From: Treston Faulkner (tfaulkner@cwa-union.org)
Date: Fri Dec 21 2001 - 13:54:19 EST
Fall/Winter 2001 Issue of SLACtivist News
Also available online at www.jwj.org
*The SLACtivist News is brought to you by the Student Labor Action Project - of the U.S. Student Association and Jobs with Jusitce.*
(please pardon cross postings)
Headlines:
*Stanford Students Arrested in Fight Against Sub-contracting on Janitors' Jobs!
*UCSD Students Continue to Fight for Justice for Janitors!
*Organize! Build! Win!
*Duke Steps up Pressure on New Era Cap
*Harvard Students Rally for Justice for Janitors!
*Workers' Rights Board Demands Justice at CWRU!
*Boston SLAP takes on Northeast Supermarket Chain!
*Fighting for Workers' Rights on
Campus in New York
*Philly Students and Labor Unite Around Campus Equity Week!
Stanford Students Arrested in Fight Against Sub-contracting on Janitors' Jobs!
On Thursday, November 29, 125 Stanford workers, students and faculty members marched to Stanford Hospital to protest the Hospital's subcontracting of ten union housekeeping jobs. A delegation of students, including the co-chairs of the Asian American Student Association, Filipino American Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan, Peace and Justice Coalition at Stanford, and the Student Labor Action Committee, participated in a peaceful act of civil disobedience in the administrative wing of the building and six students were arrested.
These actions were part of a campaign organized by a coalition of student groups in partnership with SEIU Local 715 to stop the outsourcing of housekeeping positions at three medical facilities. Subcontracted workers earn 25 percent less than do union-contract employees, receive fewer benefits, and frequently have problems organizing a union. Contracting the ten positions at Stanford Hospital sets a precedent for the future outsourcing of all 440 hospital housekeeping positions. Although Stanford Hospital claims to have already contracted out the ten positions, students are pressuring the university to utilize an escape clause in the contract.
As a result of Thursday's arrests and protests, the Stanford University president John Hennessey agreed to a meeting with concerned students and workers. On December 6, 225 students and workers then rallied outside the meeting. While continuing to deny responsibility, President Hennessy agreed to arrange a meeting with the Hospital's Board of Directors for students and workers to negotiate terminating the outsourcing contract. He also agreed to another meeting between Christmas and New Year's to further discuss a Stanford Code of Conduct to include a moratorium on subcontracting and a living wage for all Stanford workers.
While the Stanford administration has taken preliminary steps towards improving their labor practices, students continue to demand that the University put action behind their rhetoric of social responsibility. Stanford, one of the world's wealthiest institutions of higher learning, claims to respect workers and has expressed a commitment to improving its labor practices; the time to prove that commitment to workers, students, parents, alumni, and the nation is NOW.- Contributed by M*nica Itzel Henestroza.
UCSD Students
Continue to Fight for Justice for
Janitors!
Following the victorious living wage campaign with sub-contracted janitors last quarter, Student's 4 Economic Justice (SEJ) at UC - San Diego has been redirecting it's efforts toward a campus living wage campaign. While in research mode for a living wage campaign, SEJ is actively supporting the struggle of the Justice 4 Janitor's campaign to rehire 7 unjustly fired workers who were sub-contracted through contractor Building One Services for the Westfield Corporation - which owns several malls in San Deigo.
SEJ organized a rally and march on November 13th, at University Town Center, the closest Westfield mall to our campus, in order to help escalate the pressure. For this rally students constructed giant cardboard pennies, and ended the march at the mall's fountain where marchers tossed the pennies into the fountain and made wishes for justice. As of today, Westfield is still refusing to step in and hire a decent contractor, even as an SEIU organizer was beaten by 7 security guards at one Westfield mall for merely leafletting about the unjust firings. - Contributed by Jessica Lopez and Alex T. Tom
Organize! Build! Win!
In a joint effort by the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), 25 students across the Midwest participated in a Student-Labor G.R.O.W (GrassRoots Organizing Weekend!) on November 16-18 at University of Illinois - Chicago. The G.R.O.W. training, a project of the USSA Foundation, is a skills building, weekend-long workshop focusing on issues of student empowerment and organizing within campuses and communities. Students from a variety of campus organizations attended the GROW, including folks from Inver Hills Community College (MN), the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois-Chicago, Grand Valley State University (MI), and Central Michigan University.
Students who attended the workshop participated first hand in role playing activities and discussions centered on such issues as; coalition building, student leadership development, understanding the relations of power, choosing an issue, fundraising, and campaign strategies. Using specific examples from their own campus organizing, USAS staff person Amber Gallup and USSA Board of Directors member and UCLA student Portia Pedro co-facilitated the workshop and trained students over the weekend. And while many of the students were relatively new to student organizing coming into the weekend, they came back from the training with important skills needed to organize and build student power on their local campuses.
Duke Steps up Pressure on New Era Cap
Duke University is delaying the renewal of its contract with New Era Cap Company, which makes baseball caps for colleges and universities around the country. This is a major victory for students across the country and workers at the New Era Cap factory in Derby, NY, who are members of CWA local 14177 and who have been on strike since July to protest dangerous working conditions, wage cuts, and lay offs. Duke is the first university to cut their contract with New Era as a result of their unfair labor practices. Duke President Nannerl Keohane notified New Era Cap Company that Duke would postpone the renewal of its license with the company until New Era provides independent verification of its labor practices.
Students affiliated with United Students Against Sweatshops have been targeting New Era as a sweatshop employer since last March, when a delegation of students visited the factory and issued a report on New Era's unjust practices. In October, students on 20 campuses participated in a nationwide day of action against New Era to pressure their universities to send a message to New Era. See http://www.usasnet.org/campaigns/reportback.doc for more info on the day of action.
Harvard Students Rally for Justice for Janitors!
On November 30, almost one thousand Harvard workers and students rallied together with community activists to demand better wages and working conditions on campus. It was the first time in decades that rank-and-file janitors, who belong to SEIU Local 254, organized a rally, and it was an amazing success. With puppets, noisemakers, and torches, the rally began in the afternoon at two locations, with students and other supporters gathering in Harvard Yard and workers gathering in front of the Office of Human Resources. Students and workers joined together and blocked traffic for nearly half an hour on Massachusetts Avenue, a major Boston thoroughfare.
The rally was organized with the support of the Harvard Living Wage Campaign, an organization of students, faculty, alumni, and community members demanding decent wages, benefits, and working conditions for Harvard workers. Harvard's service workers - primarily custodians, security guards, and dining service workers - have suffered wage cuts over the past seven years. The Campaign's successful sit-in last spring led to a wage re-opener for the Local 254 contract, and Harvard custodians will enter negotiations with the university in January. The November rally was a crucial display of the union's strength and support from the community.
Boston SLAP * a citywide network of students- showed their solidarity by coming to the November 30 rally at Harvard. They had planned to extend the rally and march to a local hotel where workers were preparing to strike, but the contract negotiations were settled and workers at 8 major hotels in Boston won better wages and benefits and a card-check neutrality agreement! - Contributed by Ben McKean, Harvard Living Wage Campaign.
Workers' Rights Board Demands Justice at CWRU!
After hearing testimony from workers, students, and other community members, the Cleveland-area Workers' Rights Board unanimously recommended that Case Western Reserve University immediately agree to card-check recognition for food service workers who have been fighting for a union. The panel, which included professors and alumni of CWRU, determined that a card-check was the most fair process for workers to choose a union. Students have been supporting a campaign for recognition by cafeteria workers since last Spring. In September over 600 Jobs with Justice activists who were in Cleveland for the JwJ Annual Meeting, rallied at CWRU to support the workers.
Boston SLAP takes on Northeast
Supermarket Chain!
Boston SLAP activists are joining forces with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and workers at Star Market stores in the Boston area in an exciting organizing drive. This regional supermarket chain, recently bought out by British company J. Sainsbuy, who also owns Shaw's Supermarkets, are close to college campuses in Boston, and depend on students for business.
Together with UFCW and Jobs with Justice, students have been building a campaign of community support for Star Market workers' right to organize.
There are 6000 Star Market workers in 44 Boston Area stores. SLAP is contributing to this long-term campaign by contacting management, educating the student customer base, and organizing workers! - Contributed by Brad Hornbake, Boston SLAP.
Fighting for Workers' Rights on
Campus in New York
On October 25, NY JwJ teamed up with students and workers at NYU to organize a hearing and action in support of the right to organize on campus. The Workers' Rights Board (WRB) Hearing consisted of a panel of public elected officials, well-known educators and civil liberties advocates. The panel heard testimony from six NYU workers, including Professor Joel Westheimer ¯ an NYU professor who was denied tenure for having supported graduate employee unionization ¯ as well as a security guard, clerical worker and graduate student. The WRB report, "Right to Organize and Academic Freedom at NYU" is available at www.eisner-hubbard.com/westheimer/WRB-Rpt.PDF.
Last year, NYU graduate student employees won a historic victory when their union * UAW 2110 * became the first union of graduate student employees to be recognized at a private university. Since that victory, grad student employees, undergraduates, and community members have been pressuring NYU's administration for a fair contract.
Right before the hearing, NY JwJ activists, NYU students and members UAW Local 2110, which represents NYU graduate employees, gathered for a demonstration on campus. The demo included a guerilla theater performance called "The Price Ain't Right". The spoof of the old TV game show poked fun at NYU for its poor labor practices and the bloated salaries of university administrators (up to $680,000!). The action was well attended and the crowd got a great laugh. - Contributed by Thomas Wheatley, NYC Jobs with Justice
Philly Students and Labor Unite Around Campus Equity Week!
Students from TUGSA (Temple University Graduate Students' Association), GET UP (Graduate Employees Together at University of Pennsylvania), the Faculty Federation at the Community College of Philadelphia and Jobs with Justice participated in the American Federation of Teachers' Campus Equity Week from October 28-November 3. There were three events on Halloween in support of these organizations' fights.
TUGSA recently won recognition of their union from the Temple U. administration, and is currently fighting for a fair first contract; GET UP has recently begun conducting an organizing drive to gain union representation and a fair contract for graduate student employees; and the 1300 members of the Faculty Federation at the Community College of Philadelphia have been working without a contract since August 31.
All three rallies brought together undergraduate students, graduate students, workers as well as supportive community members and activists through Philly JwJ to demand the right to organize and fair contracts for academic workers! The events in Philadelphia were part of a week of action that included events on over 100 campus across North America. See www.cewaction.org for more information on Campus Equity Week. - Contributed by Rob Callahan, TUGSA
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR!
March 8-12
United States Student
Association Legislative
Conference
April 4
Third Annual Student Labor Day of Action
Treston Faulkner
Student Labor Action Project (SLAP);
Jobs with Justice & the U.S. Student Association
202-434-1106
tfaulkner@cwa-union.org
*******************************
"All that you touch You Change.
All that you Change Changes you."
-Octavia E. Butler - an amazing, but under appreciated
black feminist writer.
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