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Thoughts for the day
We'll miss you, Mitch CHICAGO Ð Mitch Vogel, the leader of our union since 1986, has retired. Writing these words seems somewhat surreal, as does the fact that they are being written from the computer in our Chicago office that Mitch has used so powerfully in leading us all in the struggle for better wages, hours and working conditions on our campuses. Mitch leaves us a strong, proud legacy, with a dynamic union of men and women dedicated to providing great promise not only for our own futures, but that of generations to come. But to say that he leaves us in less than challenging times would be falsely optimistic. Perhaps never before have the challenges facing higher education been greater. Perhaps never before have threats to the rights of teaching professionals and staff to collectively bargain their wages, hours and working conditions been quite so intense. Perhaps never before have we seen such aggressive attempts to strip away rights of academic freedom and shared governance in favor of corporate education models that advocate absurd rationales for increased management rights. The University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 is aware of the challenges before us. Thanks to the leadership of Mitch Vogel and the team that he built, we are ready to pick up the struggle to preserve and protect quality public higher education in this state. We will miss you, Mitch. Thank you and know that youÕve prepared us well for the work ahead. Sue Kaufman |
