Silber, Union Disagree Over Court Decision

The Supreme Court's recent decision questioning the right of Boston University's (B.U.) faculty to unionize brought mixed reaction from B.U. administration and faculty union members, who have been at odds for more than six years.

By a February 20 order of the Supreme Court, the First Circuit Court of Appeals will review its 1978 decision supporting the B.U. chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

B.U. President John R. Silber said Tuesday the university is delighted with the decision, adding that it "validates the position the administration has taken from the start."

If the appeals court reverses its decision, Silber said, "we would be able to get rid of the enormous expense and red tape caused by the process of collective bargaining."

Caryl A. Rivers, associate professor of journalism at B.U. said Tuesday she confronted the administration when she refused to cross the picket line during a secretarial strike last October.

The administration charged her with gross neglect of duty, violation of a nosympathy-striking provision, and might have tried to fire her, Rivers said. She added that she believes union support was the major reason the administration later dropped the charges.

Rivers said that without a union, faculty members would be on their own against "an arbitrary administration," and would be personally responsible for paying costly court fees, should legal battles arise.

Jon Westling, associate provost at B.U., said Tuesday, "The relationship between Boston University's administration and faculty has not fit well into the restraints of collective bargaining."

The university used an individualized system before the faculty began collective bargaining, and Westling said a return to that system would benefit everyone.

But Howard Zinn, B.U. professor of political science, said the Silber administration has dealt unfairly with faculty members in considering tenure, leaves, and salaries.

Zinn, like Rivers, refused to cross picket lines during the secretarial strike. He said the university has been especially hard on those who have spoken out against the administration. He added that if the appeals court decides against the AAUP, faculty members will be "put out," but such a decision will not mean an end to faculty organization.

"Having a national organization behind us gives us more legal backing; without it, our strength lies in our ability to organize," Zinn said.

Faculty union bargaining has been an issue of dispute at B.U. since 1974, when the campus AAUP asked to be recognized as the collective bargaining unit for faculty members