. If you have evidence of these types of errors that were used as UA’s justification for cutting your program, please contact us immediately so we can determine if your case can be addressed by this grievance.
NOTE: this process is time sensitive. To report factual or procedural errors used in UA’s justification for a program cut, please immediately contact the grievance committee, Russ Davis (russ.davis@akronaaup.org), Executive Director and Grievance Administrator, and Mark Rittenour (mark.rittenour@akronaaup.org), Grievance Officer and Contract Administrator.
Thank you,
The Akron-AAUP Grievance Committee