CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – The University of New Hampshire’s faculty union says the school’s administration has broken the law in stalled contract talks.
The American Association of University Professors said an e-mail interim university President Bonnie Newman and Vice President Bruce Mallory sent to faculty members announcing an impasse in contract negotiations unfairly tried to influence them. The union said by going directly to the faculty, the university is not negotiating in good faith.
The union on Friday filed an unfair labor practice charge against UNH with the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board.
“The faculty elected AAUP as their agent and that’s who the administration has to deal with in the negotiations,” said Professor Dale Barkey, president of the union’s UNH chapter. “If the university bargains directly with faculty – cuts deals here, there – then there’s no bargaining power on the employees’ side.”
The letter lays out the administration’s offers on salary increases and its proposal to increase individual contributions for medical benefits, the two key sticking points during negotiations, which ended this week. Barkey said university administrators went too far when it explained why it made certain offers, for example, contributions to a merit raise pool.
A university spokeswoman did not immediately respond to messages Friday seeking a response.
Barkey said negotiators rejected the university’s offers because they don’t keep pace with inflation and the increased cost of health benefits.
“These are all things that we hear at the table … and we refute these things in detail,” he said. “What they’re doing is they’re going out to an audience who has never seen these arguments, never heard the rebuttal and are trying to influence their views.”
He said about 70 percent of 640 tenured faculty are full dues-paying union members, though all faculty pay some fees to be part of the bargaining unit.
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