Friday October 5, 2001

Budget cuts cited as one more reason for a UA workers union

Supporters of employee unionization say impending budget cuts are one reason the UA needs a union, while other universities say one union for all employees is unthinkable.

Jeff Imig, a University of Arizona employee who supports the union, said the demands set forth by him and several other university employees remain the same despite the $13.8 million budget cuts being imposed on the University of Arizona by Gov. Jane Dee Hull.

A movement of UA employees is seeking a "wall to wall" union - which would include all UA employees below the department head level.

UA union supporters said blame for the budget cuts should be directed at the state Legislature.

"The real problem is the state Legislature has forgotten their goal to provide good education," Imig said.

Imig said the need for a union has increased as repercussions from the budget are expected to fall on those who the union would benefit most.

"I think we can all expect that if cuts are made, they will adversely affect people who are already struggling," he said. "These people are struggling, and we're trying to cut them even more."

Union officials say the potential for an increase in tuition to aid in the budget cuts is not the answer.

"We do not support any further increase - it already affects the poorest of our community," he said

Arizona's public universities currently have the second-lowest tuition rate for public universities nationwide.

"Schools with higher tuitions than us should drop theirs as well," Imig said.

Other schools, such as the University of Washington in Seattle, are also looking to increase tuition to quell constraints issued by their state legislatures.

UW officials said one of the ways to alleviate the deficit from their budget woes was a possible hike in tuition.

Teaching assistants in the humanities and social sciences departments at UW held a strike last spring while seeking a unionization of all TAs on campus.

Norm Arkans, associate vice president of university relations at UW, said the university already has 19 different bargaining unions representing workers on campus.

UA is currently looking to form one union for all employees, a consolidation Arkans said would be unrealistic and impossible.

"There's just too many different issues, particularly on the academic side," Arkans said. "You're assuming there are that many commonalities."

Imig said a "wall-to-wall" union is necessary to make an impact.

"Twenty thousand people supporting a union at the UA is better than just the 13,000 faculty," he said. "We think it's a little different but a little more powerful."

Brad Hayward, a spokesman for the University of California, said more than 13 unions represent 31 different groups of employees there. He said a "wall-to-wall" union would be impossible at UC.