May 15, 2000, Columbus, Ohio
For more info, contact Yoshie Furuhashi (at 614-668-6554 / 614-299-3313 / furuhashi.1 at osu.edu), Mark D. Stansbery (at 614-252-9255 / walk at igc.org), or Gary Josephson (614-590-0150).
March for Jobs with Justice & Living Wages; CWA Local 4501 & Strike Supporters Go to the City Council
Today (Monday, May 15) is the 15th day of the strike of the Communications Workers of America Local 4501, a union of about 2,000 service & skilled-trade employees at the Ohio State University; it is the 20th day of the sit-in at Bricker Hall (the OSU administration building), organized by student, faculty, & community supporters of Local 4501.
At 3:00 PM, Local 4501 and strike supporters will gather at the Union Hall (27 Euclid Ave.) and march to the City Hall (90 West Broad St.).
From 5:00 to 7:00 PM, representatives from the union and supporters will speak at the City Council meeting and ask the council members to pass a resolution in support of CWA Local 4501, as well as advocate for anti-scab & living wage legislation. At the same time, outside the City Hall, there will be a rally for Local 4501.
The march for jobs with justice & living wages will bring the struggle of Local 4501 beyond campus to the arena of city politics. Along with the information picketing of WWF Live! at the Schottenstein Center yesterday and the picketing & shutdown of the OSU stadium renovation last Friday, the march is part of an effort of the strikers & supporters to put a higher level of pressure on the OSU administration.
The proposal for living wage legislation will link what Local 4501 is fighting for with the needs & aspirations of the majority of American workers who, like Local 4501, have seen their real wages & living standards (adjusted for inflation) decline since the mid-1970s. Living wage laws have been already passed by a number of other communities (for a survey of living wage policies on the books, see, for instance, http://www.livingwagecampaign.org/living-wage-wins.html). Columbus, Ohio, with its low unemployment & high poverty rates, is likely to become a fertile ground for a living wage campaign. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2315 bytes Desc: not available URL: <../attachments/20000515/bd0c794e/attachment.bin>