Faculty Forum Papers
"April 1976 - In Union There Is ---?"
By
Jesse F. Bone
Veterinary Medicine
March 16, 1976
I became increasingly apprehensive over the
possibility of unionization of the academy. Everything I read indicates
that academicians will be trading in a great deal of valuable intangibles
for a mess of promised pottage.
The latest of these indications that
valuable intangibles will be lost is outlined in the recent OSEA letter
concerning the selection of a new president for OCE. Faculty involvement
in the selection of presidents, and - by extension - the selection of
chairmen and heads of departments, and deans of schools will be abolished
under unionization. The divorcement of faculty and administration into
adversary groups will be complete.
As it is, without unionization, the divorcement
of the chancellor's office into an adversary group vis a vis the faculty of
the state system of higher education has already occurred. Unionization
would simply complete the process. In practical effect it would place the
Union (faculty) on one side of the bargaining table and the Chancellor's
Office (administration) on the other. Note that the privileges and
perquisites of both faculty and administration would be absorbed by
the Union and the Chancellor's Office. The end result would be that
neither faculty nor administration would exercises any effective control
of their destiny, and that two essentially outside groups would determine
the working conditions, performance standards, and qualifications of
everyone in higher education.
Since it has already been amply demonstrated
that absentee overloads seldom realize or recognize that needs and wants
of their serfs and subordinates, it is hardly necessary to belabor the
point that if we opt for an adversary relationship, we are in effect
promoting our own destruction in everything except possible financial gain.
And if you don't believe me, let me give
these quotes from the OSEA letter (emphasis mine):
"The Chancellor wondered whether the usual involvement of OCE faculty
members should be continued in this matter (e.g. the selection of
a new president) since that faculty……had "opted for collective bargaining."
..."the present instance
may afford the opportunity for further
limitation of the rights and privileges which have already suffered
significant erosion over the past five years"...
"But
until collective bargaining comes
to Oregon campuses, faculty members, organizations, and governance
bodies will have to be vigilant that - as a minimum…..traditional
faculty rights are not abridged."
Can you see where this is leading? The road is plain, primrose
bordered, and paved with good intentions.
