Faculty Write-ups
Faculty Labor Relations has told the UT-AAUP that Chairs are being instructed to write-up faculty for any complaint – no matter how minor it may be. Kristen Fitzpatrick of Faculty Labor Relations is meeting with Chairs to inform them of this new directive. The purpose is to document alleged complaints against faculty for use in Faculty Labor Relations investigations and pre-disciplinary hearings. Based on UT-AAUP experience, most of the complaints against faculty are from students. Many are trivial, but are nonetheless investigated and may be taken to pre-disciplinary hearings. Some Chairs have targeted faculty and have encouraged student complaints.
Faculty Labor Relations
As reported in previous newsletters, Faculty Labor Relations was moved from the Provost Office to HR. Faculty Labor Relations is headed by Lisa Simpson who reports up the HR chain to Matt Schroeder in Finance. Kristen Fitzpatrick reports to Lisa Simpson, but runs Faculty Labor Relations day by day. She is listed as a consultant. Matt Schroeder directs HR and Faculty Labor Relations which controls faculty investigations, pre-disciplinary hearings, grievances, arbitrations, and negotiations. HR and Faculty Labor Relations have been weaponized against faculty. We are headed toward record numbers of investigations, pre-disciplinary hearings, grievances, and arbitrations for 2023. Now, we can add faculty write-ups to the list.
“Directive” is the latest buzz word Faculty Labor Relations uses with Deans and Chairs. Everything related to faculty is a “directive”. During grievance hearings Faculty Labor Relations routinely points out that faculty are under a directive that must be followed even though the “directive” is being challenged by the grievance. The directive being grieved becomes the response to the grievance.
Investigations
Almost all of the investigations of faculty are based on a student complaint. During the Spring of 2023 an entire department was investigated with hearings by two investigators including Kristen Fitzpatrick of Faculty Labor Relations. The department was investigated by HR and Faculty Labor Relations under Title VII for alleged discrimination against a student.
Nine faculty were each given 2-hour hearings by the two investigators, a total of over 18 hours. The UT-AAUP represented all nine faculty at the hearings which included hours of preparation time. The final report from the Title VII investigators has yet to be received. It has been over six months.
These Title VII investigations, based on complaints alleging faculty discrimination, have become very common. There have been over 15 this year. In addition, investigations are being conducted under other policies including Title IX, FERPA, research misconduct, and the Standards of Conduct (UT Policy 3364-25-01) which is used alone or with other allegations. When charges under the Title VII, Title IX and other policies are dismissed, Faculty Labor Relations invokes the Standards of Conduct policy.
The UT-AAUP regularly represents faculty in investigations and pre-disciplinary hearings. The directive for Chairs to do write-ups is for investigations and pre-disciplinary hearings. Investigations can and do move to pre-disciplinary hearings under the CBAs – Corrective Action Article 18 of the T/TT CBA and Corrective Action Article 15 of the Lecturers CBA. Faculty can and have been terminated under both. A faculty termination triggers arbitration by the UT-AAUP. In the last 18 months, we have had six arbitrations, four of them due to faculty terminations. Two were won by the UT-AAUP and two are pending with briefs submitted.
In light of the budget cuts by Matt Schroeder and the unprecedented attacks by HR and Faculty Labor Relations on faculty the UT-AAUP will ask faculty to picket. We cannot legally strike at this time, but we can picket. Other unions on campus will join us. The picket theme will be SAVE UT. Details will be forthcoming in a newsletter and at a UT-AAUP meeting.
UT-AAUP Executive Board