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 “I am an advisor and I belong to a union because my employer requires it of me (the union represents a class of workers that are called 'professional employees' so it is not exclusive to advisors.) I work in an environment which represents about 8 other unions, all of which have different contracts. My union contract does not help me do a better job with students and because my contract and union are 'weak' in comparison to the other unions on this campus, it does not provide me a 'better' work environment or a more secure job! And, it really does not allow me to progress based on my own merits because my contract is negotiated by a group of people for ALL union members. In times like these, when budgets are SO tight, it is difficult to negotiate a wage increase for 28,000 union members, so NO ONE gets a raise! In some cases, it helps to secure equity in duties and benefits, but in other cases, I have to go on strike for issues I don't support but which are supported by my union! As you can probably tell I have experienced few positives from my union involvement and I am not a strong supporter of unionized environments.”~ Amy Renne, Lake Superior College, December 6 “I am a proud member of the American Federation of Teachers/AFL-CIO in New Jersey. At the N.J. State Colleges/Universities, Professional Staff (including Academic Advisors) have a choice to become a full AFT member, with our Faculty and Librarian co-workers, or an agency member, for which 85% of the union dues are paid by the employee. The Professional Staff have a strong voice in our AFT State Council (including all the institutions) and Local unions (institution-based groups). We have made our co-workers aware of the difficulties we Professional Staff, who work 12 months a year and at least 5 days a week, face. At my institution, being part of the Union has fostered a closer working relationship with the Faculty and Librarians. Because we are all part of the same group, we stand up for one another. It is precisely in such tight fiscal times as these that unionization affords at least some degree of ability to negotiate and even some job protection. Being a union member allows me to voice my concerns regarding services to students so that I may better carry out my duties as an Academic Advisor. Without unions, Professional Staff would be treated by the administration as clerical personnel and would constantly have additional job responsibilities and hours added to our duties without any recourse. Being a Union member also carries the clout of a statewide union which acts as a political force with state government.”~ Linda Bradbury, Kean University, December 6 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
