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Don't Let Arnold Terminate the California Labor Centers!
One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first acts upon becoming Governor of California this month was announcing the TERMINATION of all labor research and education programs within the University of California (UC) system. On November 25th, Governor Schwarzenegger announced draconian midyear cuts to the state budget, including plans to immediately ELIMINATE the Institute for Labor and Employment, the parent organization of the Labor Centers at UC Berkeley and UCLA.
Please send the letter below to California's legislative leaders, and ask them to stop this attack!
Schwarzenegger’s decision will destroy the efforts of the labor and social justice movement to establish a research and education institute for working people within the UC system. The Institute’s programs include paid student internships with unions, labor education courses, and critical research on living wage initiatives and issues facing garment workers, farm workers, and other low wage workforces.
There is still be a chance to block this decision in the state legislature. Please contact California Senate President Pro Tem John Burton and Assembly Speaker Herb Wessen, and ask them to defend labor at the University of California against Arnold’s right wing power grab. The University and its programs should serve the needs of working people, not just powerful corporations.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Stop the Attack on the UC Institute for Labor and Employment!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to voice concern about the major budget cuts that are now being threatened for the UC Institute for Labor and Employment. In the three-and-a-half years since its establishment within the University of California, the ILE has already become a critical source of support for important policy-relevant research on labor and employment issues. It has made substantial contributions both within the university and in the community, building a vital link between the university and California labor.
In its short life, the ILE has already:
- provided grants to faculty and graduate students throughout the nine-campus UC system to conduct critical research on a range of topics from unemployment insurance to health care to work-family issues and other aspects of California's changing labor market. Much of this work has appeared in highly respected peer-reviewed journals.
- conducted a major survey of California households on labor policy issues; a census of union membership in partnership with the state's Department of Industrial Relations; and a statewide employer survey on training and human resource practices
- produced an annual report on the State of California Labor, published by the University of California press, that is a key reference for scholars and policymakers worldwide;
- provided unprecedented opportunities for collaboration between the university and labor, through conferences, educational seminars, and internships that have brought together faculty, students, labor, and community leaders; and
- established the first California Union Leadership School, as well as Spanish and Chinese language union leadership training programs, providing important university educational resources to diverse labor leaders.
Prior to the establishment of the ILE, the university's relationship to labor was extremely limited and had been in decline over the years. We enthusiastically support the ILE, and urge you to ensure its continued funding.
We understand that the fiscal situation is a serious one. Insofar as there are across-the-board cuts in the University of California budget, the ILE should be treated like any other university program. But the business schools and agricultural research programs in UC already receive far more extensive resources than the ILE. To single ILE out for deeper cuts is an unacceptable attack on labor and on working people. Please assure us that you will support this crucial initiative.
Sincerely,
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