the guy by the door …

Chancellor James Moeser
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Mr. Chancellor:

“Do it,” in this case is devoid of sexual connotation. “Do it” means:

�The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will adopt a policy of noninterference in any unionization process and will require all contractors to adopt the same policy. The University affirms the right of workers to democratically organize unions by a method of their own choosing. We will honor any agreement negotiated between contractors and their employees.�

Your young folks told you that they would be getting hungry and go home. Here’s the thing. You can’t always count on it. Trust me. Or ask Sally Zeckhauser.

Here’s an idea! Why don’t we “do it” at UNC-CH and HU! I don’t think we have a Chancellor. Maybe the Provost is your counterpart. [From the foot of the mount it's all clouds to me. Eg. I don't understand how a Provost-Director-Professor-Doctor of Psychiatry could let a disturbed alumna shiver in the gateway for a year and half. Good thing the folks like me were on the case. She woulda froze to death. That Mr. Chancellor is why you need to treat the workers [and alumnae] with dignity.] Maybe you should schmooze with him?

-r

Chancellor James Moeser
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Just do it.

-r

Here’s a message from students at UNC Chapel Hill:

Tell the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill to Publicly Support the Right of Workers to Organize!

Members of UNC-CH Student Action with Workers are currently camped out in South Building, home of the university administration, with a guerilla art exhibition on the history of labor rights at UNC-CH.
Students set up the exhibit Monday morning, November 21st with the demand that Chancellor James Moeser publicly affirm the following statement:

�The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will adopt a policy of noninterference in any unionization process and will require all contractors to adopt the same policy. The University affirms the right of workers to democratically organize unions by a method of their own choosing. We will honor any agreement negotiated between contractors and their employees.�

So far the Chancellor has refused to support this statement or enter into a dialogue with us about the issue. Email or call him and let him know that you support the right of UNC workers to a democratic union organization process!

Contact: Chancellor James Moeser, UNC Chapel Hill:

1-919-962-1365
 jcmoese at imap.unc.edu

Tell him to support the statement and enter a dialogue with his students!
Ask why he won�t support the internationally recognized right to organize
At UNC Chapel Hill.
——-
Forwarded by:

Max Toth
National Organizer
United Students Against Sweatshops
http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/
415-577-1188 * 202-NO-SWEAT
 max at usasnet.org
——-
For the record:

In May of 2001, I did not know what was to happen. I was told only to be in the Yard late in the afternoon. I didn’t question it. I had seen them lay the groundwork. So far in 2005, I have seen only the beginnings.

I NEVER accused anyone of being too radical. I was accused of suggesting things that were somehow not radical enough. I was attacked again for defending myself. Tabling somehow seems to qualify as radical, figuring out who can actually get a room somehow doesn’t.
-r

Mr. Stephen Marley
Director of Human Resources
Harvard College Library

Sir:

I am told that Ms. Genevieve Butler - one of my opponents in the upcomimg HUCTW election for Executive Board in the FAS Arts region - asked for upaid leave to campaign. I am told that her request was denied. If true, it is deeply disturbing. While I cannot speak for the courts, I can speak for myself. This looks to me like management interference in concerted labor activity.

In the past, HUCTW Elections have typically turned out only 1/3 of the membership. The recent S.E.I.U. election turned out 2/3 of their Union. Obviously, HUCTW has been a less participatory Union and the legitimacy of its representation open to question. That must change. In the past, Union elections have taken place with a minimum of notification or less. It appeared that, due in large part to advocacy on my part and others, we were doing better this time. You have undermined that progress. We as Union members may differ about who and how this is to be done, but we agree about what is to be done. The Union must be more participatory. Hampering campaign efforts of any Union member through an arbitrary excercise of management privilege is unacceptable. It shows a lack of respect for and trust in all Union members. And it is not for the good of Harvard.

I urge you to reverse this decision immediately so that she, Ms. Delacey and I can get on with the business of communicating with our colleagues. While I cannot speak for Ms. Delacey, I have every confidence that she will join in this.

Sincerely,

Philip R. Fenstermacher
Doorchecker (HUCTW)

… and God knows what else.

“>

Dear Joe, Since it took me 16 years to learn your name, I guess I shouldn’t be suprised. I took a quick look at Juan Cole’s Blog. I couldn’t find the article I read last summer, about the time I read Scott Ritter’s article about U.S. overflights of Iran. It would have made more sense for you just to explain it to me. I speak only English. I only know that you speak more languages than me. I couldn’t stay. I had to get back to guard the library, but I was a little presumptuous. I’m sorry. We have experts over here for most everything, but they don’t seem to be able to stop bad things from happening to good people. Even worse, some of them are part of the problem.

Joe is in there somewhere, but you have to ask.

I’m on vacation now. I’ll be in for the usual and some education. -r

Boston and most likely Harvard will be host to a wealth of Wikipedians* this summer. I found local Wikipedians [& Berkobloggers]  j  and Brett  camped out in the flesh at O’Naturals on Elm Street in Somerville
to participate in an online planning meeting. O’Naturals offers naked
[free ] WiFi with coffee, tea, and food. My adherence to the Larry Summers Diet
presented a challenge, but I came prepared and the beautiful young
O’Manager [oh to be young and fit for class warfare ] was quite
flexible. You see, I needed to buy tea, labor and some use of land, but
no food. The young lady  laborer added, “And the tip cup is there
if that helps.” Perfectamundo!! So i rendered unto labor what was hers
and gave her my blog address. Brett wondered if I had gotten a date. Alas
no, but they do have my blog address and comments are turned on
[as it were.]

*thanks to English (&drama) major Aaron Kim ‘06 of the Littauer Library for coming up with this alliteration.

“>
The beginning of the rally that ended at the Harvard Club

Local 615 of the Service Employees Internation Union reached a tentative deal with Harvard administration on Tuesday. The Union is holding it’s ratification vote today. SEIU and SLAM held a very impressive rally at the Harvard Club superbly reported by the Cambridge Common Blog. That appears to have made a difference.

SLAM, which surely helped in this matter will be engaged in some after-action analysis. Personally, I’m pleased that the student members have not forgotten that their job #1 is learning. I hope they don’t feel patronized. I certainly do not yet know what happened. I would just like to raise the question, “Did blogging help?”

Techtopians among the blogging crowd may be overly eager to assume that it did. Some ideological activists will say that the blogosphere is dominated by capitalism and therefore should be shunned. They are obligated to say that blogging is of no use. I am an empiricist, experimentalist - and a bit of a nominalist. I believe that blogging has some political effectiveness. There is a number which crudely describes it. That number is somewhere between +100% and -100%. My own [arguably self-serving] analysis of these recent events is this. It is a positive number closer to zero than 100%. But it’s not zero.

Ideologues are aware that it is not just bad publicity that moves administration. Sometimes the threat is enough. What the ideologues miss is that the threat must be credible. If they think you’re bluffing, they will call. Then you have to have the cards. The significant shift between Monday and Tuesday appears to be due to the Monday rally. The quetion is: “How?” Surely Pr. Larry was aware of the peasants outside. Did that alone change his mind? Did Alums inside convince him? The Cambridge Common photo essay probably appeared after the tentative agreement had been made. But was there a concern that a broader audience of Alums would eventually see the rally through the blogosphere? One thing is clear the blogosphere would have had a smaller effect if the workers and students hadn’t turned out in good numbers. And for that reason, I was happy Cambridge Common was taking pictures. I was a worker among workers. It was a good feeling. That students cared enough to join in, made it great.

Maura Hennigan speaking against the BioLab at Harriett Tubman House.

For my friends who live in Boston, please visit the guy who lives by the Strand and Un Hombre de Paz.
Aside from the BioLab, I also like Maura as a labor candidate. From the Office of Campaign Finance database:

May 23, 2005 was during the strike with a rally at the Pru.

For my friends who live in Cambridge, please visit, the folks across from the Y and !!!Holy Blog-O-Blunder!!! Tnx. -r