About the AFUM Contract
AFUM and the University of Maine System (UMS) negotiate a contract every two years. If negotiations are successful, the contract takes effect July 1 of the year of contract start and runs for two years, through June 30. If no agreement on a contract can be reached, the two parties go to mediation, fact finding, and then arbitration.
To immediately go to a particular section of the contract, start at the Table of Contents and scroll to highlight and click a particular Article or Appendix (enabled for some appendices).
Meet the AFUM Negotiating Team
AFUM Bylaws specify that the AFUM Negotiating Team (NT) comprises 8 members, with no more than 2 members from any campus or continuing education chapter. The Statewide AFUM President appoints the members of the NT, with approval of the AFUM Statewide Executive Board (EB).
The Negotiating Team operates independently from the EB and is responsible for drafting the contract, negotiating the contract, and presenting the contract through the Bargaining Council to the statewide AFUM membership for ratification.
Current members of the (hardworking) AFUM Negotiating Team:
- Dr. Jim McClymer, Statewide AFUM President (UM) (term expires in 2023); Dr. Michael Grillo will replace Jim as UM’s representative to the NT
- Dr. Lydia Savage (USM)
- Dr. Mellisa Clawson (UMF) (yes, it is spelled that way!)
- Dr. Lester A. French, Jr.* (UMA)
- Dr. Uriah Anderson* (UMM)
- Dr. Lisa Leduc (UMPI)
- Dr. Krishna Kaphle (UMFK)
- Dr. Vanessa Klein (CE)
*Indicates a newer member of the NT
Know Your Contract
The 2021-2023 AFUM contract is divided into 34 Articles (with many subsections) and 15 Appendices. It is 83 pages long, covering everything from Academic Freedom and Faculty Expression (Article 2), Workload (Article 11), Salaries and Overload (Article 20), and Retirement and Insurance benefits (Article 21) to Safety and Health (Article 30).
Periodically, a new Article or Appendix will be highlighted in the box below.
To immediately go to a particular section of the contract, start at the Table of Contents and scroll to highlight and click a particular Article or Appendix (enabled for some appendices).
Article 2: Academic Freedom and Faculty Expression
The Board and the Association agree that academic freedom is essential to the fulfillment of the purposes of the University. The parties acknowledge and encourage the continuation of an atmosphere of confidence and freedom while recognizing that the concept of academic freedom is accompanied by a corresponding concept of responsibility to the University and its students. Academic freedom is the freedom of Unit members to present and discuss all relevant matters in the classroom, to explore all avenues of scholarship, research and creative expression, and to speak or write without any censorship, threat, restraint, or discipline by the University with regard to the pursuit of truth in the performance of their teaching, research, publishing or service obligation.
Unit members have the right to comment as faculty on matters related to their professional duties, and the functioning of the University, subject to the need for courteous, professional and dignified interaction between all individuals and the parties’ shared expectation that all members of the campus community will work to develop and maintain professional relationships that reflect courtesy and mutual respect recognizing a Unit member’s responsibility to refrain from interfering with the normal operations of the University and the ability to carry out its mission.
Additionally, Unit members as citizens are entitled to the rights of citizenship in their roles as citizens, including to comment on matters of public concern. Because of their special status in the community, unit members have a responsibility and an obligation to indicate when expressing personal opinions that they are not institutional representatives unless specifically authorized as such.
The University of Maine System is a public institution of higher education committed to excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Together, the students, faculty, and staff form our state wide University community. The quality of life on and about the member Universities is best served by preserving the above described freedoms and civility.