> However, it seems that even so there is a lot of
> resentment in particular of tenure. Last I saw a majority
> of Americans oppose it.
Even as a practical matter of the self-interest of the great bulk of college teachers this should be approached in the spirit of Mike Yates in his remark that he does not consider himself privileged but others underprivileged. What college faculty should struggle for is to have tenure replaced with job security -- which means fighting against merit systems, since job security requires grounding in seniority rather that any complicated system of rating performance.
And the great mass of the working class can relate to demands for job security. It might require a vicious fight *within* the ranks of the faculty, since the merit system works out so well for a sub-group within the trade.
Carrol