Well I am utterly demoralized

[knowledgeispower]

I am a member of the student government group at the University of Minnesota (main campus). Tonight a resolution went before the floor that a number of people (myself included) had worked on. The resolution basically said that the student association backed the clerical workers union at the University (1800 employees), who were in a contract dispute with the administrators. Basically the administrators are trying to use the budget crisis at the University (caused by huge cuts from the state) to totally screw Union workers. They are putting wage freezes on the clerical workers while at the same time decreasing the University's share in the cost of the workers health care.

You would think an allegedly liberal university in an allegedly liberal state would back the little guy. But the resolution was voted down by more than 2:1. What the hell has the world come to when college students won't support union workers?

[Dookus]

1. Don't get demoralized....

I was involved with a lot of campus politics and sometimes ya lose.

Have a few beers and tomorrow, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start over.

Nobody wins every battle.

[knowledgeispower]

5. Already started on the beers :) nt

[DrWeird]

2. Are the graduate students unionized?

Because we could bring are university to a rapid, screeching halt.

[knowledgeispower]

7. I don't know about that

I will have to check on it. But the odd thing is the professors ARE unionized, and if the clerical workers strike (which seems almost certain), they will picket buildings at the U. If the Profs can't (or at least shouldn't) cross picket lines, how will there be classes?

Don't get me wrong, the Union still has a serious chance of stirring things up (which I am always in favor of). It just would have been REALLY nice if they could have some tangible evidence that the student body is behind them. I actually believe it is, but the student government is not at all representative of the whole.

[DrWeird]

8. Why shouldn't they picket?

Professors teaching without clerical workers is like...professors teaching without coffee. It can't be done.

Anyway, in the classroom it's the grad students that have all the keys to all the doors, metaphorically speaking. When they struck at U. of Wash., the whole quarter vanished, no final grades. Really pissed off the parents, and left the admin hurting.

On edit: made the title make more sense.

[blondeatlast]

10. I like it, I llllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkeeeeee it . . .

[ewagner]

3. Take is as experience...

in truth that's what you're there for.........

btw...don't feel bad, I was once physically removed from a faculty Senate meeting!

[knowledgeispower]

6. True, but it was the kind of thing that has shaken my faith in humanity

I mean, here were all these college students worrying that to back the Union workers meant tuition increases. First of all, there have been double digit tuition increases for five straight years now, so that is going to happen no matter what. But more importantly, these people are entirely unwilling to help out the people who make their entire educational experience possible! If that isn't a complete self serving me first attitude, I don't know what is. College students are supposed to be different, but in today's society we are all in a race to the bottom.

[ewagner]

11. If Student Government doesn't back you,

hehehe a little insurrection isn't a bad idea! Organize those who support the cause and picket, demonstrate, whatever you feel comfortable with.

btw...we always thought (back when illustrations were done on cave walls) that student government was useless. It was for preppie, social climbing resume builders and had little to do with anything real.

Don't let the crazies get to you. You have more power in your soul than the whole damned Student Senate!

:yourock:

[politicaholic]

4. sorry, the american way is the capitalist way now...

get ready to be a contract worker when you get out with no health care and a quarterly evaluation where your employment is on the line. You can thank Ronald "union buster" Reagan who ironically started his working professional career as the president of the screen actors guild.

You'd better use that irony on your skin to thicken it up because times they are a changin'.

[roguevalley]

9. remember this sweetie. You were on the side of the angels. It will stand

you in good standing for the rest of your life. I pity the others.

[rucky]

12. Do Tuition Increases Have Something To Do With It?

If the states are starving and all.... Tuition Increases way higher than the rate of inflation. It's a tough problem, and sad to see any group suffer from it.

[Brucey]

13. You were right, others didn't see it.

Perhaps they need more education, I don't know. Sometimes it seems that nothing works. But MN is not a liberal state and never was. We had a fluke of strong liberals, but over the long haul, MN has been right in the middle compared to other states. MN has become more conservative in recent years, I like to say we're becoming another Montana. Students should be liberal, but that has changed. Most of today's students grew up adoring Raygun. They were fed a bunch of shit by the media and movies. John Wayne... big tough hero, right? He was a wimp named Marion who used macho as a screen persona. He opted not to fight in WWII. Raygun ruined almost everything. Anyway, that's why people are in school: to learn. There's hope because they will become more liberal as they become more educated.