Dear Editor,

Staff from nearly every department and every school at Suffolk University are joining together to form a union of clerical, technical and professional staff. We are office coordinators, staff assistants, program coordinators, technology assistants, librarians, admissions assistants and much more. We provide support to faculty and the administration but, most importantly, we are front-line staff who work with students every day, and are deeply invested in both your success and the success of this university.

Suffolk’s presidential turmoil over the last few years has led to a rapid increase in the number of creative and committed staff who have left or been let go by the university.  The departures have been hastened by the university’s failure to provide raises (or even basic cost-of-living increases) to staff for five years.  Acting President Kelly’s recent announcement of a one-time increase for staff and faculty members was certainly welcome news; however, as Kelly said, ‘it will not make up for the absence of general increases in the past.’ There is still a long way to go toward negotiating regular, predictable raises and ensuring that the respect and recognition of staff continues.

Our desire to form a union is about much more than raises. Aside from the ability to negotiate a contract that spells out wages and working conditions, we want a seat at the table to help determine working conditions, a process for how changes are implemented, and a grievance procedure.  We also want to ensure that Suffolk’s workforce becomes more stable, and we are able to attract (and keep) the talented and creative staff that are here for our students.

Our union will give us a collective voice to speak out about our own needs as well as the needs of our students and programs without fear of retaliation, as is already the case at many other colleges in Boston. We will push for fairness, equity, transparency, stability and predictability in our jobs and our University. Staff will elect our own officers and representatives, decide the issues that require action, and vote on approving our contracts. As a union, we call on Suffolk’s administration to recognize the work we do, to treat us equitably as dedicated employees, and work with us to achieve fair contracts.

This is our voice and our union. We invite all of the Suffolk community to join us in making this our Suffolk. Show your support by signing the petition at bit.ly/OurSuffolk, check out our Facebook page and website at OurSuffolk.org.

Sincerely,

The Our Suffolk Union Organizing Committee