Negotiations between Eastern Michigan University and the EMU-AAUP broke off at 5:45 AM this morning, with the two sides failing to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Classes will be held Wednesday. However, the EMU-AAUP will hold a faculty meeting at noon to discuss the union’s options, which include going back on strike, which can occur as early as Thursday.

When comparing the last offer tonight versus the initial position of the administration when negotiations resumed on Tuesday morning, it is clear that their offer did not represent significant progress. Specifically, while parts of the proposal were altered, the net change in compensation per year averaged over the life of the contract actually declined.

The EMU-AAUP was forced to wait for over 5 hours for a counterproposal, which finally arrived at approximately 4:30 AM. The union was not pleased with the offer. Howard Bunsis, President of the EMU-AAUP, said: “We are very disappointed in the administration’s last offer, as we were hoping the administration would use this 24-hour suspension productively. Unfortunately, this was not the case.”

Contact: Howard Bunsis, President, EMU-AAUP

734-487-1070 (office phone)

734-845-0706 (cell)

www.emu-aaup.org