Still no agreement: NMU-AAUP says union, university haven’t reached new contract

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Northern Michigan University’s American Association of University Professors (NMU-AAUP) says the union and the university haven’t reached a new contract.

This contradicts a joint union-university statement released over the weekend to local news agencies, saying an agreement was reached Friday, Oct. 1.

Now, the NMU-AAUP and the university say no agreement was reached, and that statements released were “inaccurate.”

“Recent reports that NMU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (NMU-AAUP, also known as the faculty union), and the NMU administration have come to a new tentative agreement regarding contract language are false reports,” said Jon Craig Barch, Ph.D., the AAUP Information Officer. “Statements suggesting that the faculty are finally satisfied with what the administration has offered are grossly inaccurate.”

In a statement from NMU, Spokesperson Derek Hall said, “Late last Friday afternoon the administration and the union did, in fact, reach a verbal tentative agreement. Plans were made to edit and finalize the language for signatures and dissemination to the union for review on Monday and a ratification vote to occur later that week or early the next. Additionally, on Saturday morning the union leadership contacted the administration about developing a press release as a joint statement announcing the verbal tentative agreement.  However, administration was disappointed to learn late Monday afternoon that the agreed upon language would not be distributed to the union for their review and vote. Again, we are disappointed but will continue to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement.”

This story will be updated with any additional details as they become available.

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