Syracuse University adjunct and part-time faculty vote to unionize

Syracuse University adjunct and part-time faculty vote to unionizeDecember 20, 2005Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

On Oct. 31, 2005, Adjuncts United, a labor union affiliated with the New York State United Teachers Union (AU/NYSUT), filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking to become the bargaining agent for part-time faculty at Syracuse University. Preliminary results of the mail ballot election conducted by the NLRB Dec. 5-19 were tabulated today.

There were 182 votes cast in favor of the union and 122 votes cast against unionization. Absent timely objections to the conduct of the election, the union will be certified as the bargaining representative of SU part-time faculty by the NLRB.

Details of this ongoing process are available at:http://provost.syr.edu/unionization/unioninfo.htm.

The eligible voters were defined as: all part-time, non-tenure-track faculty members employed by the University on the University’s Syracuse, N.Y., payroll and working in Syracuse, including part-time adjunct non-tenure-track faculty members, and including such faculty members employed by University College, all professional schools, and online instruction programs, but excluding all full-time faculty members, tenured and tenure-track faculty members, visiting professors, research faculty members, graduate assistants, teaching assistants, research assistants and faculty members who work in dual capacity for theUniversity, which includes supervisory, confidential and/or managerial status,confidential employees, temporary employees, managers, guards and supervisors as defined by the National Labor Relations Act and all other employees.

The University has one week to file objections to any potentially objectionable conduct that may have unfairly influenced the outcome of the election. If objections are filed, the NLRB will decide the issues and the appropriate remedy. Once any objections are fully resolved, the University will respect the results of the election, if and when those results are appropriately certified by the NLRB.

The University remains committed to continuing to work toward addressing the needs of our faculty and, specifically, the needs of its part time faculty. The University will work with AU/NYSUT, if the union is certified, to ensure an outcome that meets the interests of the University and its part-time faculty members.