Comments for United Staff of Columbia College

Comment on Voice or No Voice? That’s the Choice by Deb R.

Deb R. — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:23:58 +0000

I am proud to be a member of US of CC because I know that a unified, organized staff can act not only in our own interests but in that of the college as a whole, including all staff, whether in the bargaining unit or not; as well as faculty and students. A strong, active staff union contributes in an essential way to the unique, diverse character of the college, and to its democratic spirit and creative energy.

Comment on Voice or No Voice? That’s the Choice by usccunion

usccunion — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:29:52 +0000

Many want the freedom to not pay for things they feel they, themselves don’t need. Some without children do not want to pay for public schools, peace lovers do not want to pay for wars, and if a house is not on fire, why should its owner pay for a fire department?
We respect your different ideology, but we believe in shared responsibility for the common good.

Comment on Voice or No Voice? That’s the Choice by Peter

Peter — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:57:40 +0000

Staff for an Open Shop is independent, not associated with NRTW. We do contact them for guidance, but otherwise, we are self-formed and governed. We had frank discussion among ourselves and our true goal is to create choice. We respect (though do not enjoy) the efforts of US of CC. We want to be able to choose where our money goes. We stated among our small core group that we do not want to interfere with those who wish to unionize and reap the benefits of collective bargaining.

Peter

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by usccunion

usccunion — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:33:17 +0000

Our concern is not with how a single person in one department feels about the Board of Trustees. We advocate for hundreds of staff members, full time & part-time, to ensure that we're ALL treated fairly. For more on how other college's function, click here

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by Jennie Fauls

Jennie Fauls — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:13:12 +0000

I am very comfortable having the administration and Board of Trustees control my position. They have treated me very well and recognized my hard work. This is also how private colleges in America typically work. And most function quite well, without force-unionization.

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by usccunion

usccunion — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:24:25 +0000

All in the Bargaining Unit share the responsibility to financially support the organization because all members of the unit gain from our organization’s work. If ALL of us gain, while only SOME of us contribute, we are not truly working together. The choice to not contribute is corrosive to our strength and unity.

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:29:47 +0000

To me, de-authorization gives people the choice to pay or not pay dues (which is not possible now.) The fact is that de-authorizing would NOT mean everyone is on their own. It would mean that people who want to be in the union still could be! But people would not be required to pay if they don’t want to. It seems clear to me that many people do want a union, but also that many people do not. So de-authorizing would absolutely allow people to make a choice to remain in or to become a part of the union. The key is that people would have a choice. That’s what the Open Shop idea is all about.

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by Paula Brien, College Advising Center

Paula Brien, College Advising Center — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:29:45 +0000

I have no illusion as to what would have been the response to a salary hike request if I had advocated individually, on my own behalf, without the support of our union. Over the past several years, I and my colleagues in the College Advising Center have relinquished many benefits as we, along with our managers, have had to tighten our belts to help the college’s bottom line. While my office is directed by fair, thoughtful, and creative managers — who work hard to give us the resources to do our jobs — I believe they weren’t in a position to pass a raise to me or my colleagues.

So, what I very likely could not have achieved on my own, my support and membership in USofCC has achieved for me and my colleagues.

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by usccunion

usccunion — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:23:04 +0000

The 1% raise offered by the college came from our negotiation. At first the college offered nothing. We asked for more and eventually they agreed to the 1% + 1% bonus. We continued negotiating to win greater compensation for hundreds of part-time staff, as well as the staff we represent who are new to our community. And we were successful. Learn more about the latest negotiation here.

Comment on De authorizing the Union = Everyone is On Their Own by Camille Morgan

Camille Morgan — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:15:24 +0000

If the staff represented by the Union automatically gets the same raise offered by the College to non-union staff, then why hasn’t the US of CC admitted that they are failing in negotiations? How could the College have offered anything less that the 1%/1% dealie if union people would automatically get that anyway according to the rules?