What we do

The Office of Academic Labor Relations provides advice to WMU’s senior leadership in the areas of academic collective bargaining issues and conflict resolution, and assists in the implementation of the collective bargaining agreements for the WMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the Professional Instructors Organization, and the Teaching Assistants Union.

In addition, the Office of Academic Labor Relations organizes negotiation efforts with the academic faculty unions, and provides pertinent information and guidance to chairs, deans, the provost, president, and other University administrators, managers and supervisors in contract interpretation and other administrative matters.

Three Instructional Unions

Robert Brown, an instructor at the Haworth College of Business, sitting side-by-side talking to a student as he teaches an Applying Business Fundamentals class in Schneider Hall.

AAUP

The WMU AAUP is a faculty-led union advocating for academic freedom, due process, shared governance, and public higher education.

A chemistry professor instructing two students during a project-based activity.

PIO

The Professional Instructors Organization seeks to increase the economic, professional, social, and political power of non-tenured part-time faculty.

Graduate teaching assistant, Charlotte Keller, teaches ENGL 1050 at Dunbar Hall, which explores foundations in written communication.

TAU

TAU at WMU serves as the voice of the teaching assistants employed in all departments campus wide.

Reporting hotline

The Western Reporting Hotline is a third-party, offsite resource for anonymously reporting employee violations of ethical, contractual, legal, and administrative policy, rules and procedures.