Letter: Faculty union failing
San Bernardino Sun 3/21/07
In this case, it comes in the form of advice, not so much for current negotiations, but certainly for future ones.
Don't make it a "them vs. us" fight. CSU administrators are not the enemy, and in fact, well before we even had a union, we enjoyed, and still do, many perks, an excellent pension system and a fair salary schedule (though we're most definitely losing ground here).
Don't make it personal. Chancellor Charles Reed is doing his job (albeit, not altogether well), just as CFA administrators are doing theirs. Of course, there will be tensions, but to stoop to name calling and disruptive behavior at public meetings shows a serious deficiency in professionalism.
Don't make second-class citizens out of the "fair share" people. We pay plenty of dues, and even if we don't want to contribute to CFA's partisan political agenda, we nonetheless deserve equal say and the power of a vote in matters that concern our jobs.
Don't divide the union within by favoring junior faculty over senior faculty, especially as it relates to salary increases. We all do the same job, and one group should not be paid more than another for the same work.
The slogan "I don't want to strike, but I will" shows weakness and lack of conviction. Though I personally don't support a strike, if you're going to do it, do it right. Don't hedge. Say it loud and clear: "We're striking."
In testing the waters for a strike, put egos and agendas aside.
Don't forget that CFA full-pay members number about 9,000 out of a faculty systemwide of 24,000. (I gathered these figures from a CFA Web site.) CFA represents far less than half the faculty, yet it controls us all.
Be tough instead of posturing. Either declare a real, full-fledged strike, or none at all. Rolling strikes will be an annoyance, at best, to the administration.
Don't drag this thing out any longer. For each day that passes without action or progress, CFA only increases the risk of boring us to death. Faculty are growing impatient with CFA, and the CSU's offer only looks better and better in the face of no raises at all.
I'd like for CFA to prevail, simply because I'd like to take home a bigger paycheck.
But I would also be happy with what's on the table now, and most certainly, job conditions are not bad enough for this professor to walk out on his students.
JIM BROWN
Professor of English,
Cal State San Bernardino