CMU unions support Faculty Association, but will not strike

• Tweet
• 

The majority of the Central Michigan University unions said they stand behind the Faculty Association’s decision to strike.

The Union of Teaching Faculty president, Jim Eikrem, said it fully supports the FA.

“We absolutely support them in striking,” he said. “We do advise them not to take any work.”

Although the UTF agreed not to strike in their own contract, Eikrem said they are sympathetic. Many of the other unions said their contracts have put them in the same position.

Karen Bellingar, president of the United Auto Workers Local 6888, said they are also under a contract that prohibits them from striking, but not from supporting their fellow unions.

Bellingar said members can picket with the faculty so long as it is on their own time, and they plan to. Bellingar said they have picketed in the past.

Union members said they are prepared to support the FA, but they have not voted on a plan yet.

Waterford graduate assistant Michelle Campbell said she thinks the Graduate Union will show support for the FA but still continue to teach. She plans to picket all day when she is not working.

Ruth Barrett, vice president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said she will do the same.

“If I have the time outside of work time, I’ll walk the picket line,” she said. “I support them … but we cannot strike.”

Bellingar said she was expecting the strike to happen.

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “I think all of the groups on campus have had their share of knowing how negotiations were going.”

Linda Dielman, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, said their union is not concerned about pickets because their building is not located on campus.

She said she is not happy with their contract, but said they have agreed to it in good faith and will not strike.

“There’s only 102 of us, and if we went on strike we would not get any pay,” Dielman said. “We have been going through negotiations for 19 months and we’ve been working without a (new) contract for almost 14 (months).”

The real question, Dielman said, is whether unions who work in the same buildings will cross picket lines.

“I don’t have an estimate for you about who may go to work and who won’t,” Eikrem said. “There may be those that feel otherwise about crossing a picket line, but we are advising our members to report to work.”