We are hosting an Open Discussion Forum on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 12:00pm via zoom. All members of AFT Local 1796 are welcome to join us. The purpose of the forum is to clarify the role of the Solidarity Caucus, and to answer questions about our goals and plans going forward. We believe it is important to open a space where people can freely discuss ideas, and we are fully cognizant of the fact that this discussion is in no way directly related to ongoing negotiations between elected Union leadership and the Administration of WPU.

Topic: Open Discussion Hosted by the Solidarity Caucus

Time: Apr 9, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84561659064?pwd=bm9IbWJORUxqbEZuNWQ2eS9nV0tKdz09

Meeting ID: 845 6165 9064

Passcode: 770208

By Maggie Williams

The much-discussed national crisis in American higher education hit me particularly hard this year. At William Paterson University, where I have taught for 13 years and am now a tenured Full Professor, I am in danger of being laid off, along with dozens of colleagues. My local union has managed to negotiate the number of job losses down by about ⅔ of what Administrators originally threatened, but it’s very likely that similar negotiations will occur next year. And the year after that. Meanwhile, AFT and AAUP National Leadership are calling for a New Deal for Higher Ed and fellow academic workers are organizing at both public and private institutions that face the same kind of “academic disaster capitalist” decisions–cutting programs and firing tenured faculty and full-time staff rather than chopping from the top.

At the same time, GWC-UAW Local 2110: the Union for Research and Teaching Assistants at Columbia University is about to enter the third week of a contract strike.

This post is about how the two fights are linked–both for me personally, and for the broader future of American universities.

Click here to read the full post at the Material Collective.

Join Solidarity Caucus members by participating in Labor Notes’ series of workshops and conversations throughout the month of April about organizing a stronger union. The program includes organizing basics, labor and the Green New Deal, caucus building, how to refuse austerity measures, and a chance to hear more about the organizing at Amazon. Highlights include:

• Don’t Be Fooled: Your Job Won’t Love You Back, a conversation with Sarah Jaffe (author of Your Job Won’t Love You Back) and workers who’ve learned that lesson and are organizing (April 1, 7 p.m. EDT)
• Labor and the Green New Deal (Date and time TBD)
• Building a Caucus and Transforming Your Union (April 15, 7 p.m. EDT))
• Austerity: the Myth and How to Fight It (Date and time TBD)

You can read more and register here.

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 December 15, 2020 Emergency Union meeting, University President Richard Helldobler was given a platform to reiterate the logic behind his push for extensive faculty and staff layoffs at William Paterson. While WPU’s financial concerns are legitimate, significant restructuring will have a negative effect on our mission, similar to what is happening at other small, public institutions as discussed in this piece from the NY Times. In the meeting, we were pleased to hear that our local–as well as the Council of New Jersey State College Locals–plans to fight the layoffs, but it is still unclear how or when that fight will take place.

We understand that the specifics of strategic mobilization plans cannot be revealed publicly, but we urge the union to begin a public campaign NOW before it is too late. Union members are ready to fight!

As we wrote in an earlier post, the University Administration continues to state that the layoff decisions will be “data driven,” but the entire method of analyzing the data needs to be reviewed. Many of our questions remain unanswered, and we are anticipating receiving initial notices of possible layoffs within the month.

Unanswered Questions:

1. Why did President Helldobler agree to accept a raise from the Board of Trustees while he is in the midst of laying off significant numbers of faculty and staff?
2. Why are we accepting the Administration’s formulation of which data should be used and how it should be analyzed (years selected, measures, etc.)? Many faculty have expertise in data analysis, and the following issues have been raised by union members:
3. We frequently hear that salaries are the largest portion of the budget, but the available data does not break that information down into faculty and staff salaries as opposed to administrator salaries. Our union has asked for that breakdown in the past. When will it be shared with the broader university community?
   • Available public data on the WPU website indicates that Administrative positions have grown by 16% over the last 10 years. Why does President Helldobler continue to suggest that the Admin has not grown?
   • Some of the budget issues we face are temporary (e.g. lost dorm money from pandemic). Which budget savings measures address long term vs. short term deficits?
   • According to the operating budget charts on the WPU website, the second largest area of expenditure after Academic Affairs is Administration & Finance ($44.4M, 19%). What specific cost-saving measures are being implemented in that area?
   • It is unclear how NTTPs are being counted as the President stated they are not included in layoffs. We were told that NTTPs were included in the data as presented by the Provost. If they are not being considered for layoffs since they can be non-reappointed, then the data needs to be re-analyzed without including them.
4. President Helldobler has cited other schools in other states that are going through layoffs and “rightsizing.” What are activists and unions doing at other schools to push back against layoffs?
5. How can we reach the Board of Trustees to explain that these layoffs may appear to be a cost-saving venture, but in reality they will decimate the quality of education at WPU and will likely have a negative impact on our current high rating on the social mobility index? 
6. If enrollment is not as good as expected, how is the enrollment team being held accountable?
7. Given the positive trend in WP Online, isn’t it premature to layoff faculty and staff who are capable of/interested in doing more remote teaching? How will that be factored into the decision-making?
8. What are the specific measures that will be used to demonstrate mastery of the skills they plan to assess faculty based on? What are the specific technological and cultural skills?
9. How will we continue to serve our student body so that they are successful (a population hit hard by the pandemic) with far fewer FT faculty than we have now?
10. What do institutions that have successful retention rates have in common that we don’t? What is their competitive advantage?
11. The President presided over the layoffs of 180 employees at his previous institution. Were those people faculty, staff, or administrators?
12. Can we defer the capital investments in 1800 Valley Road to save student-facing faculty jobs?

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” →

We are a group of union members (Faculty, Professional Staff, Adjunct Faculty, and Librarians at William Paterson University in New Jersey) whose goal is to strengthen our local union by engaging members and increasing solidarity among the cohorts of our bargaining unit. Currently, most of our members come from the Full-Time, tenured Faculty, but many people in the other three cohorts have expressed support for the goals of the caucus. We seek to grow caucus membership by including more Professional Staff, Librarians, and Adjunct Faculty.

We believe a healthy union empowers ALL members to participate at every level, and we seek to build a strong infrastructure that can withstand changes in both Union and University leadership.

We are establishing this caucus to demonstrate publicly that there is significant interest in working towards these goals within our local union. We believe an educated and active membership will strengthen our local bargaining position and generate solidarity among faculty and staff at WPU.

Our current state contract has been ratified, and references to constitutional revisions have often been made in membership meetings. The impact of COVID-19–combined with renewed attention to the disastrous effects of systemic racism–have forced us to reconsider many past practices in a new light. We believe the current crisis provides a perfect opportunity to affirm and shore up our union’s democratic foundations.

The goals of the Solidarity Caucus are to:

1. Promote solidarity among the cohorts of our integrated local (Full Time Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, Professional Staff, Librarians, and NTTPs), by acting to ensure equity and shared sacrifice in local negotiations and seeking member input across the bargaining unit.
2. Examine our practices of inclusivity in order to ensure that diverse voices are sought out and welcomed in the decision-making process via general membership meetings, committee work, and membership surveys.
3. Revitalize our collective power on campus by using creative solutions and direct action to make change.
4. Restore the democratic bodies that are described in our Local Constitution (Local Council, Negotiations Committee, Standing Committees), make transparent the election and governing process of said democratic bodies, and ensure members have publicly available official bylaws detailing their rights.
5. Revise our Local Constitution and official bylaws to ensure transparency in the democratic process. In the event that bylaws are not available, this will include the drafting of bylaws to make transparent the election and governing process of democratic bodies.