Update: Trustees to consider three labor contracts at Friday meeting

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Western Michigan University Board of Trustees will consider approval of contracts with three employee groups when it meets at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17. Labor agreements with the WMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the Professional Instructors Organization and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees will be before trustees as they convene in formal session at the College of Aviation in Battle Creek. The meeting also will be livestreamed.

Western and WMU-AAUP negotiation teams this month reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract, which was ratified by the labor organization's membership on Sept. 15. The contract, with the board's approval, would be in force through Sept. 4, 2026.

In late August, negotiators for Western and the Professional Instructors Organization (PIO) reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract, a deal that was subsequently ratified by PIO's membership. The tentative agreement with the union, which represents about 275 part-time instructors, now comes to trustees for their consideration. If approved by them Friday, the new contract would be effective from Aug. 28, 2021, through Aug. 27, 2025.

Also on the agenda for the board to consider is a two-year contract with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union that represents stage workers for major productions at Western venues such as Miller Auditorium. On Sept. 1, IATSE membership ratified a tentative agreement reached in August by Western and union negotiators. If approved Friday, the contract would be effective from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.

Other items on the board's agenda include naming of University College, the University's five-year capital outlay plan, the sale of property on East Beltline in Grand Rapids and an honorary degree recommendation for alumnus, entrepreneur and former trustee Kenneth Miller.

Individuals who wish to address the board during public comment periods of the meeting must notify Dr. Kahler Schuemann by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15.

For additional details, find the board's full agenda online.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.