Jon Mandrell

IDSL 895
Assignment Three
Describe the impact, both positive and negative, that organized labor has made upon governance at your
institution. Have national and state labor organizations had an impact of governance at your
organization? For example, unionization of adjunct faculty have created active dialog on many campuses.

Organized labor has shaped many processes relating to governance and made an impact at Sauk
Valley Community College. In particular, faculty associations, both full-time and the adjunct faculty, have
had an active role in not only the bargaining processes at the college, but also in informing all college
employees and stakeholders of new information. Such information has included changes in legislation,
new trends, or a demand to form new policy. The forming of labor unions continues to gain momentum
both at the state and national level. For example, just 90 miles east from Sauk Valley Community
College, the Northwestern University football team has recently sought the right to unionize, which
could have state and national implications within all institutions. Organized labor efforts on our campus
have had both a negative and a positive impact on governance.
Both the full-time faculty association and the adjunct faculty association at Sauk Valley
Community College are members of the National Education Association (NEA), who is widely known at
the state and national level. The full-time faculty association has experienced fluctuating numbers in its
membership and struggled at times to recruit officers for the organization. Much of this can be
attributed to membership fees, economic downturn, or differences in opinion regarding the
organizations direction. Despite this, its bargaining powers have remained effective and fruitful for its
members. While the adjunct faculty association is quite small in numbers with approximately ten
members, their voice is also heard and the bargaining efforts have also been worthy. Membership in
the adjunct faculty association has doubled this year, which has given these instructors a stronger

presence on campus, as well. With a growing adjunct association, it has presented the board of trustees
with more frequent communication and policy relating only to these contingent instructors.
Currently, negotiations are taking place for both the full-time faculty association and the adjunct
faculty association, which directly impacts policy and governance. Both groups negotiate separately
with the board of trustees regarding individual bargaining points. While the directions between both
groups can differ, the full-time faculty are focused more on workload, committee work, grievance
procedures, and professional development funding, while the adjunct faculty are advocating for more
recognition, opportunities at full-time employment, and professional development compensation.
Recently, the adjunct faculty have demanded they receive an automatic interview in a hiring process for
any full-time instructional position. In sum, the adjunct faculty are focused more on the power to be
heard and their working conditions. These trends tend to be consistent nationwide and the adjunct
unionization movement has been increasing both at the state and nationwide level, particularly in
response to the increased reliance upon them. For too long, there was the prevailing feeling among
many adjuncts that they were an invisible part of the profession, but the silence in the profession about
contingent faculty has been broken, states Barbara Bowen, a vice president at the American Federation
of Teachers. (June, December 2009). Becoming more visible has been an advantage for such efforts, yet
costly to its adjunct faculty members in the form of membership dues.
Organized labor provides support and a voice for faculty groups at Sauk Valley Community
College, but it can divide members and spark criticism. Such organizations have been criticized locally
and nationally for their efforts, particularly in difficult economic times. Silverblatt (2011) states, This is
a time of reflection and repurposing, with a focus on how to remain vital while acknowledging that
public financing is not likely to increase in the near future. Continued efforts in organized labor,
particularly as the reliance on adjunct faculty increases and funding decreases, could shape further
policy and governance procedures.

References

June, A. W. (2009, December 14). Surge in adjunct activism is spurred by bad economy and hungry
unions. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Surge-inAdjunct-Activism-Is/49492/
Silverblatt, P. (2011). Forum: The future of faculty unions. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved
from http://chronicle.com/article/Forum-The-Future-of-Faculty/128305/