American Association of University Professors (AAUP) -- University of Rhode Island Chapter (Mss. Gr. 118)

Series 1. General Subject File
The General Subject File consists of material relating to the Administration and operation of the URI chapter of the AAUP. Included are correspondence, minutes, newsletters, faculty attitude surveys and other records which provide information regarding the activities of the Association. While the records contained in this series are diverse, some may be of special interest. Files relating to the Board of Regents (later to be renamed the Board of Governors) occupy eight file folders and range in years from 1973 through 1981. Files relating to the Association's interest in the Administrative budget occupy an additional ten folders.

Another area of interest to the Association is the status of the university faculty. The question of who is a member of the collective bargaining unit, and who is not, has far-reaching implications for the Association, Administration and faculty. An example of this problem is illustrated in the files relating to the Co-Op Extension. Records from 1973 show the Extension staff's interest in union representation. The ongoing discussion lasted through 1987. The results, including a later arbitration, are found in ten files.

Another subset of this series consists of eight folders containing the minutes of the general membership meetings. These collected minutes span thirty four years from 1955 through 1989 and portray the thoughts and actions of the membership over three and one half decades. Other components of the General Subject series include folders on the use of part time faculty, newsletters from the AAUP and university community, by laws from 1973-1974, notes on Agency Shop (1972-1978) and constitution drafts (1954, 1972-1973). The series also contains a folder titled "Pied Piper" which contains copies of an undated newsletter created during the 1980s. This underground newsletter offered the reader a satirical look at the University Administration. The author's acerbic wit spares few in the Administration from the microscope of ridicule.

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within each folder.

Series 2. Executive Committee File
The Executive Committee File series is mainly a collection of minutes from Executive Committee meetings dating back to 1957. The minutes account for approximately 1.25 feet of the series and are held in twenty five folders. The remaining folders in this series contain correspondence to and from the Executive Committee dating back to 1954. Minutes from Committee meetings document the entire spectrum of events which faced the university faculty during the past three and one half decades. Issues such as faculty grievances, merit increases, appointment of Administration officials without faculty input, budgets, negotiations and annual dinners are all well represented within this series. Records in this series contain minutes that portend the coming of important events like the introduction of collective bargaining to the University and the faculty strike of 1979. Also included are records reflecting the every day activities of association management.

This series consists of two primary components; minutes and correspondence. The folders are arranged alphabetically. Correspondence to and from the Executive Committee are arranged chronologically. Committee minutes range from 1957 through 1990 and are also arranged chronologically. There is one folder of assorted articles which were collected by the committee during the years 1981 through 1986.

Series 3. Correspondence of Presidents
One of the two smallest series in the collection, the Correspondence of the Presidents may provide the researcher with information needed to fill gaps found in other series of this archive. Beginning with the correspondence of President William Haller (1962 63) and continuing through the presidency of Wendy Roworth (1989-1990), the series documents the daily activities of this elected office. Although the Association has had a presence at this school since 1931, there is no separate record of presidential correspondence pre dating Haller's term in office. Sporadic correspondence was collected from Haller through Caldwell (1971-1972). Beginning with the Desjardins presidency (1972-1973) and continuing through Roworth, collections of the presidents’ writings have become more systematic and concentrated. These correspondence have been maintained by the AAUP office.

Files in this series provide cognition of the Association and its President. Each presidency has its own idiosyncrasies and these are reflected in the correspondence generated during the term of office. An example of what may be found in this series is brought forward in the letters of George deLodzia. DeLodzia's presidency (1979 80) presents a dichotomy of contentious and cordial correspondence between the Administration and the AMP. Vice President Ferrante, writing to congratulate deLodzia on his recent election, asked for "informal and regular meetings" to ensure clear communications between the union and the Administration. DeLodzia replied seventeen days later by accepting the invitation. At the same time, he charged the Administration with patronage because it employed the wife of the Commissioner of the Board of Regents at "$20,000 +” salary. While individual correspondence from each of the presidents offer a differing view of the office and the social context in which it operated, the series will provide the researcher with information spanning a broad spectrum of events and processes that shaped the union through the decades.

This series is organized chronologically by presidential administration and chronologically within each folder.

Series 4. Correspondence of Executive Secretary/Director
This series, like that of the Correspondence of Presidents, is distinguished by its paucity of records. The series contains just .75 linear feet of material. Sixty percent of the material in this series are files containing the correspondence of Executive Secretary Edward Marth (1975-1986). Reflecting a difference in administrative style, Marth's successor Rachel Grenier chose to have much of her correspondence interfiled with projects they were relevant to. Consequently, just five folders in this series contain Grenier's writings. For the bulk of her correspondence, one must use the other series in this archive.

Marth's correspondence began eight days after taking office, and his twelve years as Executive Secretary are thoroughly documented. Records in this series demonstrate the Secretary's desire to reach out to the university community, neighboring AAUP chapters, the legal community, and state and federal officials. In addition to the materials gathered in this series, parts of Marth's correspondence are interspersed throughout the collection. Many letters and notes in this series reflect a relationship between Senator Claiborne Pell and Marth. Letters to Senator John Chaffee are also included in the series.

Rachel Grenier, like her predecessor, maintained correspondence with local and federal politicians, as well as the community external to the university. Records in this file reflect praise from members of the Executive Committee for Grenier's role as information provider and her keen grasp of the intricacies of the position she held. Special note is made of her political skills and ability to resolve grievances. This series is important as it relates to the subjects, intents and actions of the faculty union. Correspondence to and from Marth and Grenier concerning the Administration and the American Arbitration Association fill gaps that appear in other series in this collection.

This series is arranged chronologically by folder and chronologically within each folder.

Series 5. All University Collective Bargaining Committee (AUCBC)
The AUCBC series contains 1.25 linear feet of material pertaining to the actions of the collective bargaining committees. The AUCBCs are charged by the Association's constitution with the mission of establishing policies and procedures relating to renewed contract negotiations and are charged with naming the new Negotiating Team. The AUCBC is comprised of several subcommittees which have responsibility for reviewing such issues as fringe benefits, salary, grievance procedures, promotion, tenure and inequities. In order to fulfill its mission, the committee and its subcommittees solicit ideas and suggestions from members of the bargaining unit. Not all issues that are researched by AUCBC are necessarily passed on to the Negotiating Teams.

In addition to the above issues, the committee has also looked into insurance coverage, ground rules for negotiations, and the faculty annual review procedure. Like the Negotiating Teams, the committee is a dynamic entity. While there are similarities between each AUCBC there are also distinct differences. For this reason, files created by an AUCBC will differ somewhat from its predecessor and its successor. The continuity of the committees is maintained by sharing files such as minutes, proposals, agreements, articles and miscellany. Interesting to the researcher will be the minutes of each AUCBC. Through these files the reader discerns the motivations of the committee and the faculty as they debate items of importance to the upcoming negotiations. Also interesting are the three faculty attitude surveys which appear in this series. The raw data containing both solicited and unsolicited comments offer valuable insight into the university faculty at three distinct periods of time.

The series is arranged by contract period. The records are by alphabetical subject and chronological within each folder.

Series 6. Negotiations
This series contains the files generated by the Negotiating Teams from the first contract under the auspices of collective bargaining in 1972-1974 through the 1987/90 contract. Also included are files from the 1962 63, 1963-1964 and 1965-1966 salary agreements. Particularly useful is the 1972-1990 contract listing (folder 6) which provides a concise overview of the monetary benefits realized at each contract period.

Collective bargaining came to the university on the 21st day of December 1971. The first contract agreed to by the Administration and the collective bargaining unit went into effect on the 6th of November 1972. There is little documentation of the negotiations leading to that agreement in this series. As the union moved from contract to contract, record keeping became progressively more comprehensive. Many of the Negotiating Teams shared the same types of files, these include: agreements, legal actions, memorandums of agreement, proposals, and salary information. In some instances files were created which present items from the current contract and the AAUP demands for their revision.

Each of the Negotiating Teams also generated a correspondence file which provides useful information. The 1979/81 contract folder (#62) is a good example of the type of information one will find in the correspondence. Writings in this folder show the steady deterioration of communication between both parties. By June 18, 1979, Executive Secretary Ed Marth noted to Gerie Bledsoe of the national AAUP that "a strike at URI may be unavoidable." The strike did occur as Marth predicted. Other files in the Negotiations series include Ed Marth's notebook from the 1981-1983 contract negotiations which allows the researcher a succinct aid to the AAUP negotiation process for this contract.

The series is arranged chronologically by contract period and by date within each file folder.

Series 7. Strike
Files in this series include: strike songs and poems written by members of the faculty, depositions from the resulting arbitration, faculty attitude surveys from 1977 and 1978, pay for work grievances filed by faculty members not paid during the strike days, and a faculty attendance roster which lists who reported for work during the strike. Also included are an undated student petition requesting the Administration to bring the strike to a speedy end, a complaint to the Commission of Judicial Tenure and Discipline made by the AAUP against Judge McKiernan, and records of loans made to faculty members suffering financial stress resulting from the strike.

The faculty strike in 1979 was an important event in the history of the AAUP and the University as well. Not before, and not since, have negotiations broken down so completely so as to precipitate this type of job action. During 1979 five AAUP faculties across the nation were on strike. Academe reported that the strike at the University of Rhode Island was the longest in the Association's collective bargaining history. Fallout from the strike touched on many areas; some faculty lost pay for time missed during the strike, others gained the distrust of their colleagues by crossing the picket line. The financial result was a 7.22% increase in pay for the first year of the contract and an increase of 8.6% for the second year of the contract as well as promotion increases and stipends for chairpersons.

This series is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within each folder. Much of the material in this series is undated.

Series 8. Financial Material
This series is broken into four components: General Financial Material; Statements, Account Books & Canceled Checks; Salary; Service Fee and Membership Registers. The General Financial Material is comprised of treasurer's reports, vouchers, invoices, receipts and disbursements from 1956-1957 through 1989-1990. Subseries A: Statements, Account Books & Canceled Checks contains all of the above documents from 1945 through 1973. Subseries B: Salary is a collection of computer reports gathered by the Association in its early campaign for salary equity. Subseries C: Service Fee and Membership Registers is a collection of registers from 1972 through 1990 documenting the dollar amount paid by each faculty member of the university faculty for membership in the collective bargaining unit (mandatory) and for membership in the AAUP (voluntary).

This series is arranged in the following manner: General Financial Material – arranged chronologically by year. Subseries A: Statements, Account Books & Canceled Checks - arranged alphabetically by bank and chronologically by date of bank statement. Subseries B: Salary - arranged chronologically by date printout was generated. Subseries C: Service Fee and Membership Registers - arranged chronologically by date computer printout was generated.

In order to preserve the complete integrity of this series, very little of the material contained herein has been discarded.

Series 9. Grievances
The files in this series are broken into two groups: Individual Grievances and Class Grievances. These records create the second largest component of the collection. Included in this series are four hundred sixty eight grievances filed between 1972 and 1990. The main component of this series contains four hundred forty five individual grievances. Subseries A: Class Grievances contains twenty three class grievances. The series contains grievances that were filed and brought to resolution, filed and withdrawn and those that were resolved through arbitration. Also included at this point in time are approximately twenty grievances that have been sealed with a caveat. These grievances, resolved in favor of the grievant, are not to be referenced as precedent setting in subsequent grievance procedures.

A draft index to the grievances filed over these 18 years has been compiled and is on file with the AAUP office in Roosevelt Hall. Once revised this index will provide a comprehensive listing of all of the grievances filed with the AAUP from 1972 through 1990.

This series consists of folders arranged alphabetically by last name of the grievant. In the case that an individual has filed more than one grievance, those complaints are filed chronologically. Restrictions will apply to this series. Permission to do research in these files must be given by the AAUP and the University Archivist.