UPDATES
Your Personal Information Shared with Service Employees International Union Local 721
April 16, 2024
Providing the best possible work environment for our faculty, regardless of their rank, is vitally important to our community. The members of our USD community are proud of our culture of care and our mission to uphold human dignity. Rooted in our Catholic values, our culture of care is regularly cited as one of the distinguishing and most appreciated characteristics of our campus.
This culture was not created by accident – it was created by members of our community working together intentionally, in direct relationships with each other.
Our NTT faculty are valued colleagues, and their contributions are significant. Over the past decade, the university has made great strides in enhancing and supporting the work of NTT faculty, and this continues to be a priority.
We also understand that there is more to be done. We are committed to working collaboratively with NTT faculty to create the best possible learning environment for our students and work environment for our faculty.
We should ensure that the information considered by all interested parties is accurate, and that everyone is fairly informed so they can make the best decision for themselves and their families as the effort to organize in CAS proceeds. USD encourages every member of our community to ask questions and learn more about unionization – both its pros and cons.
USD respects the right of every individual to form their own opinion and encourages each member of the community to consider whether, and how, inserting a third party might impact our culture of working directly and collaboratively with one another. USD will continue to share information.
From: Karen Haggenmiller, Associate Vice President/Chief Human Resources Officer
To: Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Dear NTT Faculty,
Because Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721 has filed a petition for election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), federal law now requires University of San Diego to provide your personal information to the union and the NLRB.
On April 17, 2024, the University must provide SEIU and the NLRB with the following personal information for all faculty who are eligible to participate in the election:
- Name
- Personal cell phone number
- Home address
- Personal email address
- Home phone number
- Work location, job title and shift
The university respects the right of every individual to form their own opinion and believes a fundamental component of a fair election is informed voters. We encourage each member of our community to consider the facts about how a union might impact our culture of working directly with one another.
Best,
Karen
—
Karen Haggenmiller
Associate Vice President/
Chief Human Resources Officer
Maintaining the best possible work environment for our faculty, both tenure track and non-tenure track, is essential to the academic vitality of our campus. This commitment includes our mission to uphold human dignity and support one another in our pursuit of knowledge. Rooted in our Catholic values, our culture of care is regularly cited as one of the distinguishing and most appreciated characteristics of our campus.
This culture was not created by accident – it was created by members of our community working together intentionally, in direct relationships with each other. The possibility of losing this collaborative environment to a third party would undermine the very core of what makes us unique.
But the concerns of our NTT faculty are real, and we hear you.
The Office of the Provost, faculty committees, and many others at USD have been in substantive conversations with NTT faculty members to identify opportunities for enhanced job stability, compensation, and advancement. The Provost conducted listening sessions with NTT faculty members across USD consistently over the past two years to learn about their concerns and determine how the university could address them. In fact, we had already begun to implement improvements based on these discussions. That’s why we were surprised to learn that the SEIU was working with members of our NTT faculty to form union within the CAS during what we thought was a productive, proactive dialogue.
As fellow academics, your passion is the pursuit of research, education, and scholarship toward truth and discovery. This process should be no different. I encourage every member of our community, particularly our NTT faculty, to ask questions and learn more about unionization – both its pros and cons – before making a decision. We will continue to share information to support you.
Peace,
Jim