Greetings,

Fellow workers, at the end of the day, it's all about the membership: our strength in numbers and our unity in spirit turns the tide of every battle for higher pay or better benefits and working conditions.

You know by now, too, that a core of dedicated activists is out there every week doing good work to bring us all together, to keep us informed and to be our voice at the negotiating table. So why do we do it? Well, really... it's kinda fun. You meet amazing people, inside and outside Rutgers, who've been doing this for years and have great stories to tell; you make new friends, breaking up someone's dreary, monotonous laboratory workday with an unexpected visit from the union; and at the end of the day, you take your new friends out for drinks and good times at one of the many great bars in New Brunswick.

Personally, I'm inspired by the activists around me. But I'm also inspired by you: whenever it really counts, we know you'll be there. Now more than ever, in the midst of a budget crisis threatening to pummel our contract for years to come, we need you--and you're there. We're out every week, signing more members than we have all year. We're meeting people we've never seen before who want to know, "What can I do?"

Well, I'll make it easy for you.

Inspire Us: Three Ways!

Organize: Join us this week! We'll be out organizing the Food Science department on Cook: Meet in front of the building @ 3pm on Thursday, July 2. No experience required!

Socialize: Last week, in conjunction with the Graduate Student Association (GSA), we filled Old Bay with a small sea of red shirts! Talk about inspiring! This week we'll meet up with the GSA anytime after 9 PM on Thursday, July 2 at Evelyn's Restaurant on Easton Ave in New Brunswick, between Hamilton and Somerset. Let's double our numbers--and remember: wear your union shirt, and I'll be inspired to buy you a drink!

Philosophize: So we're working on this great new daily planner for next year, and we need inspiration. Every week the planner will feature a powerful quotation by some great labor leader, progressive activist or literary figure... and we need more quotes! Anything related to efforts to fight social or economic injustice throughout history and around the world is fair game--also, thoughtful quotations about teaching or scholarly work and research would be welcome. And... you guessed it: I'll toast to your quote, and that just won't work unless I buy you a drink first!

Free drinks and inspiration... another great night with our friends at the union.

Unite!
Elric Kline
TA/GA Steering Committee

*Direct questions to me @ elric.kline@gmail.com.