Faculty file suit against Metro's board
by Lindsay Sandham
The Metropolitan
A lawsuit has been filed against Metro's Board of Trustees by the faculty
union because of changes made to the handbook that affect contractual
rights of tenured faculty.
The board imposed a new handbook June 4, 2003, which contained a Reduction
in Force policy that faculty union members said violated the basic rights
of tenure defined by the American Association of University Professors.
The lawsuit is aimed at achieving declaratory judgment, which means that
although no one has been fired, the faculty union is concerned because
the situation exists where someone could be fired without the administration
following due process.
At press time, no one from the board was available for comment.
Faculty union member and English professor Renee Ruderman said the changes
in policy affect everyone at Metro, not just tenured faculty.
"It affects the quality of education offered at Metro," Ruderman
said.
David Sullivan, faculty union member and philosophy professor at Metro,
said the RIF policy affects academic freedom and directly impacts tenure.
"Removing protections of tenure effectively removes academic freedom,"
Sullivan said.
He said if tenure faculty are not protected under their contracts, they
will teach more cautiously, being more careful of what they say in class.
Cathy Lucas, Metro's director for college communications, did not return
phone calls seeking comment.
Ruderman said tenured faculty was coerced into signing new contracts
last June, agreeing to the rules outlined in the new handbook.
"All the rules have changed substantially," she said. She added
that the new handbook does not coincide with national standards for tenured
professors, who are people that have worked very hard to obtain the tenure
rights outlined in Colorado and U.S. law.
"We're hoping ultimately to go back to the old handbook," Ruderman
said.
She added that the faculty union hopes the judge will see that they are
operating under a breached contract and will hopefully make it possible
for the faculty to have open negotiations with the board.
The American Federation of Teachers' lawyer, Joe Goldhammer, is representing
Metro's faculty union. In February, he did a workshop with the union to
better prepare them for a lawsuit.
|
