Instructors at Minnesota's technical and community colleges have taken another step toward merging into a single faculty union for the state's 45 two-year campuses.
In voting Nov. 14-15, members of the United Technical College Educators and the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association approved a new constitution and by-laws for a merged union. Members will decide on the merger itself Jan. 23-24 in a vote at each campus.
Advocates of the merger say a single union would eliminate competition between the two organizations; promote a unified front in negotiations and lobbying; and accomplish unification on union terms, rather than having it imposed by the Legislature acting on behalf of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
'There's a clear, long-term benefit to the membership as a single organization,' said Ed Schones, president of the United Technical College Educators.
Unity Team works on merger
Leadership has been talking about a merger for the past year, and a 12-member Unity Team has been working out details since the unions' boards gave the go-ahead on June 27. The merged union would have about 4,000 members.
The new constitution and by-laws was approved by about 86 percent of the technical college faculty and 64 percent of the community college faculty.
If members of both unions approve the actual merger, the 'transfer of exclusive representative rights' would go to the Bureau of Mediation Services for certification. Then, the Legislature would have to amend the Public Employee Labor Relations Act, Schones said.
He said the unions expect all that to be completed by May 2001, in time for the next round of contract negotiations. Both unions are in the final year of a two-year contract with MnSCU.
JoAnn Roche, vice president of that Minnesota Community College Faculty Association, said MnSCU administrators and key legislators have been kept in the loop on the merger plans. 'We've had them involved in a bipartisan way from the get-go. I don't think any of them are anticipating problems.'
Problems to address
The more immediate task for the unions is addressing issues raised by their members. 'We have some trouble spots,' Roche said. 'We will be targeting those campuses, having discussions with faculty across the state, to dispel their problems and answer their questions.'
Although there are clear similarities in the classroom, Schones said, differences in current contracts and between the two unions can't be ignored. 'There are differences in mission,' he said, 'education for employment vs. education that can be transferred to four-year campuses. There are differences in workload, the amount of time spent before students.' Salary structures also differ.
Because the community colleges have been unionized longer, Roche said, 'perhaps the UTCE members feel they have more to gain. We may have more people who are skeptical of change, who want to guard what we have.'
Roche said the merger would be particularly beneficial at consolidated campuses, where dual jurisdiction often leads to disputes over which union represents which instructors.
'That pits us against each other,' Roche said, 'and the administration sometimes plays off of that. The merger puts us in charge of our own destiny.'
This article was written for the Dec. 6 issue of The Union Advocate newspaper. Used by permission.The Union Advocate is the official publication of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org
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Instructors at Minnesota’s technical and community colleges have taken another step toward merging into a single faculty union for the state’s 45 two-year campuses.
In voting Nov. 14-15, members of the United Technical College Educators and the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association approved a new constitution and by-laws for a merged union. Members will decide on the merger itself Jan. 23-24 in a vote at each campus.
Advocates of the merger say a single union would eliminate competition between the two organizations; promote a unified front in negotiations and lobbying; and accomplish unification on union terms, rather than having it imposed by the Legislature acting on behalf of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
‘There’s a clear, long-term benefit to the membership as a single organization,’ said Ed Schones, president of the United Technical College Educators.
Unity Team works on merger
Leadership has been talking about a merger for the past year, and a 12-member Unity Team has been working out details since the unions’ boards gave the go-ahead on June 27. The merged union would have about 4,000 members.
The new constitution and by-laws was approved by about 86 percent of the technical college faculty and 64 percent of the community college faculty.
If members of both unions approve the actual merger, the ‘transfer of exclusive representative rights’ would go to the Bureau of Mediation Services for certification. Then, the Legislature would have to amend the Public Employee Labor Relations Act, Schones said.
He said the unions expect all that to be completed by May 2001, in time for the next round of contract negotiations. Both unions are in the final year of a two-year contract with MnSCU.
JoAnn Roche, vice president of that Minnesota Community College Faculty Association, said MnSCU administrators and key legislators have been kept in the loop on the merger plans. ‘We’ve had them involved in a bipartisan way from the get-go. I don’t think any of them are anticipating problems.’
Problems to address
The more immediate task for the unions is addressing issues raised by their members. ‘We have some trouble spots,’ Roche said. ‘We will be targeting those campuses, having discussions with faculty across the state, to dispel their problems and answer their questions.’
Although there are clear similarities in the classroom, Schones said, differences in current contracts and between the two unions can’t be ignored. ‘There are differences in mission,’ he said, ‘education for employment vs. education that can be transferred to four-year campuses. There are differences in workload, the amount of time spent before students.’ Salary structures also differ.
Because the community colleges have been unionized longer, Roche said, ‘perhaps the UTCE members feel they have more to gain. We may have more people who are skeptical of change, who want to guard what we have.’
Roche said the merger would be particularly beneficial at consolidated campuses, where dual jurisdiction often leads to disputes over which union represents which instructors.
‘That pits us against each other,’ Roche said, ‘and the administration sometimes plays off of that. The merger puts us in charge of our own destiny.’
This article was written for the Dec. 6 issue of The Union Advocate newspaper. Used by permission.The Union Advocate is the official publication of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org