Earlier this month, tenure-track faculty members officially filed for unionization election with the Public Employees Labor Relations Board, and will hold an official vote in the coming weeks.
As Gary McCool, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Reference Services at Lamson Library stated, “The formation of a faculty union can be a win, win, win for all parties – students, faculty, and administration.” But not everyone is on the same page.
In a statement released to The Clock and The Union Leader, Professors Annette Holba, Linda Levy, Kathleen Norris, and others, collectively stated, “Many of us feel it is time for those of us who are against the formation of a union to speak up and voice our opinions as a group.”
The faculty who are against unionization site an already strong professional relationship with the administration. “We have the ability to resolve conflicts between the administration and the faculty,” the group stated, continuing, “We believe that unionization is not in the best interest of the faculty as a whole and we cannot support the divisions in our faculty that would be created by having many of our valued non-union eligible colleagues marginalized.”
The dissenting faculty seems to be echoing the old New England saying, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ But, as many faculty feel, it is about strengthening an already powerful voice.
In a public statement, Cathie LeBlanc, Professor and Chair of the Communication & Media Studies Department, said, “when we are making decisions about how the university should work I would like the faculty to have a clear mechanism for having input.”
Despite differences of opinion, the vote, which was approved by a collection of signatures from 30% of potential union members, will be held in the upcoming weeks. “The vote will be by mail – with ballots sent to the homes of faculty members,” said McCool.
On the administrative side, Timothy Kershner, chief public relations officer, said to the Laconia Daily Sun, “the faculty is entitled to choose their own form of governance,” keeping the choice of unionization up to the faculty at large.
The unionization progress has been picked up my media outlets throughout the state, such as New Hampshire Public Radio, The Laconia Citizen, The Associate Press, and many more.