The following letter was sent to the APPU (Puerto Rican Association of University Professors) in support of their campaign to become a faculty union recognized as a legitimate agent for collective bargaining at the University of Puerto Rico. Our endorsement of their petition was sent to the President of the Board of Governors, Dr. Jorge Sánchez.
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December 4, 2014
Dr. Jorge I. Sánchez Colón, President
Board of Governors
University of Puerto Rico
San Juan, PR 00931-3400
Dear Dr. Sánchez:
I write as Chair of the University of California Santa Cruz Faculty Association (SCFA) and representative of the association’s board to express our support for the efforts Puerto Rican Association of University Professors’ (APPU) to achieve collective bargaining rights for the faculty at the University of Puerto Rico. The SCFA is the sole University of California faculty association with collective bargaining rights and our support for APPU is therefore especially important as an expression of our position on this matter.
The rights of faculty to negotiate terms and conditions of employment through collective bargaining is taking place in a growing number of colleges and universities across the United States. SCFA believes this is the best way to protect both academic freedom and shared governance, both of which are central to the quality of higher education. Faculty unions are also playing an important role in ensuring economic security not only for tenured faculty but also part-time and full-time non-tenure track faculty, whose numbers are growing rapidly and whose economic security is often at risk. Collective bargaining can be an effective means of advancing our shared goals and promoting effective communication between all ranks of faculty and university administrators.
We urge you to accept APPU’s petition for voluntary recognition of collective bargaining rights and joining the growing number of universities and colleges that recognize such rights. In doing so, you will send a clear signal to your faculty and the public that your administration is committed to a new era of positive faculty-administration relations at the University of Puerto Rico.
Sincerely,
Ronnie D. Lipschutz
Professor & Chair of Politics, UC Santa Cruz
Chair, Santa Cruz Faculty Association