OU hopeful that court intervention will aid in contract negotiations

Oakland University administrators are hopeful that intervention by Oakland County Circuit Judge Edward Sosnick will expedite a resolution to ongoing contract negotiations that have delayed the start of the fall 2009 semester.

For the benefit of students who have been deprived of instruction they expect and deserve, the university on Tuesday requested that the judge order members of the Oakland University chapter of American Association of University Professors back to work after faculty negotiators walked away from the table early Tuesday.

“We are pleased that Judge Sosnick saw the urgency of this situation and encouraged that he recognizes the importance of getting students back in the classroom as soon as possible,” said Oakland University President Gary Russi. “We know that this strike is negatively impacting our students and their studies, and we hope to see it resolved quickly.”

Judge Sosnick has ordered both parties to negotiate continuously until an agreement is reached. If a settlement is not reached, he has asked both bargaining teams and the state mediator to appear in court at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.