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SEANC asks for your help to stop Student Stores privatization

 

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The following is a letter from SEANC District 25 representatives that was distributed via email on October 29, 2015:

As many of you have seen in the media reports and the Daily Tar Heel  49 permanent state employees and 141 temp employees working for the UNC Chapel Hill Student Stores are at risk of losing their jobs.  Not because of budget cuts.  Not because the Student Stores is unprofitable or mismanaged.  But because of this opportunity to outsource and create a façade of higher profitability on the backs of career state store employees who have managed this University gem successfully and profitably for more than a century

Store Employees were informed in September that an unsolicited bid to take over the operation of the stores had been received and  was being seriously considered.  The bidder is the privately held conglomerate, Follett, with less than a stellar history of management practices and frequently higher prices for students and their parents than the operations they replaced.

They were the outsourcer of choice at three other student stores within the UNC system despite faculty and student complaints of their performance. And many Follett employees can only work half time, a move that reduces their chance at a meaningful livelihood  and Follett’s obligation to health care costs

SEANC District 25 stands behind the competence and dedication of State Employees.  We would like your support in stopping this erosion of the UNC workforce and a campus landmark.

First, please write to University of North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt  (chancellor@unc.edu) ,  Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Enterprises Brad Ives,  (brad.ives@unc.edu) and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Matt Fajack (mfajack@unc.edu) to express your support for  the generations of State Workers who toiled to make the UNC Bookstore one of the most highly regarded enterprises in Carolina and the nation.

Second,   Contact your North Carolina Representative (http://www.ncleg.net/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx ) and tell them to stop this affront to State Workers.

Third, If you or a family member is a Carolina Alumni contact the UNC Alumni Association (https://alumni.unc.edu/ ) and let them know how this violates the covenant of trust you held with Carolina.

Thank you and if you have any questions or concerns please contact any of your District members below.

 SEANC District 25

John Gullo, Chair, D25:  johnagullo@outlook.com
Thomas Griffin, Past Chair D25 tgriffin0203@yahoo.com
James B. Holman, Vice-Chair, D25: bholman2006big@yahoo.com
David Fraley, Policy Platform Chair D25: fraleys2003@yahoo.com
Kirk Montgomery, Treasurer, D25: kirk.m.montgomery@gmail.com
Brenda Denzler, Bylaws Chair, D25 denzler@hughes.net
Cornelius Smith, Benevolence Chair, D25 revcsmith@yahoo.com
Ruthie Lawson Bynum, Secretary  D25  mijachrl@yahoo.com
Archie Lassiter Scholarship Chair D25 alaster198@yahoo.com
Pat Bigelow, Insurance Chair D25 pcbigelow@gmail.com
Odessa Davis, Member Discount D25 Odessad2222@gmail.com
Paula Schubert, Past President SEANC,  paula.schubert@earthlink.net
M. Kay Hovious, Past President SEANC  mhovious@ec.rr.com

5 Responses to “SEANC asks for your help to stop Student Stores privatization”

  1. Stepehn Zandy

    The Student Stores needs to stay PUBLIC

  2. Stepehn Zandy

    Just wrong for the Store to go private

  3. John Pardue

    With all of the other recent obstacles faced by the UNC system as of late, I do not feel that we need to exacerbate things by privatizing Student Stores at UNC. This move would inherently further remove the university from the NC State Constitution’s explicit description of these institutions of for the benefit of the people of NC. A “for profit” business exists for the benefit of its owners, not the students and citizens of NC.
    The state and its people are already enduring enough without the addition of this.

  4. Altha Cravey

    I will help in any way I can. I helped compose a letter from faculty published in the DTH to show how much faculty appreciate Students Stores and to make our point of view explicit. Nearly 50 faculty signed the letter in the space of about 48 hours. Let me know of other ways I can mobilize faculty and work with staff and students to KEEP Students Stores just the way it is now. Fajack should not be having these meetings (4 already?) and harassing workers and admin should NOT be doing this RFP business. They should just let Students Stores do what it does best, and let them get back to serving the campus community.

  5. SEANC asks for help to stop Student Stores privatization | Keep UNC Student Stores University owned and operated

    […] Quoted from The Employee Forum, UNC Chapel Hill http://employeeforum.unc.edu/seanc-asks-for-your-help-to-stop-student-stores-privatization/ […]

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