cross-posted from howtheuniversityworks.com
Margaret West has worked for Edmonds Community College for 21 years, serving for more than a decade on her union’s executive board, and for most of that time serving under her American Federation of Teachers contract’s “Assurance of Employment” clause. She has joined administrators to testify on behalf of education funding and led the faculty team, according to Phil Ray Jack on AFT’s FACE Talk, in no less than six bargaining negotiations.
But shortly after she announced that she was the unopposed candidate for president of her local, and would therefore become the first part-timer to lead the unit, a dean with less than a year on the job terminated her.
Why? she asked.
“Because I can,” he replied.
This does lead one to wonder about the worth of the “Assurance of Employment” clause — it doesn’t seem to have modified the at-will relationship in this case. I’d like to hear more from Phil Ray Jack, or someone with close knowledge of the contract, about this one.
