|
|
SLACtivist News Fall
2009
A Fall Semester Full of Action! During these hard economic times, it imperative that we as students continue working and fighting in our universities for workers’ rights and educational access for all. With ongoing budget cuts, we have seen students coming together with local labor unions in the fight against the corporatizations of our universities and the right to an education for all. Here at the national level we are excited to see all the amazing work students are doing fighting budget cuts such as the student, faculty and staff walkouts in the University of California system and the many other actions across the country. We hope that the semester continues bringing students and workers together in the fight for justice in our universities and communities and changing our world one fight at a time. In Solidarity, Maria F. Escobar P.S. We want to welcome SLAP at Rollins College in Orlando, FL to the SLAP network! NEWS FROM THE FIELDSLAP at University of Central Florida Students held a panel event titled “The future of Employment” which dealt with the future of young workers and the need for unions.
Students and community members held a rally “Welcoming Change” at the Museum of Art supporting organizing efforts of security guards.
Students at Northeastern University held a panel discussion on issues such as economic recovery for working class people, climate change and immigration policies of the United States. The panel focused these issues and its connection to the G20 events happening in Pittsburgh.
By Kortney
McBride
While these protests brought a lot of attention to the issue, they are by no means the last and final step in ensuring that the public system is preserved. The walkouts were just one of the first steps in preserving quality and accessible education in California. Tell Aramark and Sodexo to help stop the “harvest of shame”! The Student/Farmworker Alliance, in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), is calling on food service industry leaders Aramark and Sodexo to do their part to help end the exploitation of farmworkers in their supply chains! Add your voice to this call today and send an email to executives at Aramark and Sodexo! Report back from National Student Labor Week of Action As we enter the fall semester is good to look back at all the amazing work that happened last year. During the National Student Labor Week of Action which occurred from March 28-April 4. Students from across the country united with workers and demanded justice in their communities. Follow the link to see the full report back- share it with your group and don’t forget that students across the country are in the same struggles as you are. Mark your calendars for next years National Student Labor Week of Action from March 28 th to April 4th JwJ Economic Recovery Week of Action/ Chicago mobilization From Sept 24 to Oct 1st Jobs with Justice held it Economic Recovery for working people week of action. Check out the jwj blog for a full report back from the week of action. What’s Next? Chicago and the American Bankers AssociationThe next step in stopping the bailout bandits and fixing our economy will be three days of protests at the American Bankers Association. JwJ and several union and community partners are calling for three days of actions at the American Bankers Association October 25-27, culminating in massive march on Tuesday, October 27. Join the AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka and Change To Win’s Anna Burger at the rally on Tuesday, October 27, 11am. Putting thousands of people in the streets is our opportunity to shift public anger onto the real causes of the economic crash. JwJ can help change the debate back to the real needs of working families and their communities. This political and economic moment is both the challenge and the opportunity of a lifetime. What we do in the next three years will shape the next 30. The United States Student Association has been working tirelessly with students across the country on issues of college access and affordability. USSA amplified the student voice on Capitol Hill by building "Walls of Debt" displaying levels of loan debt on campuses nationwide, participating in national press conferences with federal higher education officials, and organizing educational events around the need for student aid reform. These actions proved to be a success when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act on Thursday September 17 th. This bill includes the greatest investment in higher education in American history by eliminating government subsidies to banks that offer student loans and puts the tens of billions of dollars in savings into need based, federal financial aid. The USSA is now working with students and coalition partners to ensure student aid reform is passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Obama before the end of the year. Student aid reform is critical to mitigate the skyrocketing cost of college and state higher education budget cuts that are plaguing the county's college campuses. The USSA also worked in collaboration with the United We DREAM Coalition in hosting a national DREAM Act Day of Action on September 23rd in which over 150 events occurred on college campuses in support of the DREAM Act. The day made national headlines and showed Congress that students demand the passage of this bill to make education a right for everyone, regardless of residency status. Check out www.usstudents.org for
updates and news on these pieces of
legislation The debate around health care is likely to be at fever pitch on Tuesday October 20 th. Across the country, activists will come together to demand affordability and access to real health care. Students and young folks are facing a tighter and tighter job market – we need a strong, affordable public option. Join supporters of health care reform on October 20 th and plan an event on your campus. Do a teach-ins, organize a call-ins to legislators, petition other students, or create your own event to be involved in this critical debate. Materials and resources are available to help organize campus events. To sign-up, contact Sara Van Moorlehem at SEIU: Sara.VanMoorlehem@seiu.org. Opportunties Union Plus Scholarship & Contest
All of these people have received Union Plus scholarships! Since 1992, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded over $2.4 million to more than 1,700 union families pursuing post-secondary education. You’ll be inspired by viewing videos from Union Plus scholarship recipients to learn about their education goals and commitment to the labor movement. Vote for your favorite video today!
Visit the web address below
to tell your friends about this. If you received this message
from a friend, you can sign up for the Student Labor Action
Project at: This message was sent to . Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from Student Labor Action Project, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line). |
On September 24th, thousands of students,
faculty and staff, at the University of California
campuses walked out in protest to system-wide fee hikes,
furloughs, and layoffs. These fee hikes, furloughs and layoffs
were proposed by the university after the state of California
cut over 20% of its funding to the University for the current
budget year. If implemented, these changes would dramatically
alter the structure of the university, abandoning its mission of
offering top quality public education and moving towards a more
privatized model. The UC Berkeley campus alone was able to
mobilize over 5,000 students, faculty and staff members in
protest of these cuts and fee hikes. 