Bates College staff launch union drive in response to low pay, high turnover
Adjunct faculty and staff at Bates College in Lewiston have announced that they are attempting to unionize, citing low pay, poor working conditions and declining staff retention at the private liberal arts college as their reasons for organizing.
Staff announced on Monday that “a strong majority of contingent faculty” filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board over the weekend. If the union drive succeeds, faculty and non-managerial staff will become a chapter of the Maine Service Employees Association-SEIU Local 1989 (which also represents Beacon staff), forming the Bates Educators and Staff Organization (BESO).
“Over the past year, too many of our coworkers have left due to dissatisfaction, low pay, and poor working conditions at the College,” a statement by Bates staff reads. “Losing so much talent and expertise has added more work for those of us who remain, diminishing our capacity to provide quality learning and living conditions for our students. By forming our union, we establish a means to improve these conditions and therefore protect the Bates we all know and love.”
Staff are attempting to organize Bates “wall-to-wall,” meaning any worker who is not management, tenure-track faculty, or a campus safety officer is eligible to join the union.
Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/bates-college-staff-want-to-unionize-due-to-low-pay-and-high-turnover/