PIERRE (AP) – The South Dakota Senate on Tuesday passed a proposal to get rid of the faculty union at the state's universities.
The union has at times been instrumental in resisting proposals from lawmakers to shake up the university system. The Board of Regents that oversees the state's universities has resisted oversight from lawmakers in recent years. Gov. Kristi Noem supports the proposal.
The governor's office and other proponents argue that the contract negotiations are costly and prevent universities from adapting through the hiring of professors without tenure.
“The current system couldn’t be much farther from flexible and adaptive,” said Senate Majority Leader Kris Langer, a Dell Rapids Republican.
Opponents argued that the bill threatens the ability of the state to recruit faculty. They said professors would be hesitant to come to a university system that does not allow collective bargaining.
But Sen. Jeff Partridge, a Rapid City Republican, said the the state's funding of the university system remains flat at about $225 million annually. He said schools need to be more creative in making the money stretch farther.
Union membership has also dwindled in recent years, according to lawmakers.
The House is considering a similar bill, but that is still awaiting a committee hearing.
