THE PATRIOT RETURNS |
Vol. 29, No.3 March 05, 2006
BARBARA'S WRECK AT CITY TECH
Since December, The Patriot Returns has invited and published open letters from PSC members who have been dismissed, and dissed, by the Dear Leader. The following letter from New York City College of Technology is yet another example of the rising tide of anger at, and exasperation with, Barbara Bowen's haughty, high-handed treatment of those she presumably represents. Dear Barbara, The PSC's ineptitude and lack of interest regarding the workload at City Tech has been appalling. Many of us worked hard to promote a change in PSC leadership when you were elected because we believed you when you said that if you were elected we would be a top priority. Perhaps a brief background is in order for those unfamiliar with the situation: NYC College of Technology (City Tech) began as a community college, with the attendant workload of first 30 and then 27 hours. However, even though the school began its transition to senior college status in 1980, workload equity has never been achieved. In the last contract, City Tech was given a paltry one-hour reduction in workload, bringing its current workload to 26 hours. However, since most classes are three credits, this change resulted in no effective decrease in workload for the vast majority of City Tech professors. We teach almost 30% more hours a year than our peers at other comprehensive CUNY colleges. In addition, 26 hours are still far more than schools like Medgar Evers, Staten Island, and John Jay, other schools with associate and baccalaureate programs; and more than any other senior college such as Brooklyn, Queens and other sister institutions. Some City Tech programs are only four-year programs. Yet faculty who teach only baccalaureate courses are still required to work 26 hours. Is this justice? Is this equity? Or should we borrow one of your favorite words, Barbara---parity? Yet you seem to accept this unequal situation. We are the technology college in the system. It doesn't require stretching the imagination to understand the many hours that faculty must spend to learn what is new and necessary to be current. Moreover, our administration is paid at the baccalaureate college level and not community college level. Our presidents have had housing, which only baccalaureate degree presidents have received; our students are required to pay baccalaureate tuition; and City Tech undergraduates play sports with four-year degree granting institutions. All of these factors further emphasize the inequity our full-time faculty suffers. We have been asked to meet benchmarks no other college has had to reach and you seem to accept this unfairness. In an email you sent on February 22, 2006, you wrote, "We invite members to examine our record and engage us in open and honest debate. We are confident that when you do, you will re-elect honest, substantive union leadership: the New Caucus." Well, without blaming others, tell us why you have not accomplished an equitable workload for City Tech and why you fight harder for parity for adjuncts and other new initiatives that would cost more than bringing equity to City Tech faculty. Justifying things or passing the buck is how you work. When we asked why Medgar Evers had 24 hours when it returned to a community college status before becoming an associate and baccalaureate degree granting institution, you replied that it was "politics." Well, why did you not do a "politic" thing for us? For six years we have wondered, and for six years we have not been able to get any answers from you. Why does City Tech have an inappropriate workload? Why do you ask us to appreciate the one hour that you say you have received for us over your six years in office? Don't you think that one hour out of six is rather insulting? Why have you never asked for 21 hours? You know you could have asked for 21 hours in phases. We have heard that the PSC could have achieved for us the appropriate workload if you wanted to take the cost out of your settlement package. But you wanted other things more and wanted the chancellor to pay for this. You vilify the chancellor, the city, and the state, but in the instance of our workload, you would be hard pressed to claim that our college's president was not as supportive, if not more so, than PSC for reducing our workload to 24 hours, which might be in the new contract. He has probably gotten the chancellor's attention much more than you have. Further, because you have been unable to negotiate this contract in a timely manner, our faculty has been forced for two, perhaps even three, years to work in most cases 27 rather than 26 hours, because, as already stated, most courses are three hours. So that one-hour amounted to practically nothing. Did you think about this? Have you asked any other group to pay so heavily? So many had great hopes for this academic year. Yet you failed. A few weeks ago, you responded that our colleagues at other colleges don't understand the problem. We find that claim mind-boggling. Have you tried to educate them? If so, why have you not been successful? Is part of the problem your attitude about our college---do you believe that if you give us anything, we will be happy? Why do you subscribe to piecemeal justice? Isn't there something about a long standing injustice that deserves immediate correction, before moving forward with other new demands like 100 lines to be filled from a pool of adjuncts? Surely this program is more costly than equity for City Tech, and perhaps open to other sorts of questions. At times we shake our heads at the contradictions we hear from you. It is suggested that the Chancellor hear directly from the full-time faculty. At times we are told PSC negotiates for all. Well, we have provided you with everything we can. If we were to go to the Chancellor alone we would be criticized. If we don't, we are criticized. Each campus can't be going off with its own agenda. This is why we have a union. We have already done many things locally, going back as far as December 1995, when the College Council passed a resolution about workload. Bob Cermele, PSC City Tech Chapter Chair and staunch New Caucus supporter, Steve London, and you have been given much information and copies of the materials. PSC is paid a great deal of money in dues for a service. What have we gotten under your leadership? One meaningless hour, broken promises, and an inability to push the agenda easily ourselves because you put 26 hours in the contract and agreed to it. In exchange, we have a Welfare Fund in much greater trouble than it was in before you took leadership. And, all the while, you have received over three million dollars in dues from our campus. How do you in good conscience respond to our faculty members who teach in only baccalaureate programs? Why don't you have 21 hours at the top of your list? Recently Professor Beverly LaPuma, Department of English, wrote to you in part: "I thought one of the principles of a union was to see that all are treated equally from the lowest to the top. While we might have to try to help persuade some, we should not have to convince our own people-meaning other campuses-that's your job. To me this is a breach of the way unions were intended to operate. It sounds like you would permit the tyranny of the majority to stop equal treatment for all or to protect the minority. Further, you said that you had PSC seek legal advice as to the advisability of going forward with a lawsuit based on unequal treatment under the law. You said that the response you received from your legal advisors was that there was no merit to a lawsuit. Whether on the bases of constitutional law or otherwise, I find this opinion difficult to understand. Therefore, I am writing to ask you to send to me the written opinion you received regarding this matter. When I told others you said I should write to you, they are betting that you will not send us anything since they do not believe such a document exists and that you probably did nothing other than ask someone whose immediate response was they didn't think so and that they did not even have all the facts. If you did seek an opinion in earnest, you will have something in writing to send us telling us why the case is not viable Additionally, Stanley Aronowitz told us the problem with our workload was not money. What is it? Perhaps the real problem with a lawsuit is that you have agreed to this aggress workload, currently about 30% greater than others, and in suing you have to be held accountable too. However, if you are savvy and have savvy legal counselors, this can be handled. Yes, I am aware of the Alliance and other bursting things. Many of us at City Tech are all ears about this and much more. Sure we want colleagues to enjoy new and greater benefits, but we need your full attention now and we don't want another smack in the face. One hour was embarrassing and two additionally hours after years for a total of only 3 hours over years is not significant. Consider this when you talk about 24 hours for new faculty who are not yet dues paying members and they already have 12 and 100 lines to be filled from a pool of adjuncts." You seem to push your agenda and often forget some important elements in the university. You give our precious dues for legal fees for a non-member who has a self-inflicted political problem. You join an illegal transit strike while negotiating with the city and state from whom you hope to gain a favor. This is not responsible behavior. We don't want activism with other unions, or movies, or picketing. We want workload equity. Many of us feel like the mouse that looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package---that he discovers was a mousetrap. The other animals said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." (Could this be your attitude toward City Tech?) The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray." (Again, PSC leadership's attitude) The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." (Ditto.) As the story ends, the mouse survives and those other animals don't. Your nasty remark to Prof. LaPuma at a recent meeting suggests you can't explain yourself. You said, "Beverly, you may not understand, but others do." Well, those of us who have signed this letter don't understand either. It has been 26 years since City Tech received the ability to award baccalaureate degrees, yet we are the only bi-level institution that has not been granted a comparable workload. How can our colleagues not understand our problem considering that they were awarded equitable workload? If other bi-level institutions were put back to the same workload that we presently have, you can believe there would be a price to pay. It is the union's responsibility to fight for equity among all of its constituents. We are not stepchildren and should not be treated differently than other baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Where are you? Sincerely,
Sharad Karkhanis, Ph.D. Forthcoming issues of The Patriot may be accessed at http://www.patriotreturns.com/. |
