OU’s chapter union of the American Association of University Professors represents about 500 OU full-time faculty members, excluding part-time faculty who teach less than four courses.

AAUP President Joel Russell asked students to leave classes if substitute teachers are in the classrooms. The OU administration has asked students to show up to class even if there is a strike, but that students may leave if the instructor still isn’t there 15 minutes after class starts. Students have also been instructed to call (248) 370-2000 for updates.

Classes at Oakland University are scheduled to start todayy at 8 a.m., but it is still unclear if teachers will be in the classrooms to teach.

Several faculty members said they will not cross picket lines, but at least one faculty member said he will cross picket lines to teach his classes. Barclay said no faculty member will be punished for crossing picket lines.

AAUP representative Lizabeth Barclay said negotiating teams from both sides were still at the bargaining table as of 8:30 p.m.Wednesday .

Russell said that he hoped negotiations would go well Wednesday night.

But he said he doesn’t know if it will because administration hasn’t budged from their viewpoints since the beginning of bargaining, according to AAUP’s negotiation team. “We wish they would bargain with us.”

AAUP has said that their faculty negotiation team will meet with OU’s team today in Detroit to keep trying to reach agreement.

Barclay said AAUP filed an unfair labor practice suit with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission yesterday morning because it believes they haven’t bargained fairly.

OU administration doesn’t comment on ongoing contract negotiations or on ongoing legal matters, said OU spokesperson Ted Montgomery.

A strike was not called until a handful of hours before classes are scheduled to begin.

Around 300-400 AAUP members met at St. John Fisher Chapel in Auburn Hills Wednesday night between 6-8 p.m. to be informed on the status of bargaining, Barclay said. An “overwhelming” majority voted to give AAUP the power to call a job action or strike, she said, asking students to check www.oaklandaaup.org for updates on whether or not there will be classes.

The OU administration said in an article on its Web site that a strike or work stoppage would be in violation of Michigan law.

“But students are advised that some faculty members could choose not to hold classes. Other faculty members could choose to hold classes despite a work stoppage,” the release said.

The faculty plans to picket on some campus building entrances and have a rally at 3-4 p.m. outside Wilson Hall, Russell said.

AAUP also held an open meeting yesterday in an OU lecture hall filled with over 100 faculty and staff members, including a few students.

One student expressed his concern because he’s a senior and would like to graduate this year.

Russell said that faculty were advised to give students reading materials so they don’t fall too far behind, but also to not cross picket lines and show up in class.

“We guarantee students will get a full course,” he said, even if they “may not get the exact number of lecture hours.”

One reason that an agreement hasn’t been reached yet is because the administration is offering the faculty no raises, according to AAUP. Russell said yesterday that in their calculations it would only cost OU about $500,000 to give all faculty members a 1% raise.

Some students at the meeting expressed their support for the faculty getting raises.

Pamela Hester, senior political science major, said in the last two years she’s paid a 13.9% raise and a 9% raise.

“If our tuition isn’t going toward your well-deserved raise, where is it going?” Hester asked.

“Did you see the new garden between North and South Foundation Hall?” Russell replied. “Hope you enjoy it.”

But AAUP said that economics is not the only concern they have. According to them, the administration offered the a decrease in payment for teaching summer classes, less health care benefits than what is currently offered, no increases in money for research and travels to professional conferences, and from now on hiring fixed-term faculty instead of tenure-track faculty.

Russell said the last item is the worst.

“They can be terminated at the will of the administration at any time,” he said of the fixed-term faculty. “But the biggest downside to this is we can’t compete in the national market for quality faculty.”

Among the student attendees were student body president and vice president Kristin Dayag and Saman Waquad. They said OU’s student congress does not have an official stance on this issue.

“I’m open to listening to facts today because it affects us today, and not dream visions the board of trustees and administration have for 10 years from now,” Dayag said on behalf of herself, not the entire student body.

“It’s great we want to be one of the top doctorate and research universities, but I don’t know if the administration understands the cost to students today,” Waquad said, also on behalf of herself.

She said she feels the administration may be trying hard to get incoming freshman, but seems not too worried about graduation and retention rate.

OU student congress is planning to lobby for state funds in Lansing in the future.

AAUP and the OU administration have been negotiating for a new contract because the 2006-09 faculty contracts expired this summer. Barclay said the contract was renewed until 11:49 p.m. on Wednesday, but that this will be the last time until the new agreement is reached.

Members of two other unions at OU, Professional Support Services and Campus Maintenance Trade (represented by Michigan Education Association), have been working with expired contracts since the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. They represent staff like secretaries and maintenance crew, and have not called for a strike or work stoppage.