I think we are in desperate need of a replacement for the ASLA. It seems to me like they overcharge for everything and do very little in the interests of common Landscape Architects. Maybe it would be best to start a new organization first and be an advocate for “livable wages and contemporary professional norms” rather than a union. If you establish a strong organization first, your chances of being successful starting a union will be much greater.
A new LA association could:
Make licensure a reasonable endeavor, not try to make the test three times as hard as when the people already in the club took it
Represent sustainable development practices, which the ASLA makes a weak effort at only after it’s new main stream popularity
Be an advocate for the environment and not crumby development
Quit charging people unreasonable amounts of money for things like – job posting, membership, competitions, etc
Quit trying to recruit new people into a flooded field. Who are these guys representing?(ahem corporate interests, undermining your job security with competition)
I applaud you on your efforts to make a change to the injustice. It could be risky to get involved in such things from a professional point of view. Lets replace the ASLA and then we can Unionize from there…
