Contractual Rights Training 2014--Scenario #1

The following are typical fact situations that may be presented to grievance stewards by unit members.  For each, we will discuss the following in small groups, then as a whole:

1.  Is this a gripe or a grievance?

2.  If it’s a grievance, which articles and subsections does it violate?

3.  If it’s a grievance, what kind of evidence do you need?  How are you going to get it: RFI, data base research, other?

4.  To the extent time allows, fill out a grievance form.

Scenario#1.  Molly has taught in the English Department for ten years, so she has a continuing appointment.   She used to teach mainly introductory courses in general composition and literary analysis, but lately she has been given only tech writing courses to teach.  She wants to teach the Survey of New Wave Cinema course, which she has written a book about, but that course almost always gets assigned to graduate students.  She thinks the department chair is out to get her because not only does she have to teach the tech writing courses, but her classroom assignments are way across campus next to the botany department’s greenhouse and it is always muggy and miserable over there.  The ac in the classroom doesn’t work very well so she has to keep the windows open, and the drumline marches past every Wednesday during her class.   She has to share her office with two grad students, and one of them is always picking political arguments with her.  And then, her department chair did an annual classroom visitation to her class, only stayed ten minutes, and ranked her only 4 out of 7 possible points on everything on the visitation report checklist.  She wants to bring charges against him for academic fraud and is worried about her job.  She does not feel respected in her work and feels she is working in a hostile environment.