EMUFT is local 9102 of the American Federation of Teachers. We are full-time lecturers, library staff, and part-time lecturers, and together we are half of the teaching faculty at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
EMUFT is a member-driven organization! As members of EMUFT, we have improved the conditions for teaching at EMU and have created better educational spaces for our students. The more our members are involved, the more we can push for better working and learning conditions.
The Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers Union (EMUFT) organized on campus in the late 1990's to support all full-time, non-tenure track faculty. During the formative years of EMUFT, the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) were not clear if Part-Time Lecturers were eligible to participate with the collective bargaining for EMUFT. It was the hope of EMUFT Full-time Lecturers to form a strong union, with the goal of including Part-time Lecturers in future negotiation agreements.
In 2009, MERC changed its stance, allowing Part-Time Lecturers to organize. An affiliation election was held in 2010, bargaining began in 2011, and later that year a contract was signed. The union now has two contracts, one for Full-time and one for Part-time Lecturers at Eastern Michigan University.
EMUFT members are part of a larger community of over 3,000 AFT local affiliates and 1.7 million members nationwide. EMUFT strives to improve conditions for non-tenure track faculty at Eastern Michigan University, focusing on teaching and learning conditions for faculty and students alike.