Dear Faculty,

We know this is a very busy time for all of you, but we hope you will make every effort to join us Wednesday, May 10, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., in 201 Alumni Hall for an all faculty meeting on upcoming union elections.

Based on the National Labor Relation Board Regional Director’s May 3 decision, ballots will be mailed to Arts and Science, Blair, Divinity and Peabody non-tenure track faculty members’ homes on May 15 and counted on June 6. This timing was set by the NLRB despite the fact that our semester will have ended and many of you will not be on campus for the summer.

It is critical that you be informed as fully as possible, know the effects of the NLRB decision, recognize the unknown, understand the potential impact of unionization on our culture and community, and VOTE!

The majority vote will rule. There is no threshold of participation to qualify the elections.  In other words, if just five or 10 percent of your peers vote, the majority of their votes will determine the outcome for all.

Bringing the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to Vanderbilt to represent both full-time and adjunct non-tenure track faculty would be a big change to our campus with profound implications, changes that would be difficult to reverse if the SEIU proved to be the wrong fit for our faculty. There is no clear model to follow and there are still many unknowns, but the election is moving forward nonetheless.

Please make your plans to join us for this extremely important discussion.  We are available to answer your questions and appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

John Geer, Vice Provost of Academic and Strategic Affairs

Camilla Benbow, Dean, Peabody College

Lauren Benton, Dean, College of Arts and Science

Emilie Townes, Dean, Divinity School

Mark Wait, Dean, Blair School of Music