We are excited for our rapidly approaching vote on unionization! Given the importance of this election, and with the administration intensifying its effort to encourage us to vote no, we will provide ongoing and responsive information to ensure all faculty can make an informed decision.
Earlier this week, the Provost emailed RTPC/non-tenure-track faculty with a new flier that misconstrues some key aspects of unionization, like shared governance, what “status quo” means, and whether USC can freeze merit and pay increases during the election and first contract negotiations. Please take a few minutes to read our analysis of the Provost’s flier below.
| What USC says | What USC leaves out |
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Don’t let a few decide for all. Vote. Protect What You’ve Built. |
Let’s be clear: the Administration is trying to protect a system where, currently – when it comes to our pay, benefits, and working conditions – “a few decide for all.” Voting yes to unionize means building something better, where we negotiate as equals, as opposed to the current system where a few powerful USC administrators have the final say over our pay, benefits, and working conditions. As far as voting, we agree with the Provost and strongly encourage all RTPC/non-tenure-track faculty to be informed and vote in this important election. |
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Shared governance and faculty rights today Demonstrated leadership through active participation in:
Active participation in Joint Provost / Senate Committees |
With collective bargaining, we can bargain much-needed improvements to our pay, benefits and workplace rights while also preserving our right to participate in shared governance on other issues. Thousands of other unionized faculty have done so successfully, and so can we. Most recently, non-tenure-track faculty at NYU secured an agreement that protected the right to continue membership in the academic senate, serve on promotion committees and be involved in curriculum decisions – all while winning historic salary increases, improved benefits, stronger job security and academic freedom, and other improvements. Many of us participate in various committees and other forms of shared governance. Through these bodies, we have advocated for improvements to our working conditions. But ultimately, these bodies are advisory. Without a union and collective bargaining, USC can and does change our working conditions unilaterally – as we’ve seen in recently increased healthcare costs, reduction of tuition assistance benefits, increased workloads, and frozen wages. With a union, USC is required by law to bargain in good faith with an elected RTPC/non-tenure-track faculty bargaining committee. Once faculty vote to ratify our contract, it is binding – meaning USC cannot change it unilaterally. |
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RTPC Faculty have the same academic rights as tenure-track faculty
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We are forming a union in part so we have more power to strengthen our academic freedom protections. Without meaningful job security or reappointment rights, our academic freedom remains more precarious than it is, say, for tenure-track or tenured faculty. With a union, we can negotiate more effectively for stronger job security. |
| Fact vs Fiction: Things Could Change Under a Union | USC’s facts leave out important information that is critical to making an informed decision before you vote. |
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Fact: Pay and benefits cannot change while the contract is being negotiated.
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In their effort to convince us to vote against unionization, USC’s characterization of the status quo leaves out some key points. USC has a legal obligation to maintain existing conditions in the election and bargaining period – this is a legal protection so that workers don’t feel obligated to vote a certain way, and, so that during bargaining, they are not making unilateral changes to the things we are bargaining over. However, maintaining the status quo doesn’t mean USC must cease all raises, promotions, or improvements. Where a raise or benefit is regular or expected, USC has a legal obligation to implement that raise or benefit during this period. For example, because annual merit increases and pay increases associated with promotions are regular and expected, USC cannot legally halt them during the election and bargaining period. This also applies to situations in which an individual faculty member has been discussing a raise or promotion for some time predating the period prior to an election. To be clear: USC has the full ability to continue with previously planned promotions or raises. And any decision that violates ‘status quo’ that we, faculty at USC, agree with, we have the ability under this rule to agree to allow. Any decision to not follow through on pre-planned changes during this period would be their decision – not a restriction imposed on them by us or the law. Anyone who has an individual situation where an individual raise or promotion was planned and is being denied, please contact us so we can help resolve the situation. |
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Fact: Unions can make promises but cannot guarantee outcomes.
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It is technically true that outcomes of collective bargaining can’t be guaranteed. But with a union, we would have the power to negotiate over the improvements that we want to see, whereas right now, USC administrators make final decisions. We don’t know of any cases where faculty who have unionized with UAW have not won improvements, or where unionizing has set them back – but we do know that thousands of our faculty colleagues across the US have won better pay, job security, and a stronger voice through collective bargaining – and feel confident we can do the same. |
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Fact: Shared governance and academic rights could change.
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See response to “Shared governance and faculty rights today” above. |
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Why risk what you already have? Why let a third party speak for you? Protect your voice. Protect what you’ve built. Vote. |
United Faculty-UAW is not a third party, it is us, faculty at USC. The current system is what puts us at risk. Without a union and collective bargaining, USC can and does change our working conditions unilaterally – including, most recently, increasing healthcare costs, reducing tuition assistance benefits, increasing workloads, and refusing pay increases that keep up with the cost of living. The only real risk is continuing to watch – without any say in the matter – as our workplace conditions continue to decline. We are coming together for a stronger voice – with a union, we gain that voice. That’s why we’re voting yes. |
Sincerely,