Dr. Sasser,
One of the great and cherished freedoms in a democracy is the right of labor to organize itself to collectively bargain with management. Respectfully, a fight against adjunct organizing at Santa Fe College is a fight against democracy. The hiring of attorneys or consultants to bust a union is a gross misuse of public money.
My experience with graduate, adjunct, and faculty unions runs deep, as I was for nine years a volunteer and paid staff in the field of academic labor. I can tell you from personal experience that in the best institutions of higher learning across our nation, labor unions perform a valuable professional service to their bargaining units. They are the most legitimate means of shared governance between teachers/researchers and administrations in public institutions.
I pray the struggle of adjunct labor at our institution–and I say “our” because Santa Fe College truly does belong to us, We the People–will inspire a change of heart in you. Without adjunct labor SFC would be a shell of a college. SFC rose to its celebrated status on the backs of adjuncts like those who are currently organizing, and on mine as well. They deserve a seat at the table, because we built the table.
Regards,
James Thompson
Former Adjunct, Santa Fe Community College (now Santa Fe College)Former Co-President, University of Florida Graduate Assistants UnitedFormer Contract Negotiator, FAMU-GAU, USF-GAU, UF-GAU