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Just to recap.

No one that I know from the faculty has reached out to other faculty suggesting that we should try to figure out a way to form a union.

A union organizer, who never first contacted me about what is going on, shows up to intrude on my work while I am teaching, and gets me to sign an authorization card.

When I asked a couple of easy questions about the rules for the election and who it might cover … the organizer, Joseph Holt:

  1. Threatened to rip up my card
  2. Evaded answering all three of my questions

And so of course, this is unnerving. You will see that this sort of thing is common. Evade and change the discussion, a technique perfected by some students at the U of R (one wonders how they learned it). Now my ire was raised – you are telling me you are trying to empower me but the way to do that is to silence me. Classic. I followed up with the following:

That seems odd. All it takes is basically 1 in 7 contingent faculty to vote yes and the election can be won. It is sounding more and more like a modern democracy. Last election, less than 1 in 6 Americans voted for the winner and folks proudly parade around as if they have some sort of democratic mandate. it will be worse this year.

 

 

Did U of R faculty members reach out to you in an effort to help them? Or did you present yourselves to U of R and present them with the idea that they needed a contingent union? No correspondence ever came across my desk until you appeared in my classroom.

 

 

Do you explain the above to all of the people that you meet and present cards to?

 

 

Do you explain to people that they will be forced to be covered by the union should the election work out that way? And do you explain to people that you only want folks to fill out cards if they are going to vote yes?

 

 

Do you explain to people how their current arrangements may change should an election take place and the votes come in?

 

 

Do you explain to people if they are in any way able to opt out of the union if the vote goes through?

 

 

Do you explain to people what their likely union dues would be (how much) and how they would be used?

 

 

Is it legal for you to ask me how I am going to vote? I am interested in learning as much as possible about this particularly since on two occasions union representatives showed up while I was teaching class and on both occasions followed me when I was obviously rushing to another class or to work with students. Are other faculty given a better chance to take a deep breath and consider what is being presented to them? And how, at a private university, do you know my contractual situation with the U of R enough to target me, and then to track me down in class?

 

 

Thank you for your time and your consideration of my questions,

And what do I get? The evasive blob. After a FULL DAY of not getting back to me, on questions that are very important for my career, we get back:

Union4
We don’t like to communicate over e-mail?
Why?
Because there is a record of what you are saying? Because it requires transparency? There is information embedded in silence.
Further down the hole we romp.

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