Editorial: Strike undermined

It shocked many faculty to hear that the possibility of a strike is actually not possible until July, at the earliest.

Now, the fire and brimstone the faculty union preached to the administration has lost whatever hint of foreboding it once held. The implication of the word “impasse” has been nullified. The only threat the faculty union holds against the Portland State administration is the distant possibility of a strike six months from now.

The union agreed to some of the administration’s terms in March, extending the union members’ contracts until July and therefore making a strike impossible until summer. Even though they could strike after June, a strike wouldn’t be as effective until at least September, close to a year and a half after initial salary negotiations began.

For faculty, the contract extension’s impact is twofold.

The extension has caused shock, dismay and distress among the many faculty members who saw the possibility of a strike as an unfortunate, but necessary last-ditch response to the administration’s unrelenting unfair offers. Now, a strike can’t happen until fall term.

The extension will also only help the administration in these negotiations, voiding the strength that the threat of a strike holds. The decision makes the administration view the faculty union as a group lacking a backbone.

Why did the union extend the contract, then?

For us.

The faculty union showed a kind of altruism that is rare in the world, but thankfully so common among them. They decided that a strike right now wouldn’t be worth the consequences. It would prevent students from passing classes, even graduating; as a whole, it would divide the university.

Selfishly, we could just thank them for sacrificing so much. Realistically, we can’t be that selfish. PSU faculty make countless sacrifices day after day for the students of this university, whether by spending hours outside of the classroom advising, counseling or continuing to teach students when they need it. And for recompense, they ask for little more than a livable wage.

We don’t want a strike, but it might be necessary in order to force the administration to see the gravity of this issue. Letting the administration extend the union’s contract until July was not the right choice, even though it was made with the right intentions.

A faculty strike looming at the administration’s doorstep is a much more frightening reality than what has been there for the last year: a union too worried to strike because of the impact on students.

AAUP–we do thank you, but for once, you need to worry about yourselves.