Copyright © 2005 Bruce W. Hauptli
Effective August 1, 2004 I become the Chairperson of FIU's Faculty Senate and, thus a University Trustee. Given a recent PERC decision, I am now an "out-of-unit" employee of Florida International University. Rather than revise the statement below, an earlier version of which was published in a Newsletter published by the FIU Chapter of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), I elect to add this introductory note explaining the addition of the above red word in the title. Given the PERC decision, I have resigned from the UFF for the period of my Chairpersonship. I fully intend to rejoin when my service as Chairperson of FIU's Faculty Senate is concluded. While I see no conflict between one's being a Senate Chairperson, or one's being a University Trustee, and being a member of the faculty union, I do not believe that it is either necessary or politic for me to contest the PERC decision. With this "qualification," then, I leave unchanged the body of my earlier statement:
I am a reluctant academic unionist who has "retired" from active union work, and am happily turning to the simple status of "dues-paying member." In addition to having given some of my time to UFF [The United Faculty of Florida], I have paid dues for the last 20 years, and since I consider every penny I earn to be sacred, I must have some reasons (my wife certainly hopes, and expects, that they be good ones) for being a member of an academic union.
In a perfect world, faculty unions would be unnecessary--the academic enterprise would be richly rewarded given its inestimable extrinsic and intrinsic value to both citizens and society; the academic community would be well-governed; justice would prevail, and there would be no inappropriate or untoward external intrusions upon the academic enterprise. In some less than perfect worlds, faculty unions might still not be necessary. In some such conditions a strong and well-functioning collegial governance structure might suffice for the protection of the academic community and its interests. I am a vocal proponent of such a strong system of collegial governance, and I have done what I can to try and foster and sustain it over the years.0
Unfortunately, I don't believe we live in a world where a collegial governance system alone will serve to preserve the interests of the academic community and its members. This provides the first, and for me the most important, of three reasons I offer for joining UFF at FIU. Call this the "stake-holder argument:" when social conditions (external and/or internal to the university) fall sufficiently far below those requisite to sustain a true academic community (when those who fund, control, and administer higher educational institutions lack sufficient understanding of the essential nature of such communities), academic unions become extremely important as a corrective force within a democratic environment. Unions like UFF can act to counterbalance the forces which would destroy the special character of the academic community. John Dewey, in his "Why I Am A Member of the Teachers Union" [11/18/27] maintains that:
there is a need for a working, aggressive organization that represents all of the interests that teachers have in common, and which, in representing them, represents also the protection of the children, and the youth in the schools against all of the outside interests, economic and political and others that would exploit the schools for their own ends, and in doing so, reduce the teaching body to a condition of intellectual vassalage.1
A second, reason for joining UFF is what I will call the pragmatic argument: academic unions like UFF provide faculty members with clear-cut collectively bargained contracts, benefits, contract enforcement, job protection, and a strong voice in the political processes which so greatly impact our academic institution and community. If it is not clear to you that those exercising political power in the state of Florida wish to exploit schools and universities for their own ends, and thereby reduce the academic community to vassalage, then I suspect there is nothing I can say to you that will convince you of this. One need not be a trained political scientist to read the political tea leaves here. If you don't recognize such legislative initiatives as the Gordon Rule or CLAST as intrusions, you might want to pay attention to Steven Uhlfelder's "Reform Tenure Now: Addressing Florida's Failed System,"2 which was "number 001" a policy series sponsored, among others, by the man who is now our Governor. If further evidence is called for you can look on-line at the Governor's "workforce reduction initiative," and call to mind the havoc which has been rendered by his efforts to create a seamless K-20 educational system. The collegial governance system in Florida is largely powerless in dealing with such political forces, and only an effective and strong union offers much hope of meliorating the effects of these external forces.
I willingly concede that UFF is not as strong a political voice as it should be, but the blame for this, I believe, lies neither with the union leadership nor with its members. This, however, takes me to my third, and final reason for joining UFF at FIU--the "free-riders and morality" argument: if you don't belong and do your fair bit, you take unfair advantage of the good works of others. Here, again, Dewey is relevant:
now, the very existence of teacher's unions does a great deal more than protect and aid those who are members of it; and that by the way, is one reason the Teachers Union is not larger. It is because there are so many teachers outside of it who rely and depend upon the protection and support which the existence and the activities of the union give them, that they are willing to shelter behind the organization without coming forward and taking an active part in it.3
Here let me address myself to the free-riders, many of whom, over the years have asked me for advice, assistance, and action on their behalf while I was active in the union. I have a strong sense of justice, and believe that the union must defend the contract and must take up the causes of those who are wronged (whether they be members or not), but I take umbrage at your selfishness and disregard for the general good.
Yes, the union is far, far too weak, but the reason that this is so is because you make it thus. Those who don't join are like those who don't vote--they weaken the democracy (and they are generally amongst its loudest critics). I also recognize that some don't join because they believe the union stands for things they don't value. I recommend that they join and then work from within to change it--that's what I did. Finally, of course, some don't join because of the expense. It is, of course, your money, but I think you are being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Now if you live in the same imperfect world that I live in, and you don't want a strong academic union to serve as a counterbalance to the sorts of forces I mentioned above, then my advice to you is: don't join. But if, in the midst of the current crises and turmoil you are worried about the forces arrayed against the academy, then join: it is in your advantage, it is in our advantage, it is an FIU tradition, and it is the right thing to do. I personally invite you to join UFF at FIU, and I would be pleased to answer any questions you might have.
Notes:
0 See My View of the Relation of Academic Administration and Collegial Governance for my arguments regarding the importance of collegial governance to academic institutions and my view of the relationships between collegial governance and academic administrations. Back
1 John Dewey, "Why I Am A Member of the Teachers Union," in Dewey's The Later Works v. 3 (1927-1928) edited by JoAnn Boydston (Carbondale: Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 1984), pp. 269-275, p. 271. Dewey's paper was an address delivered at the Membership Meeting of the Teachers Union of the City of New York, Local No. 5, American Federation of Teachers, on November 18, 1927. Back
2 Steven Uhlfelder, "Reform Tenure Now: Addressing Florida's Failed System," Outside the Lines: Educational Policy Series Number 001 [Coral Gables: Foundation for Florida's Future, 1995]. The Foundation's address is P.O. Box 144155, 3399 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables, Florida 33134. Back
3 John Dewey, "Why I am A Member of The Teachers Union," op. cit., pp. 271-272. Back
Last revised: 07/31/2005.