Former classified employee - pro union
Hello classified personnel,
I understand you are seeking the possibility of becoming unionized. I wanted to share my thoughts about my support for those efforts.
I worked at MiraCosta College for over 19 years before retiring in December 2024. I was part of a movement years earlier to try to get a union for our classified workers to no avail. Here is what a union can do for you. For classified employees at a community college, a labor union serves as a unified collective voice to negotiate better compensation, secure job protections, and ensure fair workplace treatment. It's this last statement that I would like to speak to. As a classified advocate, I was involved with fighting for the rights of several employees during my tenure at the college. I had also served as the Classification Review Committee (CRC) Chair. We won some challenges and didn't win others. When I think about what could have happened had there been a union in place at those times, it is clear to me that they would have had a stronger voice and advocacy to help them win their arguments against the college. Many classified employees have been and still continue to be treated very unfairly. You need a strong voice to help fight against the injustices at the college.
Even if you feel you are secure in your position, I would encourage you to strongly consider signing that union card in order to bring a stronger voice for yourselves and your colleagues.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly via my MCC email (still active) if you'd like to discuss this further.
Debby
Debby Adler
RETIRED (former Administrative Assistant to the Dean / Academic Senate)
dadler@miracosta.edu