Our AAUP chapter convened in person and on Zoom on February 9, 2024 for our first meeting of the calendar year. Despite finding ourselves in the throes of the semester, turnout was robust, with several  members also tuning in virtually. We welcomed new members with a round of introductions.  Executive committee lead Ken Field then took on the first item of business: reviewing the recent NLRB ruling resulting from the VAP organizing effort last year. Ken encouraged new members to continue to reach out to colleagues and coworkers, while emphasizing positive and inspiring themes. He went on to explain that, […]

On Thursday February 1st, The MLK Week Committee and Bucknell’s Office of Religious and Spiritual Life co-sponsored a discussion session titled, “Why Is the Conversation So Hard? Islamophobia, Antisemitism and Israel-Palestine Dialogue”. On Tuesday February 13th, the Division of Equity & Inclusive Excellence hosted two speakers from Parents Circle. Ofer Lior, an Israeli who had lost his brother and Arab Aramin, a Palestinian who had lost his sister. It is somewhat heartening that campus events have focused on open dialogue and shared humanity, which cannot be taken for granted in a national culture that seeks to undermine the unencumbered pursuit […]

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 […]

AAUP Bucknell’s Communications Committee sees its charge as facilitating communication among all employees at Bucknell, because we know that communication creates community, and community engenders power. The committee’s fall 2023 goal was to make AAUP Bucknell a consistent presence in people’s inboxes and across campus.  Toward this end, we began the monthly newsletter (which you’re reading) linked to regular blog posts on the AAUP Bucknell website. The website and newsletter inform readers about best practices for building collective power (“Strategies for Solidarity”), the impact of AAUP Bucknell and AAUP national (“the AAUP Difference”), news related to our 2023-24 goals (“Workplace […]

In Fall 2023, the Workplace Democracy and Voice committee identified its charge as developing proactive plans for shared governance mechanisms already existing and to facilitate communication among staff who often feel siloed by current communication practices at the university. Toward this end, the committee reached out to the University Staff Personnel Committee to encourage USPC to be more forthcoming about their work and its outcomes, to which the co-chairs replied that they are exploring how to provide monthly updates. This advocacy to get USPC to work for staff will continue into Spring. The committee’s conversations also revealed the need to […]

AAUP Bucknell’s Worksharing and Pay Transparency Subcommittee reported back to the  chapter a busy and exciting semester. The subcommittee is continuing efforts from previous years that made strides in pay transparency and generally increasing the knowledge on campus of what salaries look like for faculty and staff across campus by Dr. Clare Sammells’ opt-in salary sharing survey. The subcommittee is expanding to ensure that AAUP and others have access to information about pay bands across all university employees. Maintenance of that database, particularly as compensation and job descriptions change, is critical for employees at Bucknell in a range of roles. […]

After many years of retrenchment driven by anti-union legislation (e.g. “Right-to-work” laws) and judicial decisions (Janus vs. AFSCME (2018)), recent years have seen an heartening uptick in union activity spearheaded by K-12 teachers and their unions: the 2018 Red State Revolt across many right-to-work states followed by the long but effective Chicago Public Schools strikes in 2019 and the short and effective Los Angeles United School District strikes in 2023. With SAG-AFTRA, WGA, and now UAW strikes, Summer 2023 was dubbed “Hot Union Summer.”  The latest issue of Academe, AAUP’s magazine which you receive when you become a dues-paying member, […]

The latest war in Israel-Palestine has again riled campus politics prompting many university presidents to condemn the deaths on both sides of this conflict and student groups to rally around occupied Palestinians’ struggle for self-determination and Israeli’s right to self-defense. At the same time, there are those in the media, on campuses, and in board rooms, who are calling for purity tests in an attempt to stifle this democratic debate.  We see similar attempts to stifle democracy playing out in legislatures and college campuses across the country. The so-called “Stop Woke” movement seeks to use the legislative process to force […]

The first chapter meeting of AAUP Bucknell on August 25 played host to a robust conversation among 40 faculty and staff to set the chapter’s agenda for 2023-24. The standing charge of AAUP is: Our 2023-24 goals and priorities are: These 4 priorities correspond to our 4 working committees which are entrusted to craft and execute strategies for achieving these goals. If you’d like to participate in a working committee, you do not need to be a dues-paying member. Just fill out the AAUP Bucknell membership form and get in touch with the members of the executive council.

AAUP Bucknell will host its first chapter meeting on Friday, August 25, 2023, 2-3 p.m. in Holmes Hall 251. All academic professionals—save those in the administration—are welcome to attend regardless of membership status. We encourage those who’d plan on attending to familiarize themselves with the AAUP Bucknell Bylaws and AAUP constitution. See you on the 25th!