Issue No 95 | 11 May 2001 | |
NewsUnions and Students Move on HarvardBy Andrew Casey
A three week student sit-in at the wealthiest university in the USA, Harvard, has ignited a national debate on America's low paid. Senior politicians like Senator Ted Kennedy, top union leader's like the AFL-CIO's John Sweeney and popular culture figures like Mel King and Matt Damon lined up in front of the television cameras on the Harvard campus showing their support and praising the students. More than 50 students occupied the administration buildings on April 18 demanding that the university pay more than 1000 university cleaning and catering workers at least $10.25 an hour - the basic living wage. The students had not expected to be there for more than a few hours, maybe a couple of days, as they resolved to give voice to their campaign for Harvard university to boost the wages of its lowest-paid workers. Several of the protest leaders had been involved during their university vacations with the AFL-CIO's Union Summer intern program which had inspired them to return to their campus and promote the union cause in their local community. The AFL-CIO's Union Summer program was introduced in 1995, soon after John Sweeney took over as head of the US national union centre. ( In Australia the ACTU's Organising Institute has copied this initiative, running a successful first Union Summer intern program for university students at the end of last year.) But as Harvard management resisted the campaign demands the students dug in and started receiving national media attention. Eventually Harvard management was not just negotiating with the students but they were contending with lawyers from the AFL-CIO, pro-union academics and daily repeated solidarity marches and calls for strikes from university workers who were members of the SEIU and HERE. Meanwhile the US commentators and the media started highlighting what they said was a new convergence of the union and student movements. You can read more about what the US media said about the Harvard sit-in if you click here.
|
Interview: Geek Guys Two of the union movement�s pioneers in new technology, Peter Ross and Mark McGrath, chew the fat about wired unionism and virtual politics. Compo: Costa�s Angels Behind the spotlight of the workers comp campaign four women trade union officials have been burning the midnight oil to protect injured workers. Legal: View from the Bench Compensation Court judge and former Attorney-General, Frank Walker, argues the Della Bosca workers comp reforms are a threat to judicial independence. International: Timor: Time for the Truth HT Lee was in Dili when the militas ran rampage. Now he wants the truth to come out. History: True Believers Frank Bongiorno looks at the origins of the Australian Labor Party, which celebrated its centenary of Caucus this week. Corporate: Trust Me, I�m a Multi-National! BHP unions have united across the factions to urge �No� vote on the planned Billiton merger. Unions: AWAs � A Doomed Future? ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles plays clairvoyant and predicts a dismal future for AWAs. Satire: Bush Defends One China Policy - Then Another China Policy, Then Another .... President Bush today announced a major change to the United States� policy of �strategic ambiguity� towards the status of Taiwan and its One China policy. Review: Surviving Survivor Workers Online's Reality TV correspondent Mark Morey rakes over the coals of the Survivor II result.
Notice Board View entire latest issue
|
© 1999-2000 Labor Council of NSW LaborNET is a resource for the labour movement provided by the Labor Council of NSW URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/95/news82_harvard.htmlLast Modified: 15 Nov 2005 [ Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Credits ] LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW |