A majority of tenured faculty at Michigan State University have agreed to form a union.
Organizers began campaigning during MSU’s fall semester to form a collective bargaining unit to represent close to 2,000 faculty in the tenure system. The group, which calls itself the Union of Tenure System Faculty (UTSF), said it passed a significant milestone when more than 50% of eligible professors signed cards to support the labor effort.
NiCole Buchanan, a psychology professor at the university, said the union would give professors like herself a greater voice in shaping policies at MSU.
“We are those faculty that are directly one-on-one working with students," she said. "We have lots to contribute in how these policies should be developed and implemented, and we want to have a seat at the table in having those kinds of those negotiations and decision-making.”
Buchanan said the union could negotiate to improve salary and benefits for professors.
The UTSF is seeking recognition from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission and a count of signed authorization cards to verify the group's support. Organizers are also hoping that MSU's Board of Trustees will voluntarily recognize the union, a formal decision that could come during the group's first meeting of the year on Feb. 2.
A 2021 resolution approved by the trustees requires that officials maintain neutrality toward collective bargaining campaigns.
Buchanan said the group sent a letter to the board as well as President-elect Kevin Guskiewiecz. Trustee Dennis Denno replied back, according to the UTSF, and offered to meet with union representation.
"I just want to express gratitude for the Board of Trustees in reaching out to us and offering to get a meeting on the books," Buchanan said. "We are very excited to be working with them and for this first step and the indication that they're going to honor the neutrality agreement. It brings a lot of optimism in how this will go moving forward."
Mark Bullion, spokesperson for Michigan State, said in a statement that the school had received the union's message.
"The university has received the Union of Tenure System Faculty’s request to meet with the administration regarding recognition," he wrote. "The university is actively working to provide a response to the union. We continue to look forward to working with our faculty on this process."
