Post Wisconsin Unionism-What Would Employment as A Lecturer or Librarian be like without Collective Bargaining

In Wisconsin, newly elected Republican Governor, Scott Walker, announced a plan to effectively eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees.  His proposal would limit the scope of negotiations to wages, and would require that unions hold annual recertification elections.

In California, Santa Barbara resident, Lanny Ebenstien, recently announced his intention to get an initiative on the ballot in 2012 that would end collective bargaining rights for California’s public workers.

The Wisconsin proposal is being met by historic protest from public workers and their supporters.  The protesters understand that the right of workers to organize and negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment not only creates better and more stable jobs, but historically has provided workers with livable salaries which en-masse contribute to the tax base, and the discretionary spending sector of the economy. 

The role of unions in the overall economy aside, the Wisconsin situation raises the following question:  What would employment as a lecturer or librarian at UC be like without the right to negotiate improvements in our working conditions?

In 1980's, we wouldn’t have been able to banish the rule that forced lecturers out of their positions after 6 years.  In 2003, we wouldn’t have been able to negotiate the continuing appointment, which relieved post-six lecturers of a rehire review every three years.  We wouldn’t have the non-senate faculty professional development fund and the nearly ten million dollars UC lecturers have received through it, we wouldn’t have a process for evaluating workload and ensuring that additional non-teaching work is given some form of credit.  Librarians wouldn’t have the requirement that new assignments be included in their statement of responsibilities along with an evaluation of total workload.  We wouldn’t have a consistent and fair review process, due process rights for layoff and reduction in time, a grievance procedure or third party arbitration to settle disputes of the contract.

The list could go on and on.  Maybe most importantly though, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to make a hundred more improvements in the future.

No doubt, we’ve had tremendous success over the last two decades.  Now we must be prepared to defend those successes against those who would capitalize on the economic downturn and deficit budgets to eliminate basic worker rights.   If our rights are not immediately and directly threatened, we must support those whose rights are.

With the current attack on public sector workers and our unions, the best response from individual union members is to be an active participant in your union.  We can no longer take our unions, and the importance of our role in them for granted.  If you’re not currently a member of UC-AFT, please join.  If you are a member, seek ways to get just a little bit more involved.  Robust, participatory, and democratic unions will contribute to the real solutions required by the downturn, and be able to fend off opportunistic attempts to scapegoat hard working public employees.  

Please sign the open letter to Wisconsin legislators and attend a solidarity rally if one is scheduled close to your home.