Today, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Professors are voting on whether or not they will take a two day strike.
First, let me say that I am a very pro-union kinda guy… However, there’s a big difference between public and private unions. Private unions have to be ‘market driven’ while public unions — like Cal Poly’s faculty — have little if any restraint on their ability to tap into our money.
Cal Poly administrators like to portray themselves as being really no different from their fellow CEO’s in ‘business’ around the country; however, outside of the Brooks Brothers Suits or Prada that they wear… there is very little in common. They are not responsible for making a ‘bottom line.’ Administrators in such bureaucracies merely judge their ‘power’ by their ever expanding staffs and budgets… I think Cal Poly has a ‘Provost’ ( a useless highly paid administrative zombie) for almost everything. Don’t believe me? Last I heard the Cal Poly president recieved another big raise and his car allowance alone figures out to around $60,000.
It will never end as the ‘right’ folks are in positions to approve all raises.
I also 
seem to remember reading something about one CSU former president taking his staff on a cruise in the Mediterranean. Rough life.
So although I don’t have much sympathy for professors whose full time load is around 12 hours a week for 32 weeks or so… (they have more than what could be called a ‘liveable wage’)… I have even less for the bloated staffs carried by CSU Administrations, that weigh heavily on us taxpayers.
By the way, the biggest part of the California Budget is education … and so little trickles down to the classroom that one doesn’t have to wonder where it goes…. and into whose pocket? It’s certainly time for a change … starting at the top.
Here is what others are saying:
10% raise in Student Fees & Presidential Perks
State’s largest Strike… potentially
CSU Strike — Bullfight Blog
PICTURES on flicker — CSU strike vote
CSU- Sacramento
CSU’s POSITION & “spin…spin… spin”
Student’s support Faculty demands
Roger Freberg
Oh yeah, the ‘Big Weenie Awards’ goes to the CSU administration, aging Cal Poly SLO President and the rest of his esteemed collegues