Union Victories
The MSP is a member-driven organization in which faculty and librarians get together to decide what issues are most important to us, and then work together toward goals we identify. For example:
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As part of our continuing efforts to achieve work-life balance, we won one of the best parental leave policies in the country. Our contract guarantees any tenure-track faculty member, librarian, or long-term full-time non-tenure-track faculty member the right to a semester off at full pay each time we have a child (biological or adopted). Becoming a parent also allows us to delay the tenure decision date for one year.
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We have negotiated better job security, salaries, and working conditions for our non-tenure track faculty.
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We have one of the most transparent tenure processes at any university, allowing the candidate access to the file at every stage, and the opportunity to respond to each review.
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MSP has a strong Sick Leave Bank that allows fully paid leave for medical emergencies or illnesses, including family members’ medical needs.
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We have established joint funds for child care reimbursements, teaching and research support, and computer replacement.
Our members’ solidarity and action has won important benefits for all of us. For example, when we negotiated for paid parental leave, more than a dozen MSP members testified at negotiations, and a hundred or more sent emails to the administration explaining why it was desperately needed. This type of collective action always pays off.