Correction appended
Students marched to the Provost’s office after members of the Student Worker Alliance claimed a secretary was fired illegally.
A group of 20 students gathered in front of the Kay Spiritual Life Center to demonstrate their support for math department secretary Stacey Lucien on Nov. 20.
The SWA believed Lucien was fired on Nov. 16 for an email she sent to the entire math department. She asked why secretaries were not included in deciding if Jeffrey Adler, the chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, would continue in his post for another year, Ethan Miller, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of SWA, said in an email.
“I believe Lucien was fired for talking about unionizing to other staff members,” Miller said in an email. “Because staff members are consistently left out of decisions at the University that affect them.”
Firing due to unionization is illegal under section 7 of National Labor Relation Act.
“The University cannot comment on employees because we want to protect their privacy,” CAS Dean Peter Starr told the protesters outside of Kay on behalf of the University. “But we looked carefully into her case and can say her termination had nothing to do with union activity.”
Maralee Csellar, associate director of media relations, also did not comment, citing employee privacy concerns.
Starr told students to ask Lucien for documentation on her termination if they wanted more answers. Starr said he has no stance on unionization.
Lucien could not be reached for comment.
Protesters carried signs as they marched across campus to the Provost office singing “Stacey’s Job” to the tune of Fountain of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom” and yelling “What’s disgusting? Union busting!”
Provost Scott Bass greeted protesters by accepting their “Cornucopia of Social Justice,” which included letters describing SWA’s complaints. He told them to have a happy Thanksgiving and asked their names and majors.
“You should take our conversation seriously, not condescendingly,” Jenna Nichols, a junior in CAS, told Bass.
Miller said he believes the University is afraid of staff members unionizing, so they are not listening to students’ voices.
“AU is listening to its students, because the chaplain [Rev. Joe Eldridge] and University Vice President [of Communications Teresa Flannery] attended the march,” Csellar said.
“The Student Worker Alliance will not rest until this situation is rectified and Stacey has her job back,” Miller said in an email. “We will not stand for our university taking part in illegal acts that stifle democratic rights on our campus.”
Correction: Miller is not president of SWA, as stated by a previous version of this article. He is, however, an active member of the organization.
acohen@theeagleonline.com
