My experience with unions on campus has been an eye opening one. In my three years here, I have had strong dialogues with maintenance workers, faculty and non-faculty staff. All three of those groups are in their respective unions, which at some point during the last three years were involved in negotiations with the State System of Higher Education (SSHE). Right now, the union of that third group, known as SCUPA (State College and University Professional Association) is seeking a contract settlement. Their contract expired June 30, 2004.To get a feel of who is a member of SCUPA, look to the WCU professionals who work in Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Activities, Residence Life, Judicial Affairs, the Registrar?s Office, Tutorial and Academic Assistance Services, the Career Center and Alumni Relations, to name a few. At some point or another, every WCU student has been in contact with a SCUPA employee.
As a Feb. 1 news article in The Quad points out, the major issue between SCUPA and SSHE centers around the state system wanting to include outsourcing of professional work that SCUPA workers currently perform. Given the importance of SCUPA employees to student life, these are serious issues that WCU students should be aware of.
Before going on, let me just
make two comments. First, this is a globalized society. America?s economy is open to the rest of the world and vice-versa. Business, professional and now educational work environments are going international, sending jobs overseas where the labor is cheaper. I don?t like it, but outsourcing is part of the reality of globalization. Americans are going to have to be more competitive in the job market.
Secondly, the whole issue of outsourcing is easily hyped. Can you imagine how jobs like Resident Director, Career Center Director, Student Activities Director, Judicial Affairs, etc. can be outsourced overseas? It wouldn?t happen because these are jobs which require staff contact with students. In fact, some of these staff members even live on campus.
I?m sure there are elements of these jobs which can be outsourced in terms of information technology, but it?s not like these employees are going to be replaced by some foreigner on a TV link. The whole system of higher education would collapse if that happened.
Those two issues aside, SCUPA deserves strong support from students. After all, it is SCUPA who supports us in many different ways. Looking atSCUPA?s struggle reminded me of a familiar union struggle from last year, APSCUF-SSHE. Upon reflection on the two situations, some interesting distinctions emerge. A trait that SCUPA seems to have, one that APSCUF lacks at times, is a sense of optimism and “unwavering” support for the student body. As SCUPA?s WCU Representative Phil Tripp said, “We?re not looking for a strike.”
What a sharp contrast this is to last year, when professors walked in to the classroom with a shiny blue button indicating that they voted to authorize a strike as an option. If you?re a senior who wants to graduate, which university official is really being supportive?
It?s funny how, during the APSCUF-SSHE contract negotiations, students were willingly dressed up as “cash cows” and paraded around campus singing songs with faculty members which vilified Judith Hemple, the Chancellor of PA Higher Education. I was actually very supportive of APSCUF.
Yes, it?s true. In fact, I went to that exact rally in Fall 2003, but realized what a mistake it was when I was found myself being asked to wear a “cash cow” uniform and sing a parody condemning an SSHE official I (and probably many other students) had never even heard of.
Support and antagonism just don?t mold well with me, so I left that night disappointed in myself and the so-called support rally which turned into a public bashing.
If you want to follow up on my story, check it out. The story of this rally is in the Sept. 30, 2003 edition of The Quad. Past issues of The Quad can be obtained at the FHG Library Reserve desk.
Meanwhile, SCUPA continues to serve students, not use them, and I?m certain that SCUPA won?t coldshoulder our Student Government Association if SGA decides to stay neutral on this topic.
The main point here is that SCUPA should be supported, but my spin on this isn?t a light one either. There is a serious contrast among these two unions? attitudes toward the student body when you compare their efforts to get a contract settlement. SCUPA chose the way of integrity. For what it?s worth, I say we support them.
Anthony Maalouf is a junior majoring in political science with a minor in Spanish.