bill mitchell wrote: > lessons learned: > > don't join the academic union - it is traitorous, discriminatory, > self-serving and distinctly non-radical. ------------------ I would not give others the same advice. While I have no doubt that Bill's story is factually correct in all of its details: a) academic unions vary internationally; b) labor law does as well (e.g. if a union in the US accepts dues from a member they are legally expected to represent that member and can be sued if they don't [many have sued unions successfully for failure to represent and have won significant awards]. c) while part-timers and adjuncts can form their own unions [an increasing trend in the US], being members of the same union allow them to influence union policy [especially in unions where there are significant #s of part-timers], and is to be preferred [ceteris paribus] for reasons of unity, solidarity, and strength [also for financial support from the parent union]. d) since the principle of one member-one vote holds in unions, this gives part-time and/or adjunct faculty tremendous potential clout where they have large numbers. At some schools, they are a _majority_ and can, therefore, seize control of the union in the election process. For example, at one school where I teach as a part-timer I was elected the union representative for _all_ (FT & PT) faculty and professional staff. This contrasts to _faculty_ committees where faculty are treated differently by rank and where PT faculty frequently have no voice or vote or are afraid to exercise those rights for lack of job security and, consequently, possible retaliation. > when you get to be HOD don't mistreat the junior staff b/c they are important > to the senior staff's comfort! I don't expect to ever be HOD. However, in the US at many schools faculty *don't want* that job and avoid it like the plague. Why? a) lack of autonomy and real decision-making power (i.e. major decisions are frequently made from above). b) excessive paperwork, meetings, and administrative responsibilities. c) resentment from others in dept. Increasingly, either junior faculty or *part-time* faculty are being selected as dept. chairs. This is good for mgt. as they are more easily manipulated. PTers also may want the position thinking (usually mistakingly) that it will increase their prospects for promotion and job security. Also, in some cases they accept the job offer because no FT tenured member will. If a "radical" does become chair, what should s/he do when the budget cuts and austerity measures are introduced? One could then either lead the struggle against those measures and/or threaten to resign. It doesn't always work that way in practice, though. It has been my experience that "radicals" in theory can frequently be conservatives in practice. At some schools, discriminatory firings are initiated by "progressives." It seems that when progressive individuals assume mgt. positions they generally become part of mgt. and thereby lose their progressivity in practice in order to maintain their mgt. jobs. Jerry
