Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point voted with an overwhelming majority last week to join the American Federation of Teachers – a move to unionize that faculty said would not have been nearly as strong without Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining bill.

With a vote of 283-15, UW-SP communications professor Karlene Ferrant said the decision would give faculty more of a voice and send a message to the governor.

“The people of Wisconsin are energized, and when you are energized, you really do what you can do given the circumstances and one of the things we can do right now is unionize,” Ferrant said. “I know there were some professors who were prepared to vote no, but when they saw what the governor was doing, there was no choice.”

UW-SP math professor Andy Felt said the original card drive in December, which determined whether there would be an actual vote, yielded an approval of only 75 percent in comparison with last week’s 95 percent “yes” vote. He said the increase could essentially be attributed to Walker’s bill.

UW-SP joins five other universities in the UW System that have voted to unionize since former Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration passed legislation allowing the action and is the fourth to make the decision following the introduction of Walker’s budget repair bill, Ferrant said.

UW-SP Chancellor Bernie Patterson said he was expecting the high turnout, and said Walker’s bill certainly played a role in the result.

“I was frankly not at all surprised of the overwhelming majority that voted for collective bargaining,” Patterson said. “I think it’s a result of what has been happening in our state the last couple of months.”

Across the board, members of UW-SP faculty and administration said the decision sends a distinct message to Walker’s administration. Ferrant said Walker only has himself to thank for the strong support for unionization, and said she is increasingly optimistic the bill will not pass, allowing for even greater union strength.

AFT Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy said the vote demonstrates the power of state workers who are facing difficult conditions.

“[UW-SP faculty] said to the governor and to the rest of the people of the state that the employees decide whether or not they have a union, not the governor,” Kennedy said. “The big message that I’m hearing from all around is that the governor may try to limit what employees can bargain, but he cannot tell them whether or not they can have a union – that is a decision they will make, it is the faculty’s right to decide that.”

Patterson said UW-SP administration is maintaining a neutral stance on the faculty’s decision and their position has not changed since the option to unionize was originally presented last summer.

Felt, who led the unionization effort, said the local administration had been neutral, but the official stance of the UW System was a bit less accessible. Ferrant agreed, adding much of the UW-SP faculty does not agree with the policies of UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin.

“Our administration has been neutral, and I think that’s the position they wanted to take – while they have not made it harder for us, they certainly have not promoted it,” Ferrant said. “At this point, the only member of the administration that any of us really have a problem with is [UW-Madison’s] chancellor trying to take away a lot of the prestige and a good deal of money from the System.”