EOU faculty deciding fate of union
By Dick
Mason
The La
Grande Observer
Published: June 28, 2004
The faculty union at Eastern Oregon University is facing the stiffest test in its short history.
A de-certification vote is now under way. Ballots were sent out late this month and are due back July 6.
A vote for de-certification would end the union, which has been has been in place since Feb 24, 2003, when it was certified by the state Employment Relations Board.
Eastern faculty who endorse ending the union include biology professor Burr Betts who said the union is hurting relations between the faculty and the administration.
"We have been deeply saddened by the deterioration of collegiality among faculty and administration," Betts said.
He believes the union makes it difficult to address issues involving the two groups.
"We think that it is better to deal with problems through shared governance as we have in the past," Betts said.
Union president Rosemary Powers is convinced of the opposite -- that it is in the best interest of all faculty to have a union.
"It is important to have a voice in decisions that affect your work life," Powers said.
She believes that the union and the administration can have a strong working relationship.
"We want to be partners in building a strong university and this (a union) is a good way to do it," said Powers, a sociology professor.
Betts stressed, though, that a vote for de-certification should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the administration.
"The vote is not seen by us (faculty supporting de-certification) as a choice between supporting the faculty or supporting the administration. A vote to de-certify is not a vote of unqualified support for the administration," Betts said.
The biology professor instead would interpret a vote for de-certification as an indication the faculty does not support "this particular union and its vision for Eastern as expressed in its bargaining proposals."
Eastern's union, Associated Academic Professionals, is part of the national American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
Eastern's de-certification vote might be close if the 2003 election to certify it is any indication. The faculty voted 59-53 last year in favor of unionizing.
Eastern's union has more than 130 members.
