GSEU Letter of Support for Saint Rose Adjuncts in Albany, NY
Dear Adjuncts of Saint Rose and Greater Capital Region Albany Community,
I write on behalf of the members of the Graduate Student Employees Union/CWA Local 1104 at the University at Albany in full support of the recent efforts of adjuncts at The College of Saint Rose to form a Union in cooperation with SEIU and Adjunct Action. It is not only the right of these educators to form a union but it is the duty of the administration at St. Rose to establish professional and formal protocols for communicating and negotiating with those who serve its student body, while remaining neutral throughout the election process.
Though today many would have us believe that unions cause nothing but trouble in schools and universities, in fact, it is just the opposite. As educators and professionals, adjuncts suffer immense marginalization on the campus level which works against the very idea of the university itself which is revealing the unity and interconnectedness of knowledge, work, and social belonging. Teachers not only deserve better wages and spaces to have their grievances heard, but students and their families also deserve to know that those who have been tasked with educating and developing young minds are respected and fairly compensated on the campuses where they do their work.
As peers and fellow educators, the members of GSEU/CWA 1104 stand in solidarity with those adjuncts that are taking an active role in ensuring the integrity of the vocation of the educator and the fair distribution of resources on St. Rose's campus. Should any attempt be made to stifle or disrupt the right of these hardworking people to form a union, everyone can be sure that GSEU/CWA 1104 will be there to help hold St. Rose accountable.
James Searle
Business Agent, Albany
GSEU/ CWA 1104
