Professors and Unions

 
I support unions so I don't have a problem with faculty unions and I don't have a problem with strikes if things can't be settled by negotiation.

Some people do have a problem with unions. They think that workers should always take what they're offered instead of disrupting the public by going on strike. Surprisingly, this neolithic attitude is common among students on university campuses—proving, once again, how different today's students are from those in the '60's.

The California Faculty Association may soon have to go on strike because the representatives of the schools refuse to make a decent offer after 20 months of negotiations. Faced with the possible disruption of classes, a student wrote this in a school newspaper,

If the teachers care more about getting paid rather than the education of the students, I say let them walk.

See how Janet Stemwedel of San Jose State University responds [I must have missed the line in my contract that said this is volunteer work].

Kid, if I only cared about getting paid, I'd be doing something else for a living.

Bravo Janet! Part of a good university education is learning how to see both sides of an issue. I hope your students benefit from your defense of a decent wage. Maybe they'll learn something from this experience.