Tom Flesher, a member of the JEDI Institute executive board, speaks during a panel presentation on June 14. (photo by Christina Vargas)

As an economics professor, and as the FA works toward its next contract, I’d like to share my perspective on the state of things at the college. This might help members better understand how the administrative perspective often differs from our membership perspective.

Historically, the FA has long faced the following paradox. During times of inflation, gross domestic product (GDP)—the measure economists use for the overall health of the economy—is usually rising and unemployment tends to fall. With falling unemployment, enrollment in higher education programs, particularly vocational programs, tends to fall.

This makes intuitive sense, because when unemployment drops, wages tend to rise, making it more attractive for workers to stay in their jobs or make lateral moves to other companies to raise their compensation. So, when the FA’s constituency is facing rising costs of living, college administration feels like it is in no position to give high raises.

On the other hand, during times when inflation is low, costs of living don’t rise as quickly. Thus, even though enrollment tends to increase during recessions, college administration feels like it can be difficult to justify granting high raises based on the cost of living.

In other words, no matter what the macroeconomy looks like, there is an argument that salaries at the college don’t need to increase. I think the FA membership generally would agree that our salaries need to at least keep pace with the cost of living.

With that in mind, it is important for workers to support the FA in its efforts to argue for our increased value to students.

Consider some good news: A Gallup poll from August 2022 shows that support for unions is rising, and in 2022 the number of unionized workers in the United States rose by about 200,000. A study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics showed that union membership tends to increase worker pay, but, just as importantly, it reduces income inequality.

So why don’t we see even more unionization? Economists use the rule of thumb that, when costs to do something increase, we tend to see less of it. The costs involved in unionization include mustering support from workers but also overcoming employer opposition and significant labor law barriers. All of these added costs tend to make it difficult to achieve the goals of the union, which include not only higher pay but also decreased income inequality, even across race and gender lines (Mona Chalabi posted a useful graphic on this on May 6 in support of the Writers Guild of America strike).

The question then becomes: How can workers overcome these barriers?

A study published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives proposes a solution: social capital and dense social networks. Put simply, a successful union requires not only that the most trusted, best-known workers support the union but also that as many people are involved as possible. The more connections workers make with their coworkers, the better chance the union has to succeed.

The FA needs not only your support but the support of all of our coworkers as well. The more connected our workforce is, the better our chance to achieve the goals of higher pay and more equal pay across positions at the college. These things matter because attracting and retaining excellent faculty is critical to best serving the needs of our ever-changing student population at the college.

This is why the FA has created an FA Committees and Activities Interest Assessment. We invite all members, full time and adjunct, to indicate which FA committees, activities and roles you might be interested in. This is NOT a sign-up form! It’s just to get a sense of what your interests might be.

The FA will contact you to talk through where there’s need and which positions might best suit your interests, skills and availabilities. Some members can get involved only in one or two small ways, and others can get involved at higher levels—and that’s okay.
Please take a moment to complete the FA Committees and Activities Interest Assessment.

As I explained above, the more active and engaged our membership is, the better we can work together to serve SCCC students and help the college succeed long into the future.