We're going to have a union vote!

[smoogatz]

The state U where I'm an assistant prof is on the verge of unionizing its faculty for the first time in its 100+year history. First orders of business: job security and workload equity. The we'll start looking at salary equity, both within the U and compared to our peer institutions in other states (we're way below average in terms of salary, and way above average in terms of course-load and student-load). Support for the union is strong across campus, except for some very senior (and very well-paid) faculty in a couple of departments. Union, Yes!

[jschurchin]

1. Good Luck with the vote.

Hope it all works well for you. Union Yes!

[gateley]

2. Wow -- that's exciting! Let us know how it goes. nt

[smoogatz]

3. It's pretty much a done deal, unless something really weird happens.

All we need is 50% +1, and over 70% of the faculty have signed cards stating that they have an interest in having a union vote. You wouldn't sign a card, probably, if you were anti-union.

[Fire1]

4. AAUP!!! Good for you!!!! Three cheers!!!! n/t

[smoogatz]

7. AFT.

AAUP would've been good, too, but AFT were very quick to send guys to campus and start organizing. We like them a lot so far.

[Fire1]

8. Good nuff! Just "git er done!" n/t

[smoogatz]

9. Yep. Looking real good so far.

Pretty exciting stuff.

[jody]

5. "salary equity" ! I'll believe that when it happens. Good luck. n/t

[smoogatz]

6. Well, something a bit closer than what we've got now.

Somehow our administrators have, over the last twelve years, managed to give themselves raises of around 17%. Faculty have had raises over the same time period of 2%. Faculty in some schools (business) have much higher median/average salaries and much lower teaching loads than other faculty (not surprisingly, business faculty have been almost alone in vocally opposing unionization). Nobody wants to reduce their salaries or increase their loads--we just want to narrow the gap a bit. In terms of peer institutions, our state system schools are 25% below the average system pay for unionized institutions in neighboring states. Our campus is 25% below our own system average. So work to be done there, too.

[SPedigrees]

10. Congratulations on your success and best of luck w/ the vote!

We tried to get the Teamsters in at the plant where I worked and never got enough cards to hold a vote. :-( Glad to hear you've had better luck.

[Bluebear]

11. Awesome, congrats!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Just remember that for every one of you there are three hungry post doc willing to be scabs

Its about that bad in certain fields...

[smoogatz]

13. Not much risk of a strike.

Basically we just want the ability to bargain collectively, instead of letting the administration dictate every contract separately and in secret. If we did go on strike, long-standing campus protocols would prevent them from hiring permanent replacements. Also, the next step for us is to also unionize adjuncts and non-instructional staff: the secretaries and support folks. The janitors and maintenance people are already union. If we're all in it together, then a strike would literally shut the place down. You're talking refunded tuition and the whole deal. My sense is that the admins are already positioning themselves for the inevitable; trying to figure out how to order their priorities once the first round of contract negotiations gets underway.