Let the Voice of the People Be Heard

We would like to address the editorial that appeared in the Daily Egyptian on Friday April 29^th, 2011. The letter was written by Edward Hackett, the former Vice-President of Communications for GA United. Mr. Hackett called GAU – and the other campus unions – actions in filing notices of intent to strike on Thursday “ludicrous” and publically called for a “vote of no confidence in union leadership,” saying that our election process is “very dangerous.”

GAU’s current elected officials for the year of 2010-2011, Jim Podesva (President), Dan Elgin (Vice-President for Membership), and Kristi Brownfield (Secretary/Treasurer), believe that Mr. Hackett’s statement is disingenuous at best, and at worst, a conscious misrepresentation of the facts surrounding Graduate Assistant United’s negotiations with the representatives of the Board of Trustees.

Until this year’s election, Mr. Hackett was indeed Vice-president of Communications for GAU, but in no way was he speaking officially in his editorial.  In truth, he held that position in name only; for at least the last nine months, he has been incommunicado, declining to answer phone calls or emails. Mr. Hackett is correct in stating that he participated in negotiations with the administration in the summer of 2010. Sadly, that was the last time he participated with the union in any capacity.  His disappearance was his choice alone, and he left the organization with no notice, no warning, and without an explanation, despite repeated attempts by the other officers to include him.  Without Mr. Hackett, we have been negotiating since that time. GAU has been, in Mr. Hackett’s words, “Seeking a productive compromise with the university” for over a year now, to no avail, but we continue to work with the Board of Trustees’ representatives to find solutions that help both the university and our constituency.  If Mr. Hackett had been an active member of the organization, he would know that negotiations continue.

In regards to Mr. Hackett’s comments about GAU’s potential participation in a strike, there are several things to keep in mind. First, GAU – along with the Association of Civil Service Employees, the Faculty Association, and the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association – only filed notices of intent to strike. A Notice of Intent to Strike merely serves as official notice that the union reserves the right to strike in the future, but in no way commits the union to that course of action. This does not mean we are going on strike. Each individual union will vote on that choice. You will make that choice – the members. We are not anywhere near a strike vote – or a strike — right now and all of your executive committee and bargaining team members truly hope that a strike does not happen. What we want is to be able to sit down at the bargaining table with a Board of Trustees bargaining team that is willing to compromise, rather than just say no to every proposal or impose terms and conditions, and create a fair, mutually acceptable contract that everyone can be proud of.

So, for GAs, what that means is:

a) Get informed! You need to be in the know about the issues on the table and what the administration wants us to have. You can come to a meeting on Monday May 2^nd, at Lawson 141, from 4:45-6:15pm to hear more about the situation with all four unions and why we have come to this point. Our website (http://gaunited.org ) is also a good resource with information on bargaining, including a list of issues still on the table.

b) Get involved! GAU is an all-volunteer organization. None of the officers or activists working on your behalf receives any compensation beyond the satisfaction of helping to create a better SIUC. We always welcome people willing to work with us to achieve that goal of building a quality, fair university. If you don’t like the road GAU seems to be taking, get involved and help us chart a better path!

c) Stand together! This message is very important, today, on the eve of May 1^st – May Day. May 1^st, 1886 – 125 years ago – workers across the country went on strike for an 8-hour work day. In Chicago, on May 4, the strike led to a bomb being thrown in Haymarket Square, 8 police dying and 8 labor leaders going on trial. Four were executed by the state and the fifth committed suicide in prison. In 1893, Illinois’s governor pardoned the remaining 3 labor leaders and declared the “Haymarket Affair” a travesty. It divided the country – but also brought rise to May Day, an international labor holiday on May 1^st.

The Haymarket Affair is one of many such incidents that happened because employees were standing together to have a voice in their workplace. That is what a union does. It is a collection of people who come together to fight for the rights to have a say, to have power, in where they work. That is what GAU is dedicated to – giving you a voice in SIUC.