What are the costs of representation?
Every three to four years, Akron-AAUP will have the opportunity to bargain a new contract that will set the terms and conditions of employment for every faculty member in the bargaining unit (all 650 of us). As in the current contract, this bargaining will cover: raises; promotion increments; health insurance benefits and costs; tuition benefits; shared governance; and more. The Akron-AAUP is also responsible for monitoring compliance with the contract and ensuring that faculty rights are not gradually eroded. The first contract negotiation cost Akron-AAUP tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. And the next negotiation may be similarly expensive. But in the intervening years there can be other high costs. As our sister chapters report, taking one legitimate faculty grievance all the way to arbitration can cost approximately $10,000. The Akron-AAUP would pay for these costs. Or there may be an unforeseen unfair labor practice, requiring tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs (
