Submitted on behalf of President Thomas Rochon:
Dear Colleague:
As you know, the National Labor Relations Board is conducting an election to determine whether a majority of part-time and adjunct faculty at Ithaca College wish to be represented or not by the Service Employees International Union.
On May 11, 2015, the NLRB’s Regional Office in Buffalo mailed a ballot to each eligible voter’s home address on file with the College. The essence of the question on the ballot is, “Do you want the union, yes or no?” We wanted to reach out and remind everyone to please mark the box of your choice and follow the instructions for submitting your completed ballot by return mail to the NLRB in the envelope provided. The deadline for receipt of completed ballots by the NLRB is May 27. The NLRB will count the ballots and announce the results on May 28.
Voter turnout is critical. The election will be decided by the majority of properly completed ballots that are received by the deadline, not by the total number of eligible voters. There are roughly 300 part-time and adjunct faculty members in the eligible voting group. As we have noted previously, if for example only 200 eligible faculty return a ballot, and 101 of those vote for the union, then all 300 would become members of the bargaining unit. In other words, a simple majority of votes cast will determine the outcome. We feel that this decision is too important to be decided by a minority, so we strongly encourage everyone to cast your ballot.
For more information on this issue, please visit www.ithaca.edu/unionchoice.
Sincerely,
Thomas Rochon
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20150521125421885