Administrative Staff Union Decertifies at Ocean County College
Dissatisfaction with representation cited
Thirty-two members of the Ocean County College administrative staff are no longer represented by a union, after more than two years of efforts to remove the union.
The staff, which had been represented by the Federation of Professional Administrators, under the American Federation of Teachers, had begun the move to decertify in 2009, said RoseAnn D'Urso, the manager of promotional programming, who was a member of the union.
The move, which ends more than 20 years of union representation for the group, was announced at the Ocean County College Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday in Toms River.
After more than two years of wrangling, 86 percent of the members voted to decertify, said D'Urso, who was the former vice president of the union. The American Federation of Teachers did not fight the move, and it was approved by the state's Public Employees Relations Commission in April.
"It has been a very long and road and sometimes a very difficult process in our bid to decertify the union," D'Urso said in a prepared statement at the trustees' meeting. "Our members are very happy to be fully-integrated into the Unclassified Administrators Unit and we look forward to putting the past behind us and forging ahead to a bright and productive future."
D'Urso said the union members had issues with the advice they were receiving from the American Federation of Teachers, and though they asked for and received a new representative, the members felt it didn't improve the situation.
"We were disillusioned," D'Urso said. The members felt the union was not being forthright with them, and there were concerns about the representative not being up to date with current legislation that related to their situations. She declined to be more specific.
D'Urso said now that the union has been decertified, they cannot unionize again for a year, and she indicated that would be unlikely. The group, which first organized in the 1990s, was initially represented by the New Jersey Education Association. But unhappiness with that affiliation led them to switch to the American Federation of Teachers in 2006, she said.
"We're really very happy to be back with the university," she said.
"We appreciate your trust," OCC President Jon Larsen said after the decertification was announced.
Chief Wahoo
1:54 pm on Friday, June 1, 2012
GET RID OF ALL PUBLIC UNIONS EVERYWHERE !!!!!!!!
see1sthand
2:13 pm on Friday, June 1, 2012
Unions where good when they 1st started for work condition reasons, HOWEVER IN most cases ( with teachers & other union workers in my family) I have learned that the Unions for the most part mean do the least amount of work for the most amount of money,a promise of employment,regardless if you are doing a good job or not & some benefits even after they are no longer working for the union, some cases at the tax payers cost. There are now fed. laws protecting us from most of the things the Unions got started for. There is no need for them any longer except to make money, & Give jobs to those who are not derserving other then knowing someone or being related to someone.... & once you get these jobs, Milk it for everything its worth.... & that my dear is the Truth <3
So Much to Say
12:31 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!
Unions have destroyed this country and the american product.
Gary LaFetra
8:45 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
You said it!!!!
Smot Revir
8:58 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
@ so much to say...For someone who has so much to say,what you say is assinine with the emphasis on ASS !
So Much to Say
12:49 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
@Smot Revir I'm guessing your a union THUG. Unions protect slackers. You must be one of the slackers.
Keeping whats mine
7:41 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Look at the IBEW. Almost a year with no contract. They refuse to pay anything towards their benefits. Its NOT 1985 anymore and they dont have their once power. Betcha lots of jobs go bye-bye because of this.
stopbyichabtit
10:07 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
why do they need a contract to work? JUST GO to work like everyone else in the world
Keeping whats mine
6:53 am on Monday, June 4, 2012
They are working. Problem is they think the company owes them a paycheck for just showing up. Its a "we deserve" mind set. Without the union protection there will be lots of openings. Verizon does not need them as much as they think. Their jobs will be filled tomorrow. With good or bad techs doesn't matter. Wait and see
skizma
8:20 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
STUPID that it takes that long to get OUT of the union, but one vote to be in. It's wrong and stupid. NO ONE should be forced to join a union. It should not be mandatory for new employees or ones that are already in a place that a union comes into, to join. It should be your CHOICE. Unions cause instant friction and are there for their own preservation. Duuhhhh to all who don't see that. what a waste of money. draining your income for what????
stopbyichabtit
10:10 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
excample read in another article in Brick batch al lthe money that gormt workers are getting for not usingsick day& the one guy that called out every Mon & Fri bcz he was told he couldnt bank them anymore for retirement, In the REAL world if you called out every Friday & Monday you wouldnt have a Job anymore... This is the Unions Protection & way... Dont work & get paid.
skizma
8:24 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
and dead on with the comments below. Only in strict industrial settings do they maintain good working conditions and are an organization there for the assembly type worker. Or workers in poor working conditions. But in todays work environment they are only there for themselves. Not much can be done except reverse quality etc. through their protection of poor employees. The good excellent staff end up supporting the very poorest co workers. BAD idea.....
RPtoTR
9:52 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
It is so easy to demonize the unions, and completely exonerate the administration. I do not know the particulars of OCC union/administration relationships. I do know that when I see the salary and benefits of the school administration they do not seem equitable when compared to the salaries of professors, who actually do the real work of educating the students.
I am quite certain that if there were no need to protect workers rights, then there would never have been a union movement. Supply and Demand works both ways.
However I find it difficult to believe that administrative staff require union representation.
stopbyichabtit
10:12 am on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Wondering With a Union protecting teachers WHY then do they allow them to work in unhealthy conditions with classrooms over 86 degrees ??
Pat S.
1:20 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Because school budgets have to prepare for building upgrades and for the most part, there isn't $ left over for what is considered a "luxury"!
howudoin
3:42 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
upgrades?// Nothing has been done to old brick since it opened. I have lived here for almost 14 yrs and have mpt seen ONE improvment. ( however its weird the Adm. keep getting raisies)
KC
10:12 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Agreed! Brick High School looks like it is 1965 with old wood paneling (lots of mold behind that I bet) and a positively dated decor. The state the schools are in should be an embarassment. Just another benchmark in the deterioration of this country. We can build hotels in Vegas, but apparently not a decent high school. It shows where priorities are placed.
KC
10:14 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Also, more on topic, if employees are going to trust administration Good Luck with that! We have seen what the kindness of administrators, law makers and management have garnered us over the last thirty-five years going back to the reign of Ronald Regan and the air controllers. Non-union workers are just jealous of the unions. My wish is that they get the Republican oligarchy that they vote for.
Kris Stevens
5:22 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012
Keep in mind, Unions can do good as well and keep employees rights in check.
thetruthbetold
8:36 am on Monday, June 4, 2012
@ kris the problem is in MOST cases its a " dont ask to tell" policy, IF they dont ASK to take a nap & set their alarm get up to " punch out" then its has just become regular practice. I have never seen such a waste of time& money ( including tax payers) then that Union job that NEVER got finished the eye sour Xanado complex by Metlife /.... Give that to some unemployed const. plumbers, elect works etc... That job would be completed in 1/2 the time & 1/2 the cost the People on the Job would be happy to be working, Not like the Union guys that where their finding every reason why they cant. taking breaks every 2 hrs, stricking ETC.... Like soneone said above," just shut up & go to work." the unemployement being recordered at 8.5 % ( that not including the people their unemployment ran out & that # just isnt recorded any more) bet its more like 10% of PPL out of work .. they really need to stop Bitching over how much they have to pay for medical & why they dont have a coffee pot ready avlb. for them ( Now they have to buy there own coffee) just petty BS.((( Yes I have heard this very complaint from a union worker))) The unions are a money making business with still underline orginized crime ran by a bunch of gumbas...