UPM newsletter

Ponderings of the President

by Ira Lansing

It is probably the time of year when this newsletter will not find you at home. Perhaps you are basking on the beach, meandering in the mountains or pausing on the plains. Quite possibly you wish you were doing one of these activities. Either way, reading this article, and newsletter in general, is not one of your high priorities at the moment. The tendency will be to wait a month or two, just prior to the start of the new semester, to pick this up and become current on the issues. It is therefore even more appropriate that this column present an abundance of numerical data, charts and graphs. Why not-you won't be seeing them any ways! Much like Arlo Guthrie's classic ballad, "Alice's Restaurant," wherein he is arrested for allegedly littering on Thanksgiving Day, hauled into court by an overzealous prosecutor, who has prepared numerous charts and graphs showing the details and extent of the heinous crime, only to find that justice is literally blind and will not see the marvelous plots and graphical particulars, so too shall you not view the meticulous details following herewith. For the record, despite the disability, Justice did find Arlo guilty, a fact which may prove significant later on.

The above chart, abusively drawn over an unknown period of time, shows the decline in faculty. At its peak the College of Marin, both campuses, employed about 220 full-time faculty. Over the years, through retirement incentives and natural attrition, the number has declined. At one point the count was as low as 119. Through recent hiring the total is now around 130.

[This next chart shows the amount of dues paid per month over the last five years by a full-time faculty member, as well as the Union's hourly cost to pay its employees at the stipend rate. Clearly there is an increasing trend for both, but most recently the stipend rate has grown significantly. Coupled with a significant decline in dues paying members, the revenue to the Union has decreased considerably. This represents an increase in the costs of doing business for UPM. And what might our business be, you ask? Representing you, of course. This requires office personnel (with benefits), attorneys, accountants, printing and duplicating, insurance and taxes. And like Arlo Guthrie, who when called before the Draft Board and was forced to reveal his life of crime involving littering, found himself on the Group W bench, with criminals of all ilk, including the mother stabbers and father rapers, UPM often finds itself representing the strange, the idiosyncratic, the quaint, the unsuspecting, all for the cause of protecting the rest of us from future abuses, and in most cases without choice.

But ahh, you say, look at the increasing dues UPM has collected. Ohhh, I respond, where does that money go. Nearly 60% of it is immediately returned to the CFT and AFT at the state and national levels. It is true that they return to the local money in the form of staffing allocations and legal defense fund grants, but not nearly the full amount tendered. The following table makes an even clearer point. The first column shows the percentages the dues have increased over the last five years (in some years there was more than one increase and in one year the Executive Council voted not to pass on to the members half of the increase, but to pay it out of UPM expenses). The next column shows the percentage that was attributable to UPM.

Percentage Percentage
Increase in Dues to UPM
1.3 0
1.0 0
1.0 0
2.0 0
1.1 0
2.9 0
2.2 0

While percentage increases and dollar amounts may be small, it is very apparent that none of this money has gone to UPM. All of it has gone directly to the CFT and AFT (and for good cause). Quite clearly UPM itself has not raised the dues to its members one penny since 1997. The time has come for the membership to consider changing this trend and instituting a dues increase that will provide 100% direct funding to the local. At the general membership meeting in August a motion for an increase will be brought to the members for their consideration. Think about the issues, ask your questions and come to an informed decision. I won't remind you that this vote will take place after a sumptuous lunch paid for by UPM with your dues money; the cost of said lunch also increasing dramatically over the years. And much like Arlo sang- "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant, 'ceptin' Alice"-UPM strives to be a full-service organization.

Have a restful summer. Stay informed, be in touch.



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