Comments from other Locals on the Affiliation Issue

Local 2364 Home Page            Last Updated: 25 March, 2010 01:12 PM

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The comments posted below were in response to this email which I sent to my sisters and brothers
on the Council Executive Board last week -

Hi Everyone:  
We had a membership meeting yesterday, March 17, 2010, at TCNJ to discuss the possible affiliation of the Council with the NJSFT. Steve Young attended and answered questions after he reviewed the pros and cons of this move. So far, I have been surprised that there hasn't been any discussion among the XB about this issue. It seems to me it is worthwhile trying this for a while to see whether the benefits are worth the costs in both time and money. I'd be interested in hearing views from others, especially those who might have been working with the NJSFT group on revising their constitution. 
 
One concern which came through at our meeting was the fear that we would be diffusing our message if we were affiliated with K-12 and, to some extent, the Rutgers group. My sense is that we cannot continue conducting "business as usual" given the major threat from Christie and others. Either we affiliate with NJSFT or we expand our operation at the Council level to do the things which need to be done regarding organizing, communications and research. Some were concerned about being too closely identified with the K-12 contingent but I pointed out that we were in the AFT which has an overwhelming number of K-12 members as opposed to higher education. 
 
There are some who talk about a "ground swell, grassroots" movement in our organization instead of, as they put it, a "top down" structure, but I don't see that as very likely at the moment given the usual, over-riding interests of faculty in scholarship, research and teaching, along with reappointment and promotion. I do think however, that most folks recognize the real threat from downtown and that might change their outlook, which would be great. I hope that we can come up with some way to capitalize on the frustration and anger amongst our membership and get more folks to become active. We need some new players who are willing to get involved and mobilize everyone for the challenges we face ahead. 
 
The majority of folks who spoke at yesterday's meeting were skeptical towards the affiliation even though the vast majority of them have no experience with how the Council operates and the relationships between our union with others throughout the state and across the nation. Steve did a very good job of covering the various points but I'm not sure that many left with different views than they had when they walked in the door.

We are going to be polling the membership on this issue before the next Council meeting and our 11 council delegate votes on this question will be based on the votes cast on those ballots. 
 
What is happening on your campus in regard to this issue?  Thanks. Ralph

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From Tim Haresign, President of the Stockton College AFT Local -

At Stockton we had a general membership meeting in February at which there was an unanimous vote in favor of affiliation with the state fed.  My members are worried about the new governor and his clear anti-Union stance (they are now even more concerned after his budget address).  They see any additional support at this time as a real plus.  there was some concern about increased dues, but they were also swayed by a member who argued that we are the most well-off Union in the state in terms of average salary but we are one of the least effective in terms of putting feet on the ground.  The argument was that if we aren't getting it done on the streets we should be at least willing to open our pocketbooks to protect our interests and to support the Union that has served us so well.  that argument and the idea that we are getting virtually free help (in terms of cost per member) in the next two upcoming very difficult years was extremely persuasive, and the vote, as I said, was unanimous in favor of affiliation.

On a personal note, given what is transpiring it now seems imperative that we affiliate.  It is a show of Union strength and solidarity to join together at this time when Unions are under severe attack.  It is a signal of weakness and divisiveness to reject affiliation.  And there is urgency to do this now, we need to find ways to stand together with our Union brothers and sisters across the state.

Tim Haresign
 
ps: I also made it clear that our complacency in terms of activism would have to end and everyone would need to step of and take action in the upcoming months.

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From Dierdre Paul - President of the Montclair University FT AFT Local - 

Good Morning Ralph,

I am writing this email from several diverse perspectives. As you know, I served on the AFT-NJ State Federation Constitutional Changes Committee. 
On the Constitutional Committee, the Council had a voice without a vote (until affiliation). Additionally, my Local voted the affiliation up. 

Yesterday, I was invited (along with Steve and Bill Lipkin) to speak before the MSU Adjuncts (Local 6025).  This is what I have learned in the process. 
Initially, the majority of my members who were skeptical about the proposed affiliation were concerned with the costs. Once they discovered that costs 
would be absorbed by the Council for 4 years, there was very little additional discussion on that point. In the end, the affiliation received a vote of 14 
"affirmative," 13 "abstentions," and 1 "opposed." So, it passed overwhelmingly. Although we had two officers who wanted to poll broader than a 
general union meeting, I found a phenomenon similar to that you mention in the last paragraph of your email. Many members simply don't have the 
background with the Council or a sufficient understanding of the labor movement (both in New Jersey and on a national scale) to contextualize this debate.  

Now, in terms of the dilution of message by affiliating with K-12 locals, there has been no facts presented to support this view. At present, there is a 
ratio of 2.5 to 1 with higher education locals morphing the K-12 locals. If the Council affiliates, the ratio will be 3 to 1. Additionally, AFT-NJ State 
Federation will take a form that is very similar to the national AFT and its PPC structure. Quite specifically, there will be a higher ed division and a 
K-12 division. In the higher ed division, we will determine our Statewide agenda with attendant objectives and a strategy to actualize that agenda. 

While you made a number of thoughtful points in your email, the most salient seemed to be the following, Ralph: In the face of the challenge posed 
by Christie and his anti-union aggression, we have no choice but to fight using different (and stronger) tools. Yesterday, I looked at his proposal to 
absorb TESC into Rutgers and clearly recognized that he is already attempting to put Susan Cole's selfish agenda (to disband the Council) into effect. 
He hasn't even been in office for a hundred days!

Thank you for your reflective and well argued emails to us all. I enjoy reading them and I appreciate your consistent efforts to keep us in dialogue
with each other.

In Unity,  Dierdre

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