As Director of
Member Services, Caryl is primarily responsible for contract
administration and implementation of the grievance procedures, including
determination of how grievances should be managed to obtain the best end
result. Caryl is also the primary liaison with the CSU-AAUP Attorney,
Gregg Adler, regarding all legal matters pertaining to the organization.
In addition, she serves as office manager and assists the CCSU-AAUP
Executive Committee, the CSU-AAUP Council and the standing committees of
both organizations.
Caryl had the unique opportunity to grow into her current position over
thirty-two years of service to CSU-AAUP. In 1975 Caryl was a Central
student, who worked part-time on the campaign for and election of
CSU-AAUP as the bargaining agent for the faculty at the four state
colleges. Upon graduating with a B.A. in Education in 1976, Caryl began
working full-time for AAUP as a staff representative, responsible for
processing member dues, duplicating and distributing newsletters, and
maintaining membership rosters. As her knowledge grew with experience,
Caryl received several promotions and was granted increasing
responsibilities. Her longevity of service and dedication to CSU-AAUP
has provided the organization with continuity and institutional memory.
Caryl has been involved in every contract negotiation since the first
contract in 1977. Prior to collective bargaining, the faculty was
subject to the impulses of the administration and state government when
it came to salary increases and benefits. Over the past 30 years,
CSU-AAUP has negotiated ten contracts. The current contract is one of
the most comprehensive faculty contracts in the country, guaranteeing
such benefits for faculty as health care, pension benefits, travel
funds, and the approximate number of sabbatical leaves that should be
awarded each year. Our contract also guarantees Academic Freedom and
faculty governance on many issues. The CSU-AAUP Contract is often used
as a model contract by National AAUP.
It has been crucial that Caryl remain current in the field of labor
relations, which she has done by attending classes, workshops, seminars
and conferences. Most notably, she attends both the National AAUP
meeting in June and the Semi-annual Collective Bargaining Congress
Meetings in June and December, which provide information on important
issues in higher education as well as training in specific areas. Caryl
has also attended three National AAUP Summer Institutes where she has
participated in extensive training in contract negotiations, grievance
handling and research on higher education issues. She has also attended
the International COCAL conference, where she gained extensive
information on issues relating to representation of part-time faculty in
the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Caryl has also gained invaluable
information on national trends in higher education legislation,
contracts, and benefits at annual meetings of the National Center for
Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (formerly
the Baruch Conference).
Caryl is one of the founders of the AAUP Field Staff Association, an
organization comprised of and representing AAUP Chapter and Conference
Staff across the country. Caryl is currently serving as Chairperson of
the organization and has served in that capacity several times over the
past thirty years. In addition, she is currently working towards
completion of a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling with a Mental
Health & Rehabilitation Concentration at CCSU.
Professors