History

In 1975, Public Act 75-566 was passed allowing state employees to bargaining collectively for their wages, hours and working conditions. At the time, small chapters of AAUP existed on each of the CSU campuses. After the Governor Meskill years when state employees lost their salary increments by gubernatorial dictate, and Governor Ella Grasso’s 500 state employee layoff in December 1975, CCSU Biology Professor David Newton saw the need for faculty to bargain collectively. Newton began a campaign to elect AAUP as the exclusive bargaining agent for the faculty (including coaches who were categorized as instructional faculty), counselors and librarians on the four campuses of the Connecticut State University System.

The bargaining unit was defined by the State Board of Labor Relations by "commonality of interest" and a hotly contested election took place between AAUP, AFT, CSEA and No Agent. AAUP won a close runoff election against AFT. The first CSU-AAUP Contract was negotiated in 1976 and ratified on April 1, 1977. Subsequent contracts, typically spanning two to four years, have either been negotiated or arbitrated. In 1983, CSU-AAUP petitioned the State Board of Labor Relations to represent part-time faculty (including coaches), counselors and librarians and on March 9, 1983 part-time faculty gained the right to participate in collective bargaining.

The CSU-AAUP Contract is often used as a model contract by the National AAUP since it not only guarantees certain benefits for faculty such as health care, pension benefits, travel funds, and a recommended number of sabbatic leaves per year, but because it also includes a guarantee of Academic Freedom and faculty governance, making it one of the most comprehensive contracts in the country.

The CSU-AAUP is both the collective bargaining agent that negotiates the wages and working conditions for the full-time and part-time faculty, librarians, counselors and coaches of CSU, and a professional organization that works to advance academic freedom and shared governance, among other issues in higher education.

Central Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors

CCSU, Marcus White Hall, Rooms 310, New Britain, CT 06050 * Phone (860) 832-3790 * Fax (860) 832-3794