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Twelve Reasons (People Often Give) Not to Join a Union

By Charles Wukasch

1.  "Unions can't accomplish anything here in Texas."  Reply:  Oh, yes, they can!  Although it's true that Texas is a right-to-work state, and our labor laws seem to be stuck in the Middle Ages, teachers can win important victories through unionization.  A good example is what happened in Corpus Christi over two decades ago.  The local chapter of the TFT won the right to represent all the teachers in the district in bargaining with the school board.  And the local chapter of the TFT at North Harris Montgomery CC in Houston has gotten a number of employees reinstated when they were terminated because of things as minor as a personality clash with their supervisor.

2.  "Teachers are professionals, not workers."  Reply:  Well, wouldn't it be nice if we were paid like the professionals we are?  But that's not really the main point.  Today even physicians are organizing themselves into unions.

3.  "Unions?  Aren't they a bunch of guys (and sometimes gals) who carry baseball bats and walk picket lines?"  Reply:  I've got news for you, friend!  There has been far more violence directed against unions over the years than there has been violence by unions.  But in any case, don't worry!  Nobody is going to ask you to walk a picket line and take a poke at anyone who crosses it.

4.  “Joining a union is expensive.”  Reply:  Everything worthwhile in life comes with a price tag.  Raising kids or having a pet can be expensive.  Making a pledge to a church, synagogue, or mosque can be expensive.  However, union dues are probably one of the better bargains going.  And besides, there is a sliding scale of dues reflecting the salary level of the employee.

5.  “Why should I join a union when the vast majority of my colleagues don’t?  Why should I fight their battles?”  Reply:  I can relate to this.  In the 70’s, when I taught English at the Defense Language Institute, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, I was one of fewer than 5% of the teachers who joined our union (American Federation of Government Employees).  Sure, it rankled me when I thought of how a tiny handful of us were the ones fighting for the raises and benefits which everyone enjoyed.  But those of us in the union had the satisfaction of knowing that none of our colleagues who bad-mouthed the union turned down the raises, which we won for them.

6.  “Unions may have been necessary at the turn of the preceding century, but today?  Come on!”

Reply:  Have you ever wondered why we don’t still have children working in coalmines or people working seven days per week with no benefits or job security?  It’s not because of the generosity of their employers, but because unions have fought for their rights.  It’s true that we don’t see today some of the worst excesses of the past.  However, there are still injustices in the workplace and unions are in the forefront to remove them.

7.  "Hey, joining a union could cost me my job!  After all, Texas is a 'work at will' state."

Reply:  Although it is true Texas labor law seems to be mired in the Middle Ages, the expression "work at will" is a cliché which employers like to use to cow their employees into submission.  The fact is, workers have numerous rights guaranteed under federal law.  Nobody can be fired or denied a promotion for joining a union.

8.  "I'm just an adjunct.  The union is for the full-time teachers.  What could it do for me?"

Reply:  The union comprises full-time and adjunct faculty, and professional-technical, classified, and hourly employees, too.  The vast majority of full-time faculty members recognize that adjuncts are exploited - many of them were once part-timers themselves.  One of the most insidious techniques which college administrators use is "divide and conquer."  They like to play the full-time and adjunct faculty off against each other.  The union is the glue which will hold us together.

9.  "I'm too busy to join a union."

Reply:  OK, it's true that we all have different schedules, family responsibilities, etc.  But whether you can volunteer lots of your time - or none of your time - the union will welcome you as a member.

10.  "My spouse is the primary breadwinner in the family.  I look upon teaching as volunteer work.  I don't feel exploited at all!"

Reply:  Not all of your fellow faculty members are as fortunate as you; not all of us have spouses or partners with jobs which pay well and provide benefits for everyone in the family.  However, no matter how much you may or may not need the income, teaching is a profession, not volunteer work, and should be rewarded as such.

11.  "I wouldn't want my dues going to support political candidates whom I didn't like."

Reply:  In Texas, dues money NEVER goes to support political candidates.  In fact, that's illegal!  But that doesn't mean that we can't be political.  We have a Committee on Political Education (COPE) fund, where voluntary (repeat: voluntary) contributions can be made for political activities.  Donations to any candidates or campaigns are decided by the membership.  Further, donations are based on issues, not party affiliation.  For example, in the recent gubernatorial election, TFT endorsed Carol Strayhorn, an independent, over Chris Bell, the Democratic candidate, because of her progressive stand on educational issues.

12.  "We already have faculty organizations at the ACC.  Isn't the ACC chapter of the TFT just duplicating their work?"

Reply:  ACC/AFT is in no way in competition with the regular ACC faculty and staff groups.  ACC/AFT works to further the goals of the various employee organizations.  All of us, whether full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, professional-technical, classified, or hourly share a love of education in general and ACC in particular.  By joining hands with our brothers and sisters across all employee lines, and in organized labor as a whole, we can make progress.

Charles Wukasch has been an adjunct faculty member at the ACC for over two decades, and is a long-time union member.