Amid uncertain times in education, Macalester College Art & Art History and Music staff file to unionize 

Staff from Macalester College s Art Art History Department and its Music Department are joining in an effort across the college to unionize The staff filed for a union balloting on May with the National Labor Relations Board Made up of non-faculty non-supervisory staff the employees have declared their intention to join the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees MAPE a union made up of organization employees working in Minnesota in a range of industries It seemed a natural step for Cheryl Wilgren who directs the Art Art History Department s visual materials library In previous jobs Wilgren has had positive experiences with unions including the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees AFSCME at the University of Minnesota I saw the way in which it protected workers and the way a good faith relationship between a union and an employer can make a place really desirable to work she stated Wilgren is a practicing artist and curator and decided to join Macalester s staff back in because she required to work with art and art history students staff and faculty That was my goal to find a place where I could be a part of these up and coming artists and art historians lives she announced She has a beautiful art-filled shared office space with a large window and a little balcony overlooking the common area at the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center But she sees a big issue with being an at-will employee We d like to have a seat at the table here and help to negotiate benefits and all sorts of things that we don t have a voice in right now she revealed I would like the next person that gets my job to have the stability of a union in place so that they re able to manage the work situations Wilgren has been part of an organizing committee tasked with recruiting new members It s been so exciting to meet so a great number of people on campus that I wouldn t have met otherwise and to talk to them about their jobs and how we can make things better she disclosed Mackenzie Stern a department coordinator in the Music Department first came to Macalester in after previously working in music guidance for a citizens school district in Iowa She s noticed the difference of working for an employer without a union The way it is at the moment there s a real sense of as at-will employees that changes can be made sometimes without great communication and very short notice if at all she mentioned With the union we would be governed and protected by a contract And right now we have a handbook that is subject to revision Stern points to a change in political weather for a renewed potency in organizing conversations I think given the current federal administration the power of collective action is more critical than ever she commented We have the force and the urgency now to reach out and communicate and get everybody on board Gwen Comings the department coordinator at Macalester s Art and Art History Department commented President Donald Trump s referendum motivated them to join the organizing committee because we were anticipating that he would make changes to the National Labor Relations Board they explained If there s anything that would scream at us this is urgent that electoral contest really spurred us to move forward As an artist Comings often deals with their experience growing up in rural poverty After the first Trump term Comings began noticing how signs of Americana like gingham picnic tables American flags and gazebos began to take on a different meaning All of those kinds of symbols that at one point were seen by more people as comforting the symbols of American life have now become a little bit more ominous Comings commented In taking on those themes Comings art addresses various of the reasons unions are central they say In fact Comings was fairly surprised Macalester staff didn t already have a union My partner is an alum so I ve heard about what Macalester s mission is and how forward thinking they try to be And so I was a little bit confused why there wasn t already one there they disclosed Comings loves her job at Macalester but hopes to see change in a meager instances of top-down decision making since I ve been there that really affected me and a lot of people I know who work here they commented Issues like robustness insurance premiums for spouses and privacy issues with a background check firm are among the ones they d like to address If we had a union Comings reported we could bring these things to light For now the organizing committee is compiling a list of concerns to put forth in contract negotiations Before that happens the union necessities to be recognized and so far Macalester s administration has declined a request for voluntary recognition The college declined voluntary recognition because its leadership believes that all eligible employees should have a say with their vote as to whether or not they wish to be represented by a bargaining unit declared Macalester s spokesperson Joe Linstroth Macalester also lists a Q A on its website about the MAPE union here Meanwhile scholar workers at Macalester voted overwhelmingly to unionize earlier this year The post Amid uncertain times in schooling Macalester College Art Art History and Music staff file to unionize appeared first on MinnPost