Upholding our values by supporting our right to organize
To our fellow student workers,
We’d like to share with you some of our most beloved professors who believe we should have a democratic election to decide for ourselves whether we should have a union. Listening to what a majority of us need and allowing the democratic process to unfold without interference is what is in line with our Berean values as a community. Here is that letter:
Remain Neutral and Bargain in Good Faith with the United Student Workers of Berea
To: President Nixon and Berea Board of Trustees,
We, the undersigned Berea College faculty, find the efforts of the United Student Workers of Berea (USWB-CWA) consistent with Berean principles and values, past and present. We are calling on you to remain neutral leading up to and during the union election and bargaining in good faith.
As President Cheryl Nixon has stated, “At Berea College, our Great Commitments are our North Star, our inspirational principles. Through the Great Commitments, we know who we are and the ideals we serve—and this sense of greater purpose guides us every day.” As Berea College faculty, we align with President Nixon’s articulation and agree with her description of the importance of these principles for Berea College’s identity and actions, both on and off campus.
One commitment in particular addresses the dignity of labor, stating: “Berea College commits itself to promote the learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done.” Our view is that the principle of dignity of labor must also correspond to an equal dignity of the laborers.
While the vital importance of student labor for operating the institution is unquestionable, there is reason to question the individual and collective treatment of labor students concerning equity, safety, and fairness. As an institution of higher education, we admit that even work done well always has room for improvement (as evidenced by regular assessment, curricular revisions, accreditation, etc.). Our Labor Program is no exception.
While we express our support and gratitude to the Labor Office staff and labor supervisors around campus, we acknowledge the need for reasonable improvement. Dignity of the laborers arises from their sense of agency, inclusion in decision-making, and the institution demonstrating that it values them collectively and individually in the workplace.
We also believe this outcome aligns with the Berean principles and values expressed in our other Great Commitments as well. The ideals of impartial love, human dignity, equal opportunity, gender equality, service to Appalachians, the welfare and wellness of one another, racial equality, interracial community, along with the engagement in and application of a liberal arts education—all of which are found in the other seven Great Commitments—fit appropriately well with the egalitarian foundation of unionized labor. Our hope and intent are to collaborate with students and the administration to see these efforts come to fruition frictionlessly for their benefit, the good of the Labor Program, and the betterment of our campus community and unique educational institution as a whole.
We look forward to you arriving at the correct decision to remain neutral leading to the union election, and negotiate in good faith, setting an example for what honoring and respecting the dignity of labor looks like in practice.
Rochelle Arms Almengor, Assistant Professor, Peace and Social Justice Studies
Shamell Bell, Teacher-Scholar in Residence, the bell hooks center, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Teresa Clifton, Assistant Professor, Spanish
Beth Crachiolo, Chair, Associate Professor, English
Adam Edelman, Professor, General Studies
Megan Feifer, Teacher-Scholar in Residence, the bell hooks center
Dan Feinberg, Associate Professor, Design and Sculpture
Gwendolyn Ferreti, Assistant Professor, Latinx Studies, Peace and Social Justice
Steve Gowler, Professor, General Studies
Chris Green, Associate Professor, Appalachian Studies
Scott Heggen, Associate Professor, Chair, Computer Science
Silas House, NEH Chair, Appalachian Studies, Honorary Alumnus
Jessica Klanderud, Associate Professor, African and African American Studies
LeAnna Luney, Assistant Professor, African and African American Studies, Berea Class of 2016
Shadee Malaklou, Chair, Associate Professor, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Richard Meadows, Associate Professor of French, Chair, Foreign Languages
Amrita Mishra, Assistant Professor, English
dp Patrick, Assistant Professor, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Shannon Phelps, Associate Professor, Health and Human Performance
Tyler Sergent, Associate Professor, General Studies
Lucy Sirianni, Assistant Professor, English
Bobby Starnes, Chair, Appalachian Studies, Professor, General Studies
Jason Strange, Associate Professor, Peace and Social Justice
Gary Thornsberry, Assistant Professor, Theatre, Design/Tech/Management, Berea Class of 2014
Philip Wiggs, Assistant Professor, Director, Art/Student Crafts, Berea College Class of 1991
Grace Ward, Visiting Assistant Professor, Archaeology
Andrea Woodward, Associate Professor, Sociology
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On behalf of the United Student Workers of Berea-CWA Organizing Committee,
Salaam Natsar, Second Year, IT Support Tier I, Information Technology
Hayden Roberts, Third Year, Communications Analyst II, Admissions Office