ROCHESTER, Mich. – Faculty members at Oakland University are on strike, but students were still told to report to class Thursday.
Dozens of protesters were picketing Thursday morning outside Oakland University.
School officials said some classes are still in session and some teachers might be crossing the picket line.
There is a virtual mediation session going on that is trying to settle things without having to take it into the courtroom.
Teachers and professors had agreed to hold off a year on their contract due to COVID and when they started renegotiating, they felt the university was not dealing with them in good faith.
“We want what we think is fair,” said Karen Miller, with the American Association of University Professors. “We have discussed this extensively with our members. We’ve sent out surveys. Our members are very concerned about their financial livelihoods and they are concerned about the future of the university. If faculty livelihoods are impinged, that does not bode well for the future of the university.”
If an agreement can’t be reached, Oakland University officials said they will take it to court to get a judge to send the teachers back to the classroom while they try to mediate the contract.
Read: How Oakland University students are adjusting to university’s COVID vaccine mandate