Dear Members of the Santa Clara University Community,
I write to you with an update on our progress in moving toward a vote on the question of faculty unionization. I am grateful for the many voices calling for a free and fair election. As we have been since the onset of our negotiations with the SEIU/union organizing committee, we are committed to collaborating to address concerns and to engage in all discussions with the highest integrity and respect. We are hopeful that we are nearing an agreement on creating a process for a fair election and that such an election will take place before the end of this academic year.
Since this process began, the University and the SEIU/union organizing committee have worked through several drafts of an agreement. The Administration has listened carefully and tried to address the concerns of the union organizers and has made many significant concessions and modifications in response to the organizing committee’s requests, including:
- Agreeing to provide a mail-in or digital ballot to anyone who requests it, even if in-person voting is safe and permissible
- Agreeing to accept digital/electronic signatures on cards for the showing of interest
- Agreeing to the union’s language concerning the scope of bargaining should the union be selected
- Offering to solicit permission to share contact information for eligible voters before it would be required, so the SEIU/organizing committee can contact those people to assist them in getting their message out early and secure a showing of interest
- Agreeing to the union’s request to settle the logistics of the election process now (in the election agreement), rather than after the showing of interest, in order to reach an election more quickly
- Agreeing to settle disputes through binding arbitration, if our preferred method of mediation fails to result in agreement
- Agreeing to use the union’s proposed arbitrator for resolving any disputes concerning the showing of interest
- We have reduced the recommended representative number of eligible voters three times as part of our negotiations. The current proposal is that a representative quorum of two-thirds of the bargaining unit must vote in the election, with only a simple majority of that quorum required to elect the union.
On this final point, the University’s position is that there should be a minimum quorum of the total number of eligible voters who must participate in the process to ensure that such a historic decision represents the needs and interests of more than a small subset of faculty. Moreover, we maintain the importance of this decision being inclusive of our entire fixed-term and continuing faculty, across all of the University’s schools and programs. Whatever the final vote result, the Administration will respect the outcome and proceed accordingly.
I will continue to do my very best to keep you informed. If you haven’t already, please visit the Provost Office’s website where you can find specific information about faculty unionization, including drafts of various proposals sent to-date. We will be updating this website regularly.
Sincerely,
Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President