Skip One Gift

    A lot of attention has been paid to the impending strike of the transit workers here in NYC (and we will see what happens today as the new strike deadline approaches at midnight tonight). But, in the meantime, I'm going to make a holiday pitch for some other strikers.

    Graduate students at New York University have been on strike for a number of weeks now. I've been on their pickets lines repeatedly and the spirit remains high--but there isn't a lot of money for these folks to pay the bills. So, maybe we can all skip buying one gift this holiday season and instead send a check to help these folks: UAW Local 2110, 113 University Place, NY, NY 10003 (make checks out to Local 2110--GSOC Hardship Fund).

Comments

[Phil]

Also in NYC, the starbucks union is fighting for recognition in 3 manhattan stores. There's a benefit show on Wednesday night in Brooklyn!

***IWW Starbucks Workers Union Benefit Show***

Come support the organizing efforts of Starbucks workers by
joining us for some great music and affordable drinks.

Special Guest performer David Rovics, the revolutionary folk
singer, will be in New York City for a night of
resistance against the world's largest coffee chain!

Also featuring a diverse lineup of local artists:
Kontrast - political hip-hop (www.nosheetsleft.com
www.myspace.com/kontrast)
Into Exilie - punk/metal/hardcore ft. Starbucks worker Ivan Hincapie
Tina G. - spoken word poet, Starbucks worker, and Catalyst member
(www.catalystconsortium.com)

Performances will be followed by an open mic session featuring local
IWWs
Joseph Agins Jr., Tomer Malchi w/ Clark Merrefield, and others...

$5-$10 sliding scale
All Starbucks workers get in free!!!
No one turned away for lack of funds...
Wednesday, December 21 from 7pm 'til 11:30pm

Location:
347 Maujer St., Apt. C
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11206
Take (L) train to Grand St.
Walk northeast on Grand w/ high school on your right.
Take right on Waterbury and left on Maujer.

www.davidrovics.com
www.starbucksunion.org

[Phil]

"Union Steps Up Drive to Organize Starbucks", NY Times, 11/26/05.

"Good and bad of the business world", WSJ, 12/19/05.

[Jason Gooljar]

Yeah the grad students and the Starbucks Union are both very important. I've been keeping up on both of them through the NYC Indymedia movement. Today NY unions are holding a rally at the Governor's office in NYC at 4pm. I'll be over there to show my support.

New York's private and public unions have organized a major labor rally today in front of the governor's office at 633 Third Ave at 39 St., Monday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m.

[Afree Marquette]

I don't understand why grad students at a private university
are considered oppressed working people who need a union.

[Rich]

Many union members aren't the most oppresseed working people in need of a union. I really don't know the first thing about NYU, but I think a lot of graduate students/graduate workers are foreigners with families who find it very difficult to make ends meet, have problems with family insurance, etc. But, even if they are a bunch of rich brats over at NYU, everyone who wants a union, be he or she a Baseball star or a ditch digger, deserves a union if he or she wants one.

Lastly, there are certain sectors of the economy that organized labor as a movement should be organizing because of their strategic importance. For example, transportation is an obvious one. I think positions such as teachers, professors, graduate teaching assistants, newspaper writers, Hollywood writers, and actors have an influence on society that is disproportionate to their numbers. That influence should make their sectors ones of strategic interest to organized labor.

Lastly, I don't think it matters that graduate students aren't broke and dispossesed like farmworkers. Frankly, I get tired of the social-worker unionism. Are unions social service agencies, or are we a movement dedicated to transforming society?

[Ryan Southard]

It makes me sick to continously see unions destroy peoples lives. Everyone of you should be fired and replaced with folks who suffered loss in hurricane Katrina. 55,000 a year for an unskilled position is REDICULOUS! Most of you have no college degree, yet you feel like you are owed something? Totally socialist. First the downfall of GM and now this all because of your greed. You should be ashamed of yourself and who you represent. Than k for ruining everyones holidays and chances to work for a living while you draw a salary from the union. You'll have your day in court, and I sincerely hope every last one of you is excommunicated to Jersey or Sad FranFreakshow. Once your day of reckoning comes god will judge what you have done to the poor old lady walking because you wont drive your bus. Good Job commies.

[NYRUNNER]

Ryan,
I couldnt agree with you more. It is a sad day for every single person who lives in this state. I sincerely Pataki and Bloomberg throw the book at the as hard as the law will allow.

[Phil]

i'm no commie, but goddamnit, unearned incomes for a tiny minority are just unAmerican. aren't we taught when we're young that you're supposed to work for what you get?

and what the hell. why is 55 grand (in hella expensive NYC) too much for a college-not-required "unskilled" job? this is work that has to be done for society for function. if we all got college degress, someone still has to do this work.

don't get me wrong, education is important. i think it should be fully funded, but i don't like liberals like Robert Reich who think all we need to do is emphasize individual betterment through education as a way to end poverty and help the situation for the struggling working poor (well that's a simplification of his position but you know what i mena). the problem is systemic. systemic unemployment and underemployment are not problems an individual solves by going to college and competiting in the rat race. this is a matter of public policy, and political/union organizing to get the right policies.

and furthermore, can we have a healthy economy that doesn't have any manufacturing of concrete things? can we rely solely upon service jobs in construction, retail, restaurants? have we created a lot of high tech info jobs that huge well educated populations in countries like China and India can't do for relatively dirt cheap? are the huge twin deficits of budget and trade sustainable? no to all of these. short term corporate quarter thinking is killing our economy. but i ramble.