A UNM employee took Monday off, sitting in front of the SUB for nine-and-a-half hours, hoping to bring attention to his cause.
Russell Morris, a UNM admissions officer, had about 170 signatures on a petition to decertify United Staff-UNM, a union for educational support staff at the University.
"I am captured in the bargaining unit," Morris said. "It's weak and can't effectively represent us."
The union serves 925 UNM employees in about 50 different offices on campus in a bargaining unit. Those employees do not have a say whether they are part of the bargaining unit, but can choose to be union members by paying dues.
He said some unit members would like to have the opportunity to not be in it and petitioning is the only way it can be done.
Each of the signatures he collects is valid for only six months. The petition must be presented to UNM's Board of Regents no earlier than 90 days or no later than 60 days before the end of the union contract. If 30 percent of the bargaining unit does not support the union, the regents can call for a decertification election. Or, in the face of a good-faith doubt that the bargaining representative does not have a majority support of the employees in the unit, the election can also be called for.
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"Instead of each individual having to live with terms put forth by the administration, employees have a say in bargaining for what their wages, benefits and working conditions will be," said US-UNM President Lucille Farrington.
Between 8.2 percent and 10.2 percent of the bargaining unit pays dues to become union members. Those who make more than $28,000 a year pay full dues, which are $19.16 a pay period. Those who make less pay $13 a pay period.
"Even though our membership is low, we have a much larger support than dues-paying numbers would indicate," Farrington said.
She said before the union started at UNM three years ago, it had to gain 60 percent of the bargaining unit's support before agreeing to become a union.
"Those are the people who voted the union in," Farrington said. "They definitely had a say whether they would be represented by a union."
Morris needs 292 signatures and said he will end up short, but he will try to point out that 10.2 percent representation is clearly less than a majority of the bargaining unit.
The decision to not pay dues does not mean the bargaining unit is not protected in the same way as members are.
"The union gives staff a voice in their working conditions and in their pay - it makes them part of the process," Farrington said.
A similar petition was started last May in an attempt to decertify the union, but rules were not followed.
"I just decided to take a stand and try and do something about it," Morris said. "I may not be successful, but I'm not going to quit."
