A few weeks ago, a member asked me why I got involved in the union. I gave a pretty quick answer: Because it was important to me. We had a long conversation after that, and I’d like to share it with you.

Before I came to SUNY, I worked in a non-union hospital on Long Island. I did my job well and got promoted along the way. Every year, my colleagues and I would wonder what kind of cost-of-living increase we would get. It was anyone’s guess, since the decision was entirely up to management.

One year, our director called a meeting to let us know how much of an increase we were going to get. He proudly announced that we would see a raise of between zero and 1 percent. Me being me, I responded by saying: “Are you kidding? There isn’t much between zero and 1 percent!”

A few years later, I had the opportunity to work at Stony Brook HSC. My first day on the job, I found out there was a union and I wanted to get involved right away. The idea that I could have a say at work was exciting. However, there were some bumps along the way. When I asked someone about getting involved, he told me it wasn’t a good idea until I achieved permanent appointment. I was also told that getting involved in the union would not be viewed as a positive by my supervisor. Another co-worker said UUP was an “academic” union and didn’t care about our issues. When I asked about performance programs, I was told they don’t mean anything. When I asked about promotions, I was told that doesn’t happen here.

We had someone in the department who was the union “guru” and everyone went to him for advice. The problem was, he was really a source of misinformation.

After about three years, I’d had enough of the negativity, bad advice and misinformation. I decided to find out for myself what the union was all about. I got involved and ran for delegate, long before I had permanent appointment. I met people who gave the right advice and who taught me things I needed to know.

Here are some of the things I found out: The perception that UUP is only an academic union is untrue. Professionals have an equal say in everything—but we must speak up. Speak for yourself because no one can say it better than you. UUP is your union. You own it and your voice counts.

I also learned the importance of a performance program. It kept my work in check, which led to satisfactory evaluations. I used it to get promotions and salary increases. I used it as a tool to get permanent appointment by showing career growth and my value to the university.

It was also untrue that union involvement was not seen as a positive by management. It may have taken a while, but my supervisor eventually realized that using the contract the way it is intended made things run smoothly. I ended up being a valuable resource for him.

I’m not saying everything was always rosy. There were times I was frustrated and I made some mistakes. But that was not the union’s fault, it was mine.

The most important thing I learned was that I was not an island. There were many UUPers who wanted to help me succeed. I also realized that I had a responsibility to myself to seek the right answer, to speak up and try to change things for the better.

I still don’t know everything, but I do know how to find the answers I need—and that’s what’s important. As vice president for professionals, my goal is to ensure you don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Why should you get involved in the union? Because it’s important to you.