Eastern Michigan University and Lecturers Reach Agreement

Full-time lecturers at Eastern Michigan University are under contract for the next five years in an agreement approved in early-December by the Board of Regents.

The new agreement between Eastern and the EMU Federation of Teachers, which represents lecturers with full-time, temporary appointments, extends from September 1, 2005 to April 10, 2010. The original contract expired August 30th and a settlement was approved this fall.

The agreement raises the minimum salary for lecturers from $25,000 to $27,500 and provides a 3.2 percent salary adjustment in the first year and a two percent adjustment the following three years.

Rhonda Longworth, Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, characterized the negotiations as cooperative and constructive.

“It was always clear we were working toward a solution,” Longworth said.

Lecturers didn’t want to pay out-of-pocket health insurance premiums while the university focused on avoiding extra costs, Longworth said.

Jay Hester, the union’s chief steward, who also served on the bargaining team, said the negotiations were tough, sometimes lasting far into the morning.

“But for the most part, we’re pleased,” said Hester, who teaches five sections of American history at EMU. “When you’re negotiating a contract, you’re not always going to get everything you desire. But in the end, we’re pleased with the results.”

The lecturers will be provided with a standard health care plan at no cost. EMU also agreed to increase contributions to the lecturers’ retirement plan to 9.5 percent of base salary, and increasing to 10 percent in 2006.

EMU has about 130 full-time lecturers, who teach about 12 percent of the classes at the university. According to EMU figures, there are 673 tenure-track faculty members at the university, and 400 part-time faculty members.