Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing to share an update on the challenged votes in the June 6 union election for non-tenure track faculty in the College of Arts and Science.

On October 19^th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Hearing Officer recommended that the 28 remaining A&S challenged ballots, the majority of which were cast by faculty with administrative responsibilities, be counted. Both parties have the right to file exceptions to the report. The university exercised that right Nov. 2.

We took this step because the Hearing Officer failed to recognize the important and vital role that non-tenure track faculty play in administration. She recommended these faculty are not properly considered to be administrators because they do not receive additional monetary compensation for their administrative roles and they do not have university-wide responsibilities.

This finding does not recognize the strength and values of our shared governance model. We believe administrators in the schools and colleges are essential to our success and should be recognized for their work within our schools and colleges, just as we recognize those with broader responsibilities. Moreover, the Hearing Officer did not recognize that incentives, such as course releases, constitute a form of payment.

We are filing these exceptions to advance these questions for review by the NLRB Regional Director. Again, the only open questions are in regard to the election in the College of Arts and Science; on June 22, the SEIU abandoned its efforts in the Blair School of Music, the Divinity School and Peabody College after strong faculty turnout against unionization in those schools.

Since the beginning, we have been committed to taking every action in good faith and with the well-being of Vanderbilt faculty at the forefront. We continue on that path. And working directly with faculty and with the deans, we are making great progress. I encourage you to visit our newly expanded COACHE website to learn more about some of the initiatives underway in partnership with faculty to promote faculty success and satisfaction.

I will keep you apprised of further developments. As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. Additionally, the faculty unionization website will continue to be updated with new information on the process.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs