DURHAM, NH – In a 57 – 0 vote conducted by the New Hampshire Public Employee Labor Relations Board, clinical faculty at UNH voted unanimously in favor of forming a union. The faculty will join AFT Local 6770, which also represents UNH Lecturers.
Clinical faculty at UNH include around 70 faculty who teach classes and oversee programs with clinical components, including occupational therapy, nursing, veterinary medicine and others.
In their campaign to unionize, faculty cited concerns over state budget cuts, increased workloads, and overall respect for clinical faculty as reasons why they are coming together to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement.
Donna Perkins, Clinical Professor in the Justice Studies Program said of the election results: “The result of this election belongs to every clinical faculty member who had the courage and determination to make it happen. It wasn’t difficult to get colleagues on board. We recognize the power of our collective action. We also would like to thank the students and other faculty allies who stood in solidarity with us. They have been a great source of strength. However, this vote is just the first step toward negotiating a fair contract that reflects the great value clinical faculty bring to the university. As we look forward, we don’t expect negotiating a contract will be easy; but I am confident we are up to the challenge.”
Dayle Sharp, Clinical Professor of Nursing said: “Reaching this election took more than a year of dedicated effort from clinical faculty across the university. Now that the election is complete, clinical faculty can begin negotiating a fair and equitable contract that recognizes our contributions and the essential work we do.”