Whereas, it is the policy of the state of California to encourage the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and learning through the free exchange of ideas among the faculty, students, and staff of the University of California; and

Whereas, the Legislature recognizes that joint decision-making and consultation between administration and faculty or academic employees is the long-accepted manner of governing institutions of higher learning and is essential to the performance of the educational missions of these institutions, and declares that it is the purpose of state law to both preserve and encourage that process, including the stipulation of peer review of appointment, promotion, retention, and tenure for academic employees shall be preserved; and

Whereas, California’s public higher education system (University of California, California State Universities, and community colleges) recognizes librarians as academic appointees and/or faculty, with all the rights accorded by the people of the state of California regarding academic freedom and peer review; and

Whereas, the University of California is increasingly transferring the work of its librarians to workers who have neither collective bargaining rights, nor academic freedom, nor the right to advance through peer review; and

Whereas, the University of California fails to respect the right accorded to its librarians by the people of the state of California to advance in accordance with the principles and traditions of academic peer review; and

Whereas, the University of California fails to honor the academic freedom accorded to its librarians by the people of the state of California;

Therefore, be it resolved, that the California Federation of Teachers directly challenge the University of California to ensure that the duties assigned to its libraries in advancing its tripartite mission be performed by librarians who possess the academic freedom required to better fulfill this mission; and

Be it further resolved, that CFT directly challenge the University of California to honor and respect the right accorded to its academic librarians by the people of the state of California to advance in accordance with the principles and traditions of academic peer review; and

Be it finally resolved, that CFT directly challenge the University of California to honor and respect the academic freedom accorded to its academic librarians by the people of the state of California.
 

• Passed as Constitutional Resolution 9 on March 25, 2018
• Submitted by the University Council-AFT