The University of Connecticut Chapter of                                                           

AAUP    

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS, INC.                                        

June 27, 2018

Dear Colleague,

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Janus vs. AFSCME. As widely anticipated, the Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the plaintiff, finding that members of a bargaining unit who do not join the union cannot be charged an agency (or “fair share”) fee to cover the cost of collective bargaining.

Funded by special interest groups and wealthy corporate elites, the Janus lawsuit is just the latest salvo in a long-running attack on collective bargaining. By diminishing the ability of unions to represent their members, the decision will hurt working people who rely on collective bargaining to improve their pay, benefits, working conditions, and job security. It even hurts those who don’t have access to collective bargaining, since their salaries and benefits have to remain competitive.

While today’s decision tilts the field in favor of organizations eager to privatize and outsource public services, our union is strong. We are and will continue to be a leading voice for quality higher education, and we remain committed to the idea that “faculty working conditions are student learning conditions.” (A statement from national AAUP is available here.)

We are confident that most UConn-AAUP members will continue to support our efforts and stick with the union. Some, though, will choose to be “free riders”: as members of the bargaining unit, they will continue to benefit from our organization’s hard work, without paying their fair share of the expense. While the outcome is unjust, such is the reality created by the Supreme Court, and we will adapt to it.

In the meanwhile, we ask that you show your support for UConn-AAUP by becoming a member (if you aren’t one already) or recommitting to your membership (if you are). Now more than ever, the strength of the faculty voice depends on you.

Sincerely,

Tom Bontly                Tom Peters                 Oskar Harmon                        Michael Bailey

President                     Vice President             Treasurer                              Executive Director