Editorial – Possible Strike on Campus
A strike could be imminent as the faculty bet on their last horse in the race. Who will come out on top? No one. At this point, no one is going to be coming out without scars, having sacrificed something important.
If the administration allows this strike to occur without talking with the union or the faculty this could further send Green River into financial straits. Right now we have a $4 million debt due to poor spending and even worse planning.
A strike means students will not be able to finish their classes and some will not be able to graduate unless you pass everyone. We all know that’s not going to happen. Some students are going to be frustrated by this strike and leave for greener pastures where they will not have to waste 15 minutes of class time discussing the campus environment.
If this strike happens, that’s a terrible PR move on the college’s part. People will be seeing those instructors marching outside the school, even if it is only for a day, and associate those images with the college. In the grand scheme of things, is it worth it to let them strike for that huge hit to PR?
This college has a PR problem and keeping the faculty unhappy is not going to solve that. They are just going to keep telling students and faculty from other colleges and institutions not to come here because of the environment. The stigma of a toxic environment and poor treatment of faculty and adjuncts will permeate the college. If the Apr. 21 board meeting is any indication, that toxic stink has already seeped into the walls.
The faculty also need to look at the realities of the strike.
For those that do not know, when the faculty strike they are not being paid. That means all faculty members who depend on their paychecks to survive are out of luck. The union is organizing relief efforts for people most affected by the strike, but the fact remains that this heavily affects people’s livelihoods. The faculty know this already and are not going to make the decision lightly.
There is also the threat that this is what the administration wants. Faculty striking means jobs are now available to be filled by people who are not going to be supports of the union. If the administration targets instructors who need to work, then those jobs could be filled quickly and the faculty are left outside the gates protesting over their jobs that are no longer available. This is getting into tinfoil hat territory, but some jobs are going to be filled during the strike. That is just a necessity for the college.
If the faculty strike, that means they are going to lose the support of the majority of students. This strike jeopardizes student’s success, and that could lose the faculty a valuable tool in leveraging the administration. Of course, the faculty could get students to walk out with them, but even with a strong student support pillar to lean on, that is still a minority.
In the end, all this is selfish. The faculty want the PPP gone and their jobs to be secure. The administration want to union to go and the faculty to fall in line. The students just want to come here and learn. Everyone has an opposing stake in the race. No one is passing the finish line.
So how do we solve this issue? No one at The Current have any good ideas. The solution all relies on communication and so far no one is willing to make the first step. The most drastic measure available is to lock President Eileen Ely and Jaeney Hoene, president of the United Faculty Coalition, in a room and only let them out when a solution is reached.
That is never going to happen.
