UPDATE ON STATUS OF UNION ELECTION (printer-friendly version)(printer-friendly version (PDF))

December 22, 2004

TO: Part-Time Faculty Members
FROM: Donald R. Lehman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
RE: Update on Status of Election

As 2004 draws to a close, I want to update you on the status of the election that took place in October to determine whether the part-time faculty want to be represented by Local 500 of the Service Employees International Union (Service Employees). You may have received a recent communication from the Service Employees union accusing the University of delaying the conclusion of the election. This is untrue.

The ballots were counted on October 22, with the exception of approximately 50 ballots that were challenged for a variety of reasons by the Service Employees or by the National Labor Relations Board (the Board). No ballots were challenged by the University at that time. The Board subsequently asked the Service Employees and the University to state their position with respect to each of the uncounted challenged ballots. The University did so, after carefully considering its positions and concluding that it cannot at this time set aside its concerns. The Service Employees also has concerns regarding the eligibility of some of those part time faculty who cast a ballot that it is unwilling to set aside.

Let me emphasize that there never was an agreement between the Service Employees and the Board regarding the challenged ballots that would have permitted a count to proceed had the University agreed. To the contrary, the Board concluded, after reviewing the Service Employees’ and the University’s positions on all of the challenged ballots, that the most efficient way to resolve the issues is through an administrative hearing before a Board Hearing Officer. The Board has scheduled the hearing to begin on January 10, 2005. I understand that hearings are very typical in elections such as this one, when the vote is extremely close and the challenged ballots will have a determinative effect on the outcome.

The University agrees with the Service Employees’ stated position that “the ballots of employees truly eligible to vote [should be] counted.” The University believes that, as a part time faculty member who has much at stake on the ultimate issue of unionization, you deserve to have the question of who is “truly eligible to vote” in this election decided through the process the Board has established to decide just these kinds of issues.

I wish you a happy and relaxing holiday season and all the best in the new year.