By Scott Pohl, WKAR
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-896727.mp3
EAST LANSING, MI –
Instructors who are not on the tenure track at Michigan State University rallied in support of their ongoing contract negotiations with MSU today.
WKAR's Scott Pohl reports.
AUDIO: Non-tenure track faculty voted to unionize a year ago, and they're still negotiating their first contract with Michigan State.
Union of Nontenure Track Faculty President Penny Gardner says non-economic issues have been settled, and work is now beginning on those wage and benefit issues.
Gardner says the union's members teach 70% of MSU undergraduates. She says their message is that they want to be valued for what they bring to the university.
"We're not here necessarily to do research," Gardner says, "we're not here to be published, we're here to teach the students, and that we have experience and excitement, and we're good! We're damn good."
The union has more than 1,000 members. Most face the uncertainty of short-term teaching appointments. Gardner says many don't get fall teaching assignments until August.