Jeff Shook
I became intimately familiar with the value of unions as a young adult watching my parents, both public school educators, go on strike for nine and a half weeks. Very few in the union wanted to strike. But after years without pay increases or a voice in key decisions, of cuts to educational programs and an exodus of quality teachers, the decision was necessary. While the strike achieved only some of the union’s demands, it unified the teachers and gave them a greater voice in the district.
As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, I quickly learned how valuable we were to the university’s mission and yet how little it valued us. We taught, we conducted research that increased faculty productivity, and we developed substantive methodological expertise that made us vital employees of the university. Yet, we were poorly paid, had limited benefits, and were pressured to work extra hours without compensation. Thanks to the graduate student union, we were able to organize and bargain collectively to improve working conditions for all graduate students.
Through these and other experiences, I came to understand the tremendous value of unions. It is no coincidence that the rise in income inequality has come at the same time as the decline in union membership. It’s also no coincidence that political and corporate leaders spend considerable resources fighting unions and unionization. Unions provide workers with a voice, secure democracy in the workplace, and place checks on administrative power. It’s been argued that universities are different from other employers and have no need for unions. This is just not true. As universities continue to adopt the corporate model, faculty unionization is essential. This is especially the case for adjunct faculty, who are so valuable to the educational mission but are often treated poorly. A union is essential to address the institutional racism and sexism that still pervade so many universities It is essential to correct inequities in pay within and across departments and schools. It is essential to push back against administrative overreach so that decision making incorporates a broader set of voices. These are some of the many reasons I support the faculty union at Pitt.
--Jeff Shook, Social Work
As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, I quickly learned how valuable we were to the university’s mission and yet how little it valued us. We taught, we conducted research that increased faculty productivity, and we developed substantive methodological expertise that made us vital employees of the university. Yet, we were poorly paid, had limited benefits, and were pressured to work extra hours without compensation. Thanks to the graduate student union, we were able to organize and bargain collectively to improve working conditions for all graduate students.
Through these and other experiences, I came to understand the tremendous value of unions. It is no coincidence that the rise in income inequality has come at the same time as the decline in union membership. It’s also no coincidence that political and corporate leaders spend considerable resources fighting unions and unionization. Unions provide workers with a voice, secure democracy in the workplace, and place checks on administrative power. It’s been argued that universities are different from other employers and have no need for unions. This is just not true. As universities continue to adopt the corporate model, faculty unionization is essential. This is especially the case for adjunct faculty, who are so valuable to the educational mission but are often treated poorly. A union is essential to address the institutional racism and sexism that still pervade so many universities It is essential to correct inequities in pay within and across departments and schools. It is essential to push back against administrative overreach so that decision making incorporates a broader set of voices. These are some of the many reasons I support the faculty union at Pitt.
--Jeff Shook, Social Work
