Dignity due
A hard days pay for a hard days work is a very simple concept, anything less is demoralizing. The overall labor market has moved sharply to favor the employee. Many people are realizing this fact and decide not to settle for the previous status quo. They find places where the true value of their skills is recognized and compensated. When positions cannot be filled due to a lack of applicants, it is not the applicants fault. The positions are not being offered at a fair market value. The applicants are simply taking control and saying, I am worth more and I deserve that respect.
Your APA receives numerous member calls about understaffed departments and a general lack of respect for their work. That message needed to be heard by the current MSU administration. Your APA, along with several other MSU unions, recently met with Executive Vice President for Administration Dr. Melissa Woo to express a growing issue of low morale within our memberships. We related that respect is a monetary issue and not the gesture of giving a cookie and a trinket gift. We also noted the current merit system is clearly broken and our members are losing faith, not just in their departmental leadership but in MSU in general.
For nearly two years our members have been the frontline through many unique challenges. Staffing shortages have their workloads exploding while the timelines remain inflexible. We have daily calls asking for help and counsel. A big part of those conversations center on having dignity in themselves and taking steps not to be undervalued. When every person decides to take this step and reclaim their dignity, the climate will change.
The APA covers nearly 300 unique classifications, and each is a critical component of MSU’s foundation. The outside labor market is starved for quality talent and they are targeting MSU staff for that quality. At the recent MSU Board of Trustees meeting the administration was thanked for their efforts to bring MSU through the COVID crisis. The unfortunate part is that the MSU support staff were not part of that statement. Words of thanks are no longer enough. The support staff at MSU cannot continue to be taken for granted.
The COVID crisis opened the door for a test of character. Our APA members responded as the true professionals they are that piece of MSU history cannot be changed. What can be changed is how the University respects one of their most valuable partners. No structure can remain standing while the supports are continually eroded.