January 10, 2005 I came to MSU as a student in 1975, dropped out, and was hired by the University. I figured that I would stay in the job only a few years until I could finish my degree. Well, I finally finished the degree, but by that time the economy was on a downswing, and my union job was pretty good, so I decided to stay for a few more years . . . and a few more years . . . and now I’m eligible to retire. Currently, I am reassigned from the University to work full time for the Clerical-Technical Union. I think the most important thing that every member gains from being in the union is the knowledge that none of us has to go it alone. Because of our union, we have a voice about our working conditions, about how we are treated, about what our compensation will be. We don’t have to put up with the arbitrary whims of a supervisor who decides that his or her rules are more important than our contract. A manager once told a group of us office workers that we wouldn’t be paid overtime even if overtime was assigned—because the department had a policy against it. Guess again! We often hear about managers who say they would like to give their employees more “but the union won’t let me.” The implication is that the union is at fault. This union has never stopped individual employees from receiving additional merit increases over and above what has been negotiated. But everyone gets what’s been negotiated. As one of our Contract Administrators says, “The contract is a floor, not a ceiling.” Our union has supported us through many rough times, and we’ve emerged stronger than ever. During the 1980s we worked successfully to bring our wages up to market level (and waged a victorious strike in the process). During the 1990s, we educated ourselves about the impact on our health of all the new technology that was being introduced and defended ourselves when carpel tunnel syndrome or other repetitive strain injuries hit. With other unions on campus, we’ve worked over the last couple of decades to minimize state budget cuts on employees, and we’ve kept a fully funded health care insurance plan. Do I recommend a union? You bet! Cheryllee
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