On Tuesday, November 2, 2010 the entire Tennessee House of Representatives, half of the state Senate and the Governor’s office stand for election. For anyone who works in higher education in Tennessee these elections are critical. Candidates are more than just our political representatives; in fact, they are also our bosses.
Next July 1, 2011, will we see a long overdue pay raise or our fourth year without one? Will we face massive layoffs or an end to budget cuts? Who can roll back these negative changes that have come about with the state’s new health insurance plans? What can be done to ensure fairness, due process, and protections against layoffs?
Those we elect on November 2 will have the power to make these changes.
UCW-CWA members from MTSU, the UT system, University of Memphis and other areas created the 2010 candidate questionnaire to find out where the politicians stand on the issues that are most important to us. Our goal is to educate higher education employees about the responses and support candidates who will champion our cause.
The questionnaire covers the following areas:
• Solutions to Tennessee’s budget crisis
• Living wages for higher education workers
• Improving higher education employee rights and grievance procedures
• Complete College Act and linking funding to graduation rates
• Position and steps to take on ensuring quality education and saving higher education jobs
• Outsourcing and privatization of higher education jobs
In early August the questionnaire was mailed to over 170 candidates running for 99 house and 17 senate seats.
As of October 4, 2010, close to 30 responses had been submitted from areas all across the state.
To win our endorsement, candidates had to respond to the questionnaire and be recommended by local chapters and committees after responses were analyzed.
UCW-CWA does not hand out organizational support to every incumbent running for re-election or who is of one particular political party. Candidates must show support for our issues to receive endorsement. Endorsement from UCW-CWA means that we’re going to work hard to see pro-worker, pro-education candidates elected to office.
The questionnaires explain where many candidates stand on our issues-- the good, the bad, and the really ugly.
It talks about the hard work that UCW members, higher education employees with full-time jobs and families, are doing on nights and weekends to see good candidates get elected to represent us in Nashville.
Hopefully, you will have a better sense of the issues at stake on Election Day and will feel better prepared to vote for good people committed to make the difference we need in the General Assembly! Check out our election page to find all responses and see where the various candidates stand!
Endorsed Candidates Who will Fight for You!
Knoxville area members with Sam Alexander
At the last Knoxville chapter meeting of UCW-CWA, members unanimously voted to endorse Sam Alexander, running for House District 18. (Click HERE to view his candidate questionnaire.)Sam is not a career politician, as this is his first run for public office, but he has been representing working people since 1985 as a local and then regional officer in his union at Norfolk Southern Railway.
Sam’s questionnaire responses show his broad support for those who make our public colleges and universities run. He is opposed to cutting services and supports raising additional revenue to fund critical services. “I am opposed to any loophole that allows any major corporation doing business in Tennessee to avoid paying taxes that fund state services.”
We need candidates who understand what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck—and to rely on yearly cost of living raises just to keep up with inflation. Sam supports living wages and equal-dollar raises rather than percentage raises, so that those who need raises the most will be sure to get them. As a longtime workplace leader, Sam supports other working people having a say in their working conditions. Sam is “a firm believer in the right to bargain collectively.”
James Hale is running for State Representative in House district 40. (Click here to view Hale's candidate questionnaire.) He started out as a leader in his local union, Laborers’ Local 386, and has since served in both regional and international leadership positions. Hale supports equal dollar raises, living wages and is strongly opposed to outsourcing state jobs.
He says, “I would push for legislation that kept these jobs or held any contract workers to the same standards as state employees. Decreased wages and benefits saves the state nothing. Lower wages prevent people from buying food, clothing, rent, and the basic goods and services that keep our communities employed and growing.” James supports funding higher education and saving jobs.
“It all comes back to the community and in a broader sense, the state. The University serves the community it is located in. Job cuts in higher education lead to lost education, lost opportunity, and ultimately lost state revenue.” Hale’s responses show his understanding of the real issues facing hardworking women and men.
Jeanne Richardson supports paying living wages to higher education employees and says, “I have supported better pay for state employees since I have been in the legislature.” She thinks the state’s role in supporting affordable higher education is essential. She’s concerned, “if we do not enact a fairer and more comprehensive taxation system we will continue to fall behind in major areas such as education and health.”
This past spring, Rep. Barbara Cooper sponsored UCW’s House bill 2647 to grant higher education employees the same layoff protections as other state workers. Already one of our allies in the legislature, UCW is supporting Rep. Cooper in her bid for re-election this November.
Mark Maddox’s questionnaire responses return to a common theme---funding, funding, funding! He sees the role of public higher education as creating “economic development by producing an educated workforce.” He supports saving jobs and programs when federal stimulus money ends and reiterates, “higher education must be funded properly.”
Maddox connects the need for funding to his opposition to outsourcing, pointing out that proper funding can prevent it. Maddox supports paying a living wage and equal-dollar cost of living raises for hard working higher education employees.
Willie “Butch” Borchert is a retired union pipe fitter who favors raising revenue rather than cutting services.
He recognizes the importance of strong public higher education as the key to Tennessee’s future. “More and more businesses and industries are looking at a state’s educational resources when planning new operations or expanding existing facilities.”
He opposes outsourcing in higher education and wants to save jobs that will go unfunded when the federal stimulus money runs out in July 2011. He supports our living wage campaign and agrees to sponsor or co-sponsor legislation to extend civil-service grievance protections to higher education staff. We agree with Borchert when he says, “Working men and women need fellow working men and women fighting for them in the halls of government.”
GET INVOLVED SUPPORTING CANDIDATES WHO SUPPORT US:
CHATTANOOGA: Dileep @ 423-503-7375
KNOXVILLE: Thomas @ 865-776-3094
MARTIN: Tim @ 270-472-1158
MEMPHIS: Tom @ 865-454-0241
MURFREESBORO: Rachel @ 615-390-7051
TN EARLY VOTING:
OCTOBER 13TH – 28TH, 2010
OCTOBER 25TH- 28TH, 2010 UTKUNIVERSITYCENTER:
ELECTION DAY:
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2010
Notable responses from our 2010 Candidate Questionnaire
“A Living Wage is a necessity. During my tenure as a LIUNA Vice President, I was proud to stand by my fellow members of Local 386 working at Vanderbilt University as they negotiated a contract which instituted a Living Wage for their custodial employees. Men and Women who are able and willing to work should be compensated in a fair and moral way. A Living Wage isn’t a windfall or a bonus, it is what it takes to keep a roof over your head and food on your table. It isn’t an entitlement, but it is what a worker has earned.”
“We need to start building back our programs and services for our citizens and start providing for those individuals that help the state provide those much needed services.”
“Linking funding to graduation rates would be a big mistake. It will inevitably lead to a further ratcheting down of academic standards, which are already terribly degraded.”
Notable responses from our 2010 Candidate Questionnaire
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