The Lecturers’ Employee Organization will hold an informational picket to spotlight complaints about their workloads.
At its meeting yesterday, the union voted to hold a picket April 11 to protest proposed workload increases in LSA. No strike is scheduled.
Lecturers plan to hand flyers to students and other passersby in front of University buildings, LEO co-chair Kirsten Herold said.
The union claims the University is planning to require that lecturers teach additional classes next year without extra pay, though the University disputes this claim.
Lecturers have been told by their departments that there is a move to standardize across LSA the number of classes lecturers are responsible for, Herold said.
Currently, workload varies from department to department. In some, lecturers teach two classes per term. According to LEO, the proposed changes would require lecturers to teach three classes per term for the same pay. Lecturers who continue to teach only two classes would lose one-third of their pay, Herold said. According to Herold, lecturers who teach fewer than three classes also could lose some of their benefits.
University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said LSA does not plan to add an additional class to everyone’s workload.
Peterson said LSA’s long-standing policy says a full-time lecturer appointment consists of three classes per term.
Exceptions have been made for lecturers teaching less than three classes, which may have caused the discrepancy, Peterson said.
The LEO contract, signed in June 2004, says significant workload changes must first be negotiated with the union.
“We know workload policies differ widely, but to unilaterally change everything is a violation of the contract,” Herold said.
Herold said the University has told LEO that plans are still undecided.
“We encourage the University to keep it that way,” Herold said.
LEO recently filed a grievance objecting to increased teaching duties for academic advisors in the Comprehensive Studies Program. The advisors claim they are not receiving additional compensation. LEO has been discussing the grievance with Academic Human Resources and a third party, but no resolution had been reached.
Herold said action at commencement is possible if clarity on the issue is not reached.