Check out this video of a direct action at the meeting of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota today. And more pictures here. I wrote up the following press releases about it:
STUDENTS TO ADMINISTRATION: WE STAND WITH THE UNION! GO BACK TO THE TABLE IN GOOD FAITH!

In their first major show of support for striking AFSCME workers at the U of M, students will join strikers at a rally on Friday morning at 9:00 in front of the McNamara Alumni Center, where the University Board of Regents will be meeting. Eli, a grad student at the U, said, “We will demand of the Regents – the leaders of our university – that they use their power to get the University administration back to the bargaining table with the union, to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair, equitable, and respectful to the workers, without whom this place wouldn’t work!”

Eli continues, “While the Board of Regents and President Bruininks are the leaders of the university, we students are the university. We call on the administration to meet the AFSCME workers’ modest demands. Receiving enough of a wage increase to keep up with the cost of inflation is the first step towards economic equity and justice. Every other employee group at the University has received pay increases greater than the AFSCME workers, who have experienced a historic devaluation of their wages. Since 2002, their wages have decreased by 5% when taking into account the rate of inflation.” Another outraged grad student, Isaac Kamola, argued, “the most egregious examples of pay inequity can be seen in the excessive salaries of administrators. Administrators make an average of $130,000 per year and the number of administrators making over $100,000 increased from 311 to 1,242 between 1994 and 2003. They claim that there is resource scarcity at the U, when the problem is not scarcity but distribution. Bruininks’ raise this year is more than the average AFSCME worker’s salary. The fat needs to be trimmed, starting from the top. Hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars gets spent on administrative salaries, sports stadiums, and high-tech R&D, while the legislative money earmarked for a 3.5% workers’ salary increase has been diverted away from those who need that money the most.”

Students have highlighted three main reasons why they overwhelmingly support the striking AFSCME workers. First, in the words of undergrad student Danny Irwin, “we respect the right of workers to organize themselves into unions. As opposed to the administration’s elitist way of governing, unions like AFSCME offer us students a model for the kind of democratic university that is needed for a democratic society.” Second, a grad student, Jonneke Koomen, said, “we appreciate that AFSCME has fought to keep our tuition low, while the administration constantly pushes to increase tuition, which excludes underprivileged students from university education. AFSCME members were by our side when we struggled to save General College. They care about equal access too. They would like their own kids to be students at the U some day.” Third, students share AFSCME’s view of what “excellence” should mean for the U. An undergrad student, Paul Kristapovich, said, “Our view of ‘excellence’ is not an elitist institution that disregards its lowest-paid workers, represses democratic unions, excludes working class students, and perpetuates economic injustice. Such a university is not beneficial for us, the state of Minnesota, or the world. We stand in solidarity with AFSCME workers and their children. We are the university and we refuse to let the administration sell out our present and our future.”

STUDENTS CIVILLY DISRUPT BOARD OF REGENTS’ MEETING – THEY DEMAND THAT THE UNIVERSITY GIVE THE WORKERS A FAIR CONTRACT

In a major demonstration of support for striking AFSCME workers, over a hundred U of M students rallied this morning, Friday, September 7th, at 9am, in front of the McNamara Alumni Center, where the Board of Regents held their meeting, which is open to the public. An undergrad visual arts student, Kyle, started the rally by telling the crowd: “this has been organized 99.9% by students who have decided we need to stand with the workers of the U of M. … We’re here to let the board of regents know in case they didn’t know that there are workers on strike. We have to make sure that we stand with the workers.” A public policy grad student led a chant with the whole crowd: “shame on you, shame on you. No fair wages at the U!” Marrianne Bennake, a ten year retiree from the AFSCME union, also spoke, and she said, “”this is all about getting justice for the workers – getting a decent wage for a decent days work. … To get a good education we need our workers.” John Nelson Palmeyer, a soon-to-be-announced Senate candidate, told the crowd, “the union here at the U of M is the instrument of negotiation of a fair contract and we’re here to support them until they get a fair contract.” Dani then led the crowd in another chant: “when the regents meet, we turn up the heat!” And then, “what do we want? Fair wages! When do we want them? Now!” Bob Rosen, an adjunct professor in the theater department said, “education doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it’s about what happens in life – and life was happening out there on the street - … so, to support the workers, I took my class off campus … We need to send a message to this university as quickly as possible.”

At the end of the rally, a large group of students (about 100) marched into the Regents’ meeting. The students read the following explanation for their presence at the meeting as well as a list of demands. They refused to leave the meeting until the Regents accepted their reasons and demands. The students were completely non-violent during the entire demonstration.

THE STUDENTS’ COLLECTIVE STATEMENT:
“As students and community members, we know and appreciate all the work
that AFSCME workers do. We know that the University is not and cannot
run business as usual without these integral workers.

We believe that economic justice for U workers, as well as all workers,
is in our best interest as future workers and members of a greater
community.

We believe that the administration has strayed from the priorities
that will in fact, make this the great institution that its students,
workers, and faculty believe it can be.

We believe that the University must set the example, not follow it,
for fair pay and treatment of ALL its employees, not just the
administration.

As students and supporters of this University we demand that the
University return to the bargaining table IMMEDIATELY and bargain in
good faith.

We demand that the settlement include at least a 3.25% cost of living
increase ON TOP of the STEP increases that AFSCME workers deserve for
their skills and loyalty.

We demand that our voices are heard and taken seriously by the board
of regents, President Bruininks and the entire administration. That
students, staff and faculty are not threatened for supporting AFSCME
workers and that we do not face repercussions for the actions we take
in solidarity with the strike.

We resolve to remain before the Regents until these demands are met.”

This entry was posted on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 21:12 and is filed under Boring, non-political crap. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.