Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 13:16:02 -0600 (CST) From: Daniel Frederick Vukovich <vukovich at students.uiuc.edu>
Kelley, and Ken,
Good points. I have forwarded your intitial and ken's post to the marxist lit. group, an affiliated org of the mla, and which has of course done much "activist" stuff within the field, incl. writing letters and "lobbying" on behalf of striking grads, of Berkeley Ethnic studies and such. These havent gone through their list/server yet, which may be down, but I will see what can be done, regardless. And I am assuming nothing is already underway via mlg and the radical caucus (a related org). Will let you and ken know.
Ken, you rock. It takes much guts to do what you and the other grads are doing.
--dfv
On Wed, 26 Jan 2000, kelley wrote:
> More you can do if you're not doing it......if you care, i should say. i'm
> thoroughly disgusted by the silence on lbo re this topic. all that
> brouhaha over seattle and here's your opportunity to build on the momentum
> and once again use the internet, alt technologies, and whatever influence
> you have, as well as time to write a letter to kenand his fellow grad
> students--in public--offering your support, thoughts, care, concern,
> encouragement. this is what freaking solidarity is about these days
> people. we can actually let someone know 1000s of miles away that we give
> a shit even though we feel helpless and powerless. but what the hell else
> do these grads have but that, that someone is watching, that someone cares
> and is cheering them on.. and not one peep from any of you. i hope it's
> just technology and that this thing is slow or that you at least wrote ken,
> who's been working his ass off for a good couple of years now for the
> union--maybe more.
>
> solidarity my ass.
>
> kelley
>
> Dear PSNers,
>
> As a previous e-mail from Robin Griller noted, there is a very ugly
> labour dispute currently going on with teaching assistants at the
> University of Toronto. What makes this case particularly galling is that
> the U of T has just completed a huge fundraising campaign, making it one
> of the richest universities in Canada. There is no shortage of funds to
> pay these students. The goal here is clearly to break the union.
>
> In addition to the suggestions for action made by Robin, I hope you
> will consider sending letters of solidarity and some financial support to
> the CUPE strikers (see below for address).
>
> Joanne Naiman
> Department of Sociology
> Ryerson Polytechnic University
>
> The following update on "negotiations" was forwarded from the
> CUPE local of striking/lockouted Teaching Assistants at the
> University of Toronto.
>
> ------- Forwarded message follows -------
>
> >From CUPE 3902...
>
> Greetings -
>
> The University of Toronto administration tonight declared war on our
> union by once again bargaining in bad faith. The admin bargaining
> team returned to the table and offered us less than they had done
> before Christmas - including removing dental benefits, signing
> bonuses and so on from the table, but adding the threat that we
> have until Feb 1 to sign. On Feb 4, we are fired.
>
> As if it wasn't clear enough, it is now more than obvious that the
> corporate right-wing UofT admin is attempting to destroy our union.
> We ask for any support you can provide; this includes contacting
> everyone, absolutely everyone, that you know with progressive
> leanings, including your former university graduate associations,
> labour groups, professors and so on. They are trying to take us
> down
>
> Solidarity S =====
>
> Stephan Dobson
> Strike Co-ordinator
> CUPE Local 3902,
> University of Toronto
> info at cupe3902.org
> sdobson at chass.utoronto.ca
>
> ------- End of forwarded message -------
>
>
> Mark Rosenfeld, Ph.D
> Community and Government Relations
> Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations
> 27 Carlton St., Suite 400
> Toronto, Ontario M5B 1L2
> e-mail: mrosenfeld at ocufa.on.ca
> tel: (416) 979-2117, ext. 34
> fax: (416) 593-5607
> URL:http://www.ocufa.on.ca
>
>
>