On January 17, Bucknell released a Notice (available in the top banner in myBucknell) as part of a Settlement Agreement with the National Labor Relations Board, the independent federal agency that protects the rights of private sector employees. The Notice reminds us of our collective rights as employees. The executive committee believes it is important to understand the context that led to this settlement to better understand those rights.
The correct case number at the NLRB is 06-CA-318937. The Bucknell AAUP successfully submitted a Freedom of Information Act request and obtained the redacted information that confirms some of the details about the settlement.
The case revolves around a meeting between Dr. J. Batbaatar (“Bataa”) and Provost Mermann-Jozwiak that occurred in April 2023. Bataa was among a small group of Visiting Professors (VAPs) at Bucknell who had written a letter to the provost demanding equal pay and fair working conditions and who had described their complaints in The Bucknellian and other venues. At the meeting with the Provost, Prof. Batbaatar was greeted by Chief of Public Safety Anthony Morgan, who had been asked to be present by the Provost. Following the meeting with the Provost, Chief Morgan requested an interview with Prof. Batbaatar and this interview was videotaped with the consent of all participants. Chief Morgan questioned Prof. Batbaatar about any threatening or disruptive actions that he had practiced or had planned.
The AAUP Executive Committee wishes to emphasize that the NLRB determined that the University was attempting to use Public Safety to intimidate Prof. Batbaatar and other VAPs who were advocating for fair pay and exercising their rights to engage in protected free expression. We thank Prof. Batbaatar for sharing his story publicly and for filing the complaint with the NLRB.
The Settlement Agreement Notice provides a clear reminder to Bucknell employees that US labor law guarantees us the right to organize and advocate for fair pay and working conditions, with or without a union. If you are concerned about these issues, we encourage you to attend our AAUP Chapter meetings (at the beginning and end of each semester) and to join our chapter to receive our regular newsletter. AAUP Bucknell is open to all who work at Bucknell (except for members of the administration), including student workers.