Ye blogger is a proud union man, a stalwart member of the AAUP. Okay, so we're not exactly the Steelworkers, and we are possibly the most priveleged among America's underpaid (though at my institution, we certainly are that). Still, our union does helps us, not least because of the current bargaing rep of my unit.
Let's call her Colleen. I met her the first year I taught here, when I was still visiting faculty. I served on a committee that included her, and I found the experience discouraging for many reasons, among them Colleen. She was abrasive, and hypercritical, she had her own ideas about what we ought to accomplish and wasn't much interested in anyone else's. When the rest of us started to piece together an agenda for the committee's work, she dismissed it as misguided and irrelevant to our objectives. Her proposals seemed that way to the rest of us. It seemed we couldn't put forth anything she would find acceptable, and I was often glad when she missed a meeting.
Our committee never did accomplish what it set out to do, though another member was more directly responsible for that. That's a story for another time. Colleen actually proved to be a very nice (if occasionally stubborn) person as I got to know her better. Once I secured a permanent positon and joined the faculty union, I was quite happy to learn she was our unit's representative at contract negotiations. Looking back on my committee experience with her, I couldn't think of anyone better suited to the job. The terms of our last contract were much more favorable than anyone had expected, and I can't help thinking that Colleen had a lot to do with that. I bet the administration's representatives trembled every time she sat down at the table.
We're moving into another contract negotiation year, and all I can say is, Go Colleen! And go everyone---in unions or out---who helps make peoples' working lives better.
Happy Labor Day, Everyone.
Tags: Labor Day; Academia
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