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Joan Giroux, Melissa H. Potter, Michael Caplan and Jessica Young (“All faculty voices at Columbia College must be heard,” Dec. 5) hide behind their membership in the American Association of University Professors to undermine their colleagues’ fight for a fair contract. Their lack of solidarity and comprehension of the issues at their own institution is shameful, and as educators and union leaders, we cannot let these faculty undermine our union’s right to collective bargaining.
The Columbia College Faculty Union, or CFAC, represents more than 600 adjuncts, about two-thirds of the entire teaching staff, who teach 1,000 courses. This year, administrators decided to cut hundreds of classes while doubling the class size in other courses. Students come to Columbia College for its small class sizes and hands-on lessons with world-class instructors. These cuts, and the administration’s failure to bargain in good faith, have put student learning at risk; that is why CFAC is on strike.
It is disturbing that four faculty members who are not members of the union’s or management’s bargaining team are wielding anti-union rhetoric and attacking the National Labor Relations Act’s right to exclusive representation, in order to inject themselves into the debate and sow confusion throughout the Columbia College community.
The authors claim that CFAC’s proposal for job security and guaranteed course loads for adjuncts would be a financial burden to the college. Yet, at the same time, they ignore the fact that their president and CEO received an unjustified $240,000 bonus that, if spent on student needs, would save about 40 classes.
Columbia’s administration is effectively encouraging full-time faculty to cross a picket line and break the strike by offering them overload classes, pitting full-timers and adjuncts against each other. Instead of endorsing that strategy, the authors should be standing with their colleagues to secure a brighter future — for themselves, their students and the city of Chicago.
— Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers; Dan Montgomery, Illinois Federation of Teachers; and Diana Vallera, Columbia College Faculty Union
Adjuncts are the backbone
When the adjunct faculty members of Columbia College Chicago began our strike in mid-October, the idea of being lied to, locked out and set adrift was unthinkable. After all, we represent two-thirds of the entire faculty!
I’d love to share that school leaders have had an ethical and economic epiphany, but that hasn’t happened. We now witness the tragic decline of a college that built much of its reputation on the backs of its adjunct faculty — come to Columbia and you’d work directly with part-time instructors who are full-time professionals.
I was invited to help build the fashion studies department, and, over the past 30-plus years, I have trained designers, visual merchandisers and more who are now vice presidents, display specialists and fabricators — leaders in the field. I created the coursework, including in-store practicums at Marshall Field’s and Macy’s to provide hands-on experience. Over time, those opportunities expanded to Saks and Bloomingdale’s, some under the direction of former students who were now working as store executives and adjunct faculty. In other words, two-for-one training.
My experience is shared by hundreds of dedicated professionals who share their career expertise in Columbia College classrooms and beyond.
But now? We are locked out of our courses. We can no longer access our intellectual property, and we watch from the picket line as scabs slink by to meet with our students.
Do better, Columbia!
— Amy Meadows, adjunct faculty member, Columbia College Chicago
Time to overturn Citizens United
“Earth’s vital signs are failing. ... You can prevent planetary crash and burn,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told world leaders at the United Nations climate conference in the United Arab Emirates as our planet is experiencing its hottest year on record.
“Climate chaos is fanning the flames of injustice. Global heating is busting budgets, ballooning food prices, upending energy markets and feeding a cost of living crisis. Climate action can flip the switch,” he said (“Climate summit begins with world leaders’ vows, appeals,” Dec. 3).
Time is of the essence. The crisis calls for a worldwide, U.S.-led, World War II-style mobilization for solar and wind energy, energy efficiency and whatever else will avoid disaster.
Why is this not happening? Because fossil fuel interests pour millions of dollars into political contributions — mostly to Republicans — to block that party from acting against climate change.
If not for big fossil fuel contributions, we might have a revenue-neutral carbon tax that includes a dividend to American households, reflects fossil fuels’ harm to human health and the environment, and speeds the transition away from fossil fuels.
Unlimited political spending by corporations was permitted by the Supreme Court’s precedent-overturning Citizens United decision in 2010 with the five justices in the majority appointed by Republican presidents.
Fossil fuel interests are in pursuit of profits but oblivious to the harm from their products. Yet thanks to Citizens United, they are able to buy powerful influence.
We must overturn Citizens United and get big money out of politics if we want government decisions based on merit and the public interest, indeed, if we want to protect life on our planet.
— Richard Barsanti, Western Springs
Leaders’ control of the message
In the movie “The American President,” Michael Douglas’ character makes a speech about democracy being tough and how important it is to let others say things that might make one want to rant and rave. It is so true.
I reference the story about the Calumet City mayor not wanting municipal employees to speak to aldermen (“Emails show Calumet City mayor prevents public employees from communicating with aldermen,” Dec. 5). Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is turning out to be a master at not telling people what they deserve to hear, such as holding back a report about the migrant site being contaminated.
Chicago Tribune Opinion
Dictators around the world revel in telling their citizens only what they want them to hear. I have heard more than one media commentator over the years say that maybe democracy is not meant for the modern technology era. Donald Trump seems to want to get rid of it entirely. Politicians often talk about the need for transparency. Do they mean it? They campaign heavily on it.
Democracy can be dirty and messy. Facts can hurt the feelings of people, such as the history Ron DeSantis is trying upend in Florida. But America was built on the idea that there is no special class of citizens who are supposed to be the only ones who know what is going on. We urge people to vote based on knowledge about what is going on, but some politicians go out of their way to withhold that knowledge. It’s just not the American way.
I realize that at a higher level, some secrecy is needed to protect national security. But this should be done as rarely as possible and should be even rarer at the state and local levels. If something is done in secret, it raises suspicion among the citizenry that maybe it shouldn’t be done at all. If politicians cannot handle the limelight and the critique that often goes along with doing their jobs, perhaps they should get out of the political business.
— Laurence Siegel, Manteno, Illinois
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