The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
Since 1888
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.

National Labor Relations Board rules in favor of faculty unionization effort

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Hunter Long
Kirkland Hall houses Vanderbilt administration. (Hustler Multimedia/Hunter Long)

Non-tenure track faculty efforts to unionize will move forward this year following a National Labor Relations Board ruling in favor of the union. A June vote showed that a majority of the voting non-tenure track faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences were in favor of forming a union. However, the university challenged 28 of the votes. The ruling came about after the NLRB reviewed the challenged ballots and determined that all but one would be counted.  

This means that the NLRB had again affirmed our right to unionize,” Amy Cooter, senior lecturer in the department of sociology and a member of the unionization effort organizational team, said. “It also means that Vanderbilt should now sit down with us and begin the collective bargaining process; they have said all along that they want us to have a fair vote, the NLRB has made that decision for A&S non-tenure-track faculty, so we are eager to move forward with them in this negotiation.”

Last year, non-tenure track members of Vanderbilt’s faculty in four colleges began the movement to unionize. The effort was not supported by the university, which was of the opinion that a unionized model was not appropriate for the governance structure of the university. In February, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board calling for a vote on whether or not faculty wanted the union.

[infogram id=”vanderbilt-june-unionization-vote-1gqnmxqy3onq2lw”]

Only the College of Arts and Sciences voted majority in favor of unionizing. Of the 193 Arts and Sciences faculty members eligible to vote, 55 voted yes and 40 voted no. Of those votes, 28 were a challenged. University officials cited the fact that some of those who voted were either no longer employed by the university, had a primary teaching appointment in a school other than Arts and Sciences or had an administrative role that the university said should prevent them from voting as faculty. However, 27 of the challenged votes were counted, and the NLRB released a report detailing the reason each individual contested ballot was counted.

The university has until Nov. 2 to appeal the decision. In the meantime, updates will regularly be posted on the Provost’s website.

The university is evaluating the NLRB Hearing Officer’s report and in the process of determining next steps at this time,” John Geer, Vice Provost of Academic and Strategic Affairs, said. “We continue to approach this process in good faith and with the well-being of the Vanderbilt community and its faculty at the forefront. It is too early to know all the implications and what are best next steps.”

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About the Contributors
Sam Zern, Former Managing Editor

Sam Zern ('20) has been a member of The Vanderbilt Hustler since her freshman year, first as a staff writer and shortly after as assistant campus editor. She went on to be campus editor and, later, editor in chief. In her senior year at Vanderbilt, Sam was managing editor and streamlined recruitment and training processes.

In her time as a member of the editorial board, she has prioritized diversity and breadth in coverage, wanting to make sure as much of Vanderbilt as possible is represented in the paper. Outside of The Hustler, she studies education policy and sociology and has worked as a journalist for local publications in Austin and Nashville. She plans to pursue a career in journalism (and will gladly take any and all advice!)

Connect with Sam: [email protected] Personal website Twitter LinkedIn

 
Hunter Long, Former Multimedia Director
Hunter Long (’21) is from Austin, TX and double majored in molecular biology and medicine, health and society. He is an avid lover of film photography, good music and all things coffee. He can be reached at [email protected].    

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