President Biden declared today, May 4, 2021, National Teacher Appreciation Day, and we’ve been hearing a lot about it from a variety of sources. WPU President Richard Helldobler’s weekly email describes “…how proud William Paterson is, of all our great faculty and academic support staff, whose work is at the heart of this University.” And yet, Helldobler’s administration still intends to layoff 18 members of the faculty before June 15, 2021.

AFT National President, Randi Weingarten, wrote in her thank you email to members: “Your union has your back. It’s not just about thanking you; it’s about fighting for the policy and conditions you and your families need so you can thrive.”

We couldn’t agree more, and we’re glad to have the national AFT supporting us! But we also know that the fight Randi describes will only succeed if we organize workers to take action.

What can rank-and-file union members (and our allies) actually DO at this point?

1. If you haven’t already, sign and circulate the AFTNJ petition to save programs at William Paterson University. Eliminating “programs” opens the door to firing even tenured, senior faculty.
2. Contact your Senators and tell them to pass the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) ACT NOW! The National AFT is a sponsor of the bill, and both of our NJ Senators support it. As them to lobby their Senate colleagues to pass the bill. You can also reach out to your representatives at CNJSCL and AFTNJ and ask them to devote more resources to passing this important national legislation—it’s the most labor-friendly bill to go through congress since the Great Depression! You can read more about it here.
3. Connect with other activists via this website: savewp.org
4. Speak truth to power whenever you can. This Michigan Middle School educator tackles the emptiness of managerial declarations of “respect” for educators in his moving public resignation. His concerns are about insufficient re-opening protocols, but his words resonate with so many of us.

AFTNJ has begun circulating a petition here. Please sign and share it widely.

The drastic measures planned by the WPU administration will gut the heart of the third most diverse public university in the State of New Jersey. William Paterson is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a population of 34% Latinx students; 21% of our students identify as African-American, and 30% are the first in their families to attend college. More than 60% of our students commute to campus, and most hold jobs and have family responsibilities in addition to pursuing their degrees. We currently rank in the top 5% of universities on the Social Mobility Index, a jump of 43 spots since last year. Faculty and staff are doing the important work of offering affordable, quality public education, and these cuts will negatively impact our ability to do that in the future. Not only will the faculty-to-student ratio increase if these changes are implemented, but there will also be fewer tenured faculty on campus. Tenure is not simply about job security; it also allows for the discussion of controversial topics in the classroom. University Administration is encouraging faculty to decolonize their curricula–and rightly so–but at the same time, they are destroying the hard-earned protections that allow faculty and teaching staff to do precisely that.

Recently, we were frustrated–but not surprised–that a full ten minutes of a crucial Union meeting was devoted to publicly denouncing our caucus. Such tactics are disturbing, not least because they are commonly used by employers attempting to suppress union activity. We anticipate similar attacks will come in the future, and it is important to be prepared for them. The members of the Solidarity Caucus remain committed to building an inclusive culture of community, shared governance, and worker power at William Paterson. As we join together to address the intersecting problems of layoffs and top-down decision-making on our campus, powerful voices will continue to generate panic and anxiety. We must keep clear heads and pursue time-tested strategies that we know will be effective.

In the simplest terms, we have a problem at WPU and we want to take action to solve that problem. We encourage everyone to remain focused on the primary goal: preventing mass layoffs of faculty and staff.

This post serves to clarify some of what is happening on campus now, and what we can anticipate going forward. 

MYTH: There are no alternatives to laying off faculty and staff at WPU.

FACT: University Administration has not granted faculty and staff full access to the complete financial picture. President Helldobler has accepted a raise from the Board of Trustees, and plans to move forward with a capital renovation at 1800 Valley Road appear to be underway. We don’t have enough data to ascertain whether laying off faculty and staff is truly the only available option.

MYTH: The caucus is endangering negotiations.

FACT: Elected Union leaders will continue to negotiate with the Administration. Collective action on the part of Union members will support those negotiations with the threat of real consequences; they will not negate what happens at the bargaining table.

MYTH: The caucus’ actions could lead to more layoffs.

FACT: The Administration is legally savvy. It would be illegal for them to lay people off as a retaliation for collective action and they don’t want to face that kind of public scrutiny. Threats about the caucus endangering jobs only serve to silence workers’ voices.

MYTH: The caucus will divide or weaken the union.

FACT: We are committed union members. We will be on the frontlines when the fight against layoffs begins. Our greatest strength is our rank-and-file membership, and Union leadership has been elected to represent us.

MYTH: Any public statements will jeopardize negotiations.

FACT: Clear public messaging is a key component of any Union campaign, and we have less than 4 months to fight these layoffs. Engaging with supporters outside of campus will put pressure on the University Administration and help to back up the Union’s negotiating position. What is more, the University is making substantial changes (such as consolidating two colleges) without consulting shared governance bodies like the Faculty Senate. It is past time to initiate a public campaign.

How do I learn more?

Email us with any questions: aftsolidarity@gmail.com 

How do I join the caucus?

You can join the email list to anonymously receive updates about caucus activities. You can also decide to become a public supporter by adding your name to the member list. To find out more email aftsolidarity@gmail.com 

At the Union Membership meeting on November 17, 2020, the threat of layoffs at WPU was discussed as a foregone conclusion. Members of the caucus will join our local leadership at the Board of Trustees Meeting to support the statements they and our colleagues plan to make in that venue, but we also believe we can do more to save faculty jobs.

No one expects union leadership to fight alone, and we feel it is time for the membership to get active and creative.

While there is room to discuss the strategic timing of a public campaign, management has indicated that layoff notices will be delivered in January 2021. We believe it is time for open conversations about how an active membership can help our union to stand up and fight back.

To that end, we offer these suggestions. If you have additions, questions, or ideas based on what you read here, feel free to email us at aftsolidarity@gmail.com.

(1) Planning:

• What have other campuses done when facing faculty layoffs? (see links below)
• Create campaign branding (e.g. slogan, website, social media presence).
• Work with the ad-hoc committee to collect and challenge the data driving these cuts.
• Develop materials illustrating the impact of proposed layoffs on faculty and curriculum diversity.
• Develop lists of key power-holders, stakeholders (students, alumni, public), allies, media, politicians, and organizations.

(2) Engaging Key Stakeholders:

• Solicit letters and Op Eds of support (both to target media and power-holders) from:
  • Students in areas of the university that will be heavily impacted.
  • Alumni, especially those who graduated in areas we anticipate being targeted.
  • Specific leaders and organizations in the academic fields where cuts are threatened.
• Collaborate with the Faculty Senate to protect curriculum that the University’s mission and core values, particularly of diversity and civic engagement.
• Generate local and social media attention.

(3) Taking Action:

• Consider how faculty can wield immediate and long-term power.
  • Example: Pledge against participating in part of the layoff process.
• Establish a coalition of campus unions.
  • Example: https://forgeorganizing.org/article/united-we-fight-rutgers
• Plan rallies, various forms of protest, and/or job actions if/when layoffs notices materialize.

Sample letters and press coverage from other campaigns:

Akron:

• https://otenews.com/letter-to-the-editor-eliminations-of-ethnic-studies-professor-major-contradict-edgewoods-proclaimed-commitment-to-diversity/
• https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/akron-aaup

Canisius College:

• https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/cuts-to-canisius-college-leave-a-dominantly-white-faculty-even-less-diverse 

George Washington University:

• https://gwufa.org/

St. Cloud: 

• https://diverseeducation.com/article/190348/ 

Northeastern Illinois State:

• https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-northeastern-illinois-university-budget-problems-20170530-story.html

Western Illinois University:

• https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-western-illinois-university-layoffs-20190304-story.html

East Tennessee State U:

• https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/etsu-budget-open-letter-to-president-calls-for-no-cuts-to-adjunct-faculty-levels-criticisms/
• https://www.wjhl.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/98/2020/07/An-Open-Letter-to-Preserve-Instruction-at-ETSU.pdf

University of Alaska:

• https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/07/01/imminent-massive-cuts-could-force-faculty-staff-layoffs-university-alaska-system

University of Ohio:

• https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/readers_forum/ou-should-be-fearlessly-first-in-restoring-academic-quality/article_4f1b3c06-5e40-11ea-a304-6717ae0f0b3e.html

Keene State: 

• https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/president-keene-state-staff-restructuring-nearing-conclusion/article_dec5fe0d-6b5b-5e03-b936-6d7945d280c4.html

Other Resources/Information:

• “The coronavirus is threatening diversity in academia” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coronavirus-threatening-diversity-academia-n1212931 
• “Fighting Back: The Human Cost of Layoffs” https://www.aaup.org/article/fighting-back-human-cost-layoffs
• “Survey on American Attitudes on the Humanities” https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/11/09/survey-american-attitudes-humanities
• “Faculty in Times of Financial Stress” [PDF guidebook] https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Faculty-in-Times-of-Financial-Distress-Examining-Governance,-Exigency,-Layoffs-and-Alternatives.pdf 
• “The Fight for the University of Kansas”

https://sites.google.com/view/kufacultydemands/no-to-kbor-policy

On November 5, AFT Local 1796 convened an emergency membership meeting to discuss the possibility of layoffs among faculty and staff at William Paterson University. The bulk of the discussion revolved around full-time faculty issues, as it appears that negotiations are proceeding by cohort (i.e. full-time faculty data are being considered separately from professional staff, librarians, and adjunct faculty). These potential layoffs are particularly concerning as more than 50% appear to be concentrated in one college, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. This comes at a time when employers are looking for graduates who are civically engaged, able to think critically and creatively, able to apply skills to real-world problems, and able to work with diverse people.  These are the very skills taught in the areas of the university that seem to be targeted for the most layoffs.

At the emergency meeting, Union members were presented with data compiled by Management. While it was encouraging that members volunteered to form an ad-hoc Union committee to assess the data, we recommend that they go beyond simply double-checking the administration’s numbers. We suggest a full review that considers the units of analysis, timeframe, comparison standards, and analysis methods of the data behind the proposed cuts, from the Union point of view. Such analysis will take time but when jobs and millions of dollars are on the line, it is worth it. (If members of that ad-hoc committee would like any assistance, please reach out to the Solidarity Caucus. We would be happy to help.)

The following key questions remain unanswered:

Continue reading “Potential Layoffs at WPU” →