The omnibus budget from the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education is on its way to Governor Rick Snyder after being approved Wednesday night. Previously, the budget docked $500,000 in appropriations as a penalty for its association with the Building Trades Academy, which teaches various seminars highlighting unionization techniques.
As a compromise, the finalized budget states that all Michigan public universities must remain neutral when it comes to labor unions.
Chris Fisher, the president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, said the legislature is only giving guidance. He added that no universities should be engaged in activities that promote or discourage labor unions.
“My reservation towards the course is that it’s not a course for students — it’s only for union officials,” Fisher said. “Early course work stated explicitly that it would teach union officials techniques to unionize companies. That’s not a university’s job.”
MSU became involved with the Building Trades Academy in May 2013. Originally the seminars were taught through the National Labor College in Maryland. When the college switched to teaching online courses, their various outreach programs lost the facilities they were taught in.
MSU’s school of Human Resources and Labor Relations was contacted by members of North America’s Building Trade Unions about training attendees of the Building Trades Academy seminars.
David Bertram, MSU’s assistant vice president for state affairs, said the university has an agreement with the Building Trades Division to do leadership training on topics such as forming better company relations, management and what’s allowed under federal law. He added that the seminars are paid for by the attendees and they do not receive any subsidy from MSU.
"(The budget) shouldn’t dramatically change the program,” Bertram said. “What we are going to do is stay in close contact with Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker about the course materials and share with her a more detailed account of it. We’re going to make sure she understands we’re not using state or university funds and that it’s a self-sufficient program.”
Schuitmaker, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, was unavailable for comment.
MSU spokesperson Jason Cody said the university has been working with the legislature for the past few months to answer any questions they have about the program and that they will continue to do so.
“If the legislature has any questions about this or anything we do in the future, the government affairs office will continue to work with them,” he said. “It’s all about having a dialogue.”
