The Administration War on Faculty
By We don’t often think of professors as the most proletarianized of workforces; professors don’t usually think of themselves this way. But professors have been on the defensive against college and university administration for years and it is getting worse and the anti-union fanatics grow stronger.
The administration at Bowling Green State University in Ohio went so far as to help John Kasich and his allies write SB-5, the Scott Walker-type anti-public union bill that was forced through over union protests. Among other things, SB-5 bans professors from collective bargaining. The BGSU administration was angry that their faculty voted to grant collective bargaining powers to its AAUP chapter, essentially turning it into a full-fledged union.
SB-5 is almost certain to be defeated in November by Ohio voters. But the brazen attempt by the BGSU administration is indicative of how aggressive university administrations have become with their faculty. Disturbing for all of us in the academy.