1. Representatives Assembly 9-14-15
UConn AAUP

2. Today’s Agenda Welcome/Quick Introductions (5 minutes)
Negotiations (30 minute)- Chris Vials and Michael Bailey
Recap first bargaining session
Discussion of Negotiating Priorities and Department Mtg Talking Points
Organizing for Faculty Involvement (15 minutes) –Chris Henderson
Reps as Organizers
Organizing Plan Feedback
Increase membership
Lecture Series
Speaker of the Assembly Discussion and Nominations (5 minutes) – Chris Henderson
Common Schedule Update and Discussion (15 minutes) –Chris Henderson
Open Floor (up to 20 minutes)
Thanks
Intro-
Eyes and ears during this historic and exciting time – keeping track of issues concerns ideas comments asks
Member driven chapter- to ensure AAUP truly represents the best interest of the faculty.

3. Negotiations 1st bargaining session update, talking points
Chris Vials/Michael Bailey

4. Organizing For Faculty Involvement

5. Reps As Organizers
Role of rep as educators, organizers, problem solvers
Fall role focused on educating membership and the AAUP and organizing colleagues for negotiation efforts
Resolutions that can be sent to upper admin.
Organizing – increase faculty involvement with the chapter
Increasing membership
5 new members per department-unit/per rep
Moving members to be active in the chapter
Communicating with members about needs, concerns, victories
e.g. Time in department meetings, 1 on 1 meetings w/colleagues, referring faculty to the Chief Negotiator’s Blog
Mobilizing members to participate in events and actions
Ask what Reps have been doing if anything
Are most people willing or able to get 5 mins in department meetings to update members
Do what you feel comfortable with – academic freedom.
Role will expand once negotiations commence as we will all be working to learn and inform members of new contract language and faculty may go to you with questions- more of the problem solver/advocate role.

6. Research on Organizing
Faculty involvement in a campaign = increased likelihood of success (organizing plan)
Research supports this idea that member involvement = better union outcomes (Bronfenbrenner and Juravich, 1998)
Union used rank and file volunteers = 22% if 10 or more
Union used job actions = 24%
Union used media = 22%

7. Lecture Series “Soft action” but can show strength in numbers
Risa Lieberwitz, Esq.
“Academic Freedom & Civility”
National AAUP General Counsel; Professor, Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University
Wednesday, September 30, 1:00 PM
Storrs Student Union Theatre
Professor Ellen Schrecker
“The Corporatization of Higher Education and the Role of Collective Bargaining”
Professor Emeritus, History, Yeshiva University
Thursday, October 22, 1:00 PM

8. Speaker of the Assembly
Nominations and Election Process

9. Speaker of the Assembly Duties
Chair all meetings of the Representative Assembly
Work with UCONN-AAUP Staff on meeting agenda
Hold a seat on the UCONN-AAUP Exec Committee
Meetings are bi-weekly on Friday PM
The Speaker will serve a term of 1 year (July 1-June 30, 2016). This will be a shorter term for the Speaker. We will elect a new Speaker at the end of the Spring Semester to begin service July 1, 2016.
Move to a member driven body- this is the first step in that process.

10. Nomination and Election Timeline
The process will be as follows:
We will open up nominations starting today and ending a week before our October meeting. Nomination period 9/2/15-10/14/15
You can self-nominate or nominate a colleague. For those self-nominating or accepting a nomination we encourage you to submit a statement on why you would be the best faculty member for the position.
From October 8-October 14 (our meeting date) we will make available all of the candidate’s statements for review.
At the October 14 Reps meeting we will hold a secret ballot election for the candidate overseen by a member of the faculty.
We need 22 reps in attendance to make quorum. Please do your best to show up to this meeting.

11. Any nominations today?

12. Common Schedule
Starting Spring ‘16 all campuses will be on a “common schedule”, large impact at regional campuses
Difference in the two schedules is that the Storrs schedules requires day time classes to meet either on  MWF to meet (3 times weekly), or on TuTh (2 times weekly).  Many regional campuses allows classes to meet once weekly on any of the five week days.  
Announced by Vice Provost Reis through the Campus Directors
No faculty input e.g. not vetted through University Senate or the AAUP
Billed as a way for students to seamlessly transition from campus to campus, and allow for an increase in web-enhanced courses

13. Concerns over the Common Schedule
Disconnect between online course enhancement and 5 day a week schedule
Adjunct recruitment and retention
Student Impact
Work or school
Increase commuting times
Recruitment and retention
Pedagogy
Faculty lack of training

14. Responses
UCONN AAUP Exec. Committee sent a letter to the Provost yesterday asking:
Delay in implementation
Meeting with Officers of AAUP and Regional Campus Reps
Item be placed on University Senate Agenda for Discussion
Regional Campus Petitions
General resistance being communicated to campus directors
Ideas, Thoughts?

15. Open Floor

16. Thank You! Next Meeting: 10/14/15 Agenda: Negotiations Update
Speaker of the Assembly Election
Possible Guest Speaker from National AAUP
Any other thoughts, ideas?

17. Calendar of Events 9-30-15: Risa Lieberwitz Lecture 1pm
: Representatives Assembly Meeting 1:30pm
: Ellen Schrecker Lecture 1pm
: Membership Meeting 12noon
November: Howard Bunsis Presentation