Professional Instructors Organization

10/18/2024

Hey instructors! Hope you are all having a wonderful Fall Break!

We just wanted to pop in with a quick update about PIO's contact information. Since our old email addresses are defunct, we have decided to create a new organization email. If you have any questions for PIO officers, send them to [email protected] and we will make sure that the information gets to the right officer!

We appreciate your support. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns!

09/26/2024

Our full-time faculty colleagues at WMU need our support today! Join us at the Board of Trustees meeting at noon in the new Student Center. We will have a PIO representative speaking in solidarity with the WMU AAUP.

Join us TODAY as our fight to restore investment in Western’s academic mission continues. Our working condition are student learning conditions!

09/20/2024

Attention, hard-working members of the PIO:

We have an urgent vote for you to participate in. Please check your email (WMU or personal, depending on what you have given us) for a survey link. Please try to vote today or as soon as possible.

It is a vote for no confidence in Western Michigan University president Montgomery. This vote is non-binding but is being taken by all of the teaching unions at WMU.

If you are not aware, the full-time faculty union (WMU AAUP) has faced a difficult time in almost 4 months of contract negotiations. Western has claimed profits exceeding $10,000,000 every year for over a decade, has claimed 2024 as the first year of increased enrollment in years and also record student retention. Yet, WMU will not offer raises that even cover inflation.

PIO faced the same stonewalling last year in contract negotiations. Please join us in collectively showing our displeasure at the leadership at WMU. We must stick together and make our voices heard.

And as always, let PIO know if we can help you with anything!

04/15/2024

Our General Membership Meeting this past Friday was a success!
1. Senator Sean McCann spoke to us about how recent legislation in Michigan (like the repeal of Right to Work) affects labor unions and answered our questions about future plans in Lansing. Thanks for stopping by!
2. We talked about goal-setting for our upcoming contract negotiations.
3. Two new members joined PIO!

What a great way to end the semester. Good luck with final exams, instructors!

09/01/2023

We all know that the rate of inflation - 18% since 2021 - has made it increasingly difficult for working people to make ends meet the last few years.

WMU’s latest wage proposal to us is still only 4.8% more than the poverty wages they’ve been paying us since before the pandemic - when adjusted for inflation, this proposal is effectively a pay CUT.

Their team of negotiators called this offer as “generous” and has characterized our arguments as unreasonable.

Can you please sign our petition in support of a Fair Wage for all WMU instructors?

Western Michigan University relies on hundreds of adjunct faculty every year to fulfill its educational mission. Yet most of these instructors are paid poverty-level wages — less than $19,000 a year teaching a full-time course load. We have not seen an increase in our wages since Fall 2020. Furthe...

08/30/2023

Some of our folks were out at Bronco Bash this week to welcome our students back to school, and got some great pictures with them!

08/24/2023

Some of our folks were out in the heat today handing out some much needed hydration and information to our incoming students as they moved in! Our members are always happy to find a way to help out the campus community!

08/21/2023

A few of our officers and activists were out handing out informational flyers on campus, raising awareness of our fight for a fair and living wage! ✊🏻

07/10/2023

Our fantastic bargaining team had our first session of our Wage Re-Opener with WMU admin! We will fight for our people, and for a living wage for instructors! ✊🏻

Keep your eyes here for updates and ways to get involved!

01/24/2023

12/28/2022

you are the union