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www.adjuncts.apea-aft.org
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHO ARE APEA, AFT, AAUP
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
United Academics – Adjuncts is a union under a statewide organization,
in this case, the Alaska Public Employees Association. Why do we need
a statewide umbrella? Because your union dues and the agency fee pay
for “service.” Service means that someone has to keep an eye on the
university to see that it lives up to its end of the contract. For instance,
if an adjunct is fired without cause, the union will file a grievance
with the university. If you happen to be that adjunct, that means that
someone is dealing with the paperwork and procedures for you – to save
your job. The service also includes paying for the negotiating teams
in the future and any legal assistance that is needed. Since there are
not enough dollars coming in from the adjuncts to have a stand-alone
office we will have a joint office with the Alaska Public Employees
Association. AFT (American Federation of Teachers) and AAUP (American
Association of University Professors) are our national umbrella. They
do for us nationally what APEA is doing statewide.
Why should you care?
We have been underpaid, overworked, denied benefits and that’s just
the start of the list. But we were treated that way because we did not
speak with a single voice. Now we do. And we have some muscular friends
on our side of the table – APEA, AFT and AAUP.
WHY SHOULD I BECOME A MEMBER OF
THE UNION?
Only union members have a say in what the union does. That includes
everything from what is in a proposed contract to how to handle grievances.
The monetary benefits also include access to health insurance, discounts
at hotels and resorts, car rental upgrades and free publications. In
terms of education, the union also offers free, ongoing training for
those who want to participate as officers, negotiators, grievance council
members and committee chairs. Keep in mind that a union is only as effective
as its members are.
CAN I BE A MEMBER OF THE UNION
IF I’M NOT TEACHING RIGHT NOW?
Read Article III, Section 2 of the Adjunct Constitution on this web
site.
DO I HAVE TO JOIN THE UNION AS
A MEMBER?
No. But you will still have to pay an agency fee. Union dues for Members
are currently set at 2.5% or your gross. The agency fee will be slightly
less than 2.5% of your gross. Why are you paying a fee even if you don’t
belong to the union as a member? First, because you will reap the benefits
of a wage increase without paying for the negotiating team or the union
organization expenses. Second, since the union is the exclusive bargaining
agent for the adjuncts, it must represent you in every grievance with
the university whether you are a member or not. Considering the very
small cash difference between the agency fee and the dues – and the
monetary benefits of being a member – it’s probably not worth your while
to be a agency fee payer.
WHAT
HAPPENS IF I HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS?
Go to the Officers
Page if you want to contact one of your colleagues who serves
as an officer of our union or go to the Contact
Us information which is at the bottom of the Home
Page.
HOW
DO I GET A COPY OF THE COURT DECISION ON BARGAINING RIGHTS FOR ADJUNCTS?
Click Here
for the 1997 Alaska Superior Court Decision affirming Adjuncts' rights
to form a union. It's in Adobe's PDF format.
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