Dear Mercy College Faculty,
Over the past week, several adjuncts have reported that strangers have been showing up at their homes requesting to discuss the upcoming union vote. These are representatives from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). They are likely there because federal law requires that Mercy College provide the home addresses and personal phone numbers of all potential voters in advance of a union election. Please know that we would typically never provide this information, but in this instance, the law mandates we do so.
By law, we cannot stop these home visits from occurring, but we are allowed to warn you that they may occur so you are not caught off-guard. Of course, whether or not you choose to speak with the SEIU representative is entirely up to you, and you have every right to decline to speak to them or to request that they not contact you in the future. This is entirely up to you.
Showing up at employees’ homes without warning is part of the aggressive and intrusive tactics that we have seen throughout this process and that worry me about this group. We have heard about the SEIU representatives misrepresenting themselves as Mercy employees when speaking to our part-time faculty, following faculty to their cars in the parking lot at night, calling faculty on personal cell phones, and attempting to disenfranchise long-time Mercy adjuncts – none of these are behaviors befitting educators and are inconsistent with the kind of culture we have attempted to cultivate. This conduct is in addition to the SEIU organizers attending the Trustees’ Scholarship Dinner to protest outside, in a move that could have discouraged potential donors and scholarships for the college.
This type of conduct reinforces my belief that SEIU is not the right fit for Mercy College. As you research and make your final decision, I again encourage you to visit for further information, and please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Thank you again for your patience and thoughtful questions throughout this process.
Sincerely,
Tim Hall
President