Information on RTPC faculty unionization election next steps

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Last week we shared news about the upcoming RTPC faculty unionization vote. Today we want to be clear about what is at stake.

Make Your Voice Heard

The outcome will be decided by the majority of votes cast, even if only a small fraction of the eligible 2,900-plus faculty participate. If just 100 faculty vote, and 51 vote yes, the union would become the exclusive bargaining representative for all faculty in the proposed bargaining unit. 

The university explicitly requested hybrid voting; however, the NLRB ordered in-person voting only. 

The best way to protect your voice is by casting your in-person vote the week of April 20. Do not leave this decision to others. Your vote will decide the outcome. 

Today’s Benefits & Protections

Our faculty play a central role in managing the university through their participation in faculty governance. For this reason, the university takes the position that our faculty are managers and supervisors. 

Over the past two decades, our university faculty committees have built a shared governance model that is rare among our peers –and sustained by our community’s collective commitment to its value. The results speak for themselves and extend to workplace protections:

• More than 20% of RTPC faculty serve in administrative roles – including deans and department chairs – with stipend pay or course relief. 
• Every RTPC faculty member is eligible to serve on school and university committees, as committee chairs, and in Academic Senate leadership. 
• Four of the last six Academic Senate presidents have been RTPC faculty.
• Full-time RTPC instructional faculty are eligible for multi-year contracts with clear workload expectations and compensation for additional duties and summer courses. 
• Part-time RTPC faculty are compensated for work beyond their assigned courses. 
• All RTPC faculty are subject to merit review, and every full-time appointment and non-reappointment goes through multi-level peer review. 
• RTPC faculty working 50% FTE or greater receive the same health and retirement benefits as every other USC employee, including tenure-stream faculty and staff.

These policies, established long before unionization was proposed, reflect our commitment to RTPC faculty and our shared ability to shape our future directly.

What Collective Bargaining Could Change

A union contract applies to every person in the bargaining unit, meaning full-time, part-time and adjunct RTPC faculty from nearly every school.As you consider your vote, we encourage you to do your research – including reviewing our website and FAQ – to understand how collective bargaining may shape the future.

• Because collective bargaining produces one contract for the entire bargaining unit, some terms, such as salary structures, raises, promotion schedules and opportunities, may be addressed in a standardized, one-size-fits-all manner.
• The university may be limited in its ability to negotiate individually with faculty in the bargaining unit for individual accommodations, flexible arrangements, and direct agreements between individual faculty and their departments or schools, all of which are currently commonplace. Union rules may limit faculty members’ ability to negotiate unique arrangements related to pay, stipends, course releases, research time, and alternative duties.
• Once voted in, the union contract binds all faculty in the bargaining unit, whether they like it or not.  

Once a union election process begins and during collective bargaining, there are legal restrictions on the University’s ability to make changes to wages, benefits, or working conditions. If the union gets voted in, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requires employers to bargain in good faith with the elected union over mandatory subjects of employment, which includes wages. 

A Final Word

Please make time to vote in person the week of April 20. There will be two voting sites (one on UPC and one on HSC) which will be shared in a future communication. Any eligible faculty member may vote at either site. 

Details regarding informational webinars are forthcoming and will be shared as quickly as possible to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn about the potential impacts of unionization. In the meantime, please continue to learn about your current rights under existing policies at https://www.provost.usc.edu/unionization. 

Remember: The outcome of the vote will reflect only the voices of those who show up to cast their ballot.

By voting, you protect your voice.

Sincerely,