Three months after the formation of a new faculty union, a little more than 100 full-time and 29 part-time faculty have signed up, reports Faculty Senate President Joan Foster.

"To go from nothing to more than 100 this quickly is pretty impressive," Foster said of the union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The AFT has about 1 million members nationwide, including 150,000 from higher education. Union chapters receive legal assistance and help with contract negotiations and organizing.

Foster said that when the union was formed last summer, the key issue was the new faculty handbook, particularly the new reduction-in-force policy. "That's still true today," she said. "The trustees are only talking about making tweaks," Foster said of the policy. "It will take substantive changes to satisfy the faculty."

Foster remains hopeful that negotiations with the Board of Trustees will lead to a reduction-in-force policy that meets the needs of the board and of faculty. "We want to make sure we exhaust all negotiation possibilities before we pursue legal action," she said.

"We really care about the college," Foster said. "We want to keep it strong."