Bowling Green State University’s administration and the faculty union have reached an agreement to
resolve issues around faculty cuts announced in fall.
The university’s agreement with the BGSU Faculty Association will result in severance pay for some of the
affected faculty and will allow several to retain positions at the university.
The dispute was over 30 non-tenure track faculty on one-year contracts and 10 faculty on terminal
contracts.
Under the agreement, faculty with four or more years of service with the university will receive one
month of pay for every two years of service.
David Jackson, president of the faculty association, said this will affect 18 people who will receive
payouts ranging from $6,000 to $25,000. The total payout will be $310,000.
Also, it was determined that five of the faculty members will be able to exercise their seniority rights.
That means they will be able to keep their positions, though five other non-tenure track faculty with
less service will lose their positions.
Those notifications will be made by April 1.
Two other terminated faculty will be appointed to fill recent vacancies.
Jackson said the union opted to negotiate the issue with the university administration rather that filing
grievances and taking the issue to arbitration. That would be a long and costly process, so the faculty
members affected and the union’s legal council urged the union to discuss the matter with the
university.
"It was our desire to make the best we could out of a bad situation," Jackson said.
William K. Balzer, vice president for faculty affairs and strategic initiatives, said the agreement
"resolves a whole variety of potential issues … and allows us to focus on what’s really important
for the university."
The agreement also calls on the union to assist with the university’s efforts to recruit and retain
students to the university,
"That was the easiest part," Jackson said. "It commits faculty to do what the faculty
already does."
He said the agreement also calls on the administration to be more open in sharing certain information
with the faculty association.
"We’re really trying to collaborate together," Balzer said. Working out issues under the first
labor contract is always the most difficult.
"This allows us to create an open dialogue and common interpretation of the issues. … We’re moving
in the right direction, and this allows us to continue moving in the right direction," he said.
"The university’s intention is to not let any additional faculty go except through attrition,
resignations and retirements."
Jackson said the resolution does make him feel a "little" better about the union’s dealings
with the administration.
"That’s how a relationship is built," he said.