The Pratt Faculty Union » History of Labor

The State of Academic Unionism, Dec. 9, 5:15-7:30

trotsky — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:40:51 +0000

Dear Union Members:

I am pleased to announce that on Friday, December 9th, from 5:15-7:30, at Pratt Institute (location TBA), the UFCT Local 1460 will be hosting a lecture/presentation: “The State of Academic Unionism.” Our esteemed guests will be both Stanley Aronowitz of the CUNY Graduate Center, and Michael Pelias of LIU.

Please RSVP ASAP (kyecarbone@gmail.com) as seating will be limited. Moreover, students, friends, and guests are allowed, but we will need to know just how many to accommodate.

In Solidarity,

Kye

Report on Situation at UC Davis

trotsky — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:05:43 +0000

Here is an excellent report on the situation at UC Davis, and in the California public university system in general, in the wake of pepper spraying of students and use of police brutality on campus. It includes an interview with untenured professor Nathan Brown who called for the Chancellor’s resignation, and has since garnered support from around the world. A brilliant example of faculty and students standing in solidarity against tuition hikes and the repression of free speech on campus.

Pratt Faculty Union to Join Wednesday Wall Street Demonstrations

trotsky — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:51:59 +0000

A call from a fellow Pratt Faculty Union member to join the historic Occupy Wall Street movement:

Sisters & Brothers:
I’m on sabbatical this semester so I’ve spent a lot of time on Wall Street. I’ve seen some of you at Liberty Plaza, mostly sisters, two of whom are officials of our glorious union. I would encourage each of you to visit the Occupation at your convenience, what has been evolving there is truly incredible. I’m curious as to what Pratt students think, I’ve seen a few of them there, one doing documentary photography.

I will be at the demonstration on Wednesday and would like to suggest that Pratt’s Local 1460 march together in solidarity. Make signs, bring musical instruments or noise makers, good shoes and a sense of pride.

In solidarity, Jim Costanzo

http://occupywallst.org/

video performance on Wall Street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWG7AIiNsdc

More information on the Wednesday evening march and demonstration:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=282473051782707

COMMUNITY/LABOR MARCH TO WALL ST.
Share · Public Event

Time
Wednesday, October 5 · 4:30pm – 7:30pm
Location
City Hall, 250 Broadway
Created By
Beyond May 12
More Info
Union workers and community members impacted by the economic crisis have been demanding that Wall Street and the wealthiest New Yorker’s pay their fair share of taxes.

Let’s march down to Wall Street to welcome the protesters and show the faces of New Yorkers hardest hit by corporate greed.

Sponsored By:
United NY
Strong Economy for All Coalition
Working Families Party,
VOCAL-NY
Community Voices Heard
Alliance for Quality Education
New York Communities for Change
Coalition for the Homeless
Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP)
TWU Local 100
The Job Party
NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
The Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center
The New Deal for New York Campaign
National People’s Action
ALIGN
Human Services Council
Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State
Citizen Action of NY
MoveOn.org
SEIU 1199
CWA 1109
RWDSU
Communications Workers of America
Democracy for NYC
United Auto Workers
United Federation of Teachers
Professional Staff Congress – CUNY
National Nurses United
Common Cause NY

Rally to Support LIU Faculty, Monday, 9/12, 3-5

trotsky — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:24:05 +0000

Dear UFCT Member:

As you’ve probably heard, our fellow Brooklyn faculty colleagues at LIU are on strike.

Calling a strike is never a cavalier move, or is it a stunt; but only called for when management chooses to be completely intractable with respect to collective bargaining. The LIU faculty union had been negotiating for a new contract in good faith w/LIU’s management since late spring and throughout the summer. They have come to an impasse as LIU’s management is demanding: ’0′, ’0′, ’0′ in wage increases for three years, and greater give-backs and contributions from the faculty for the cost of health benefits; hardly ‘reasonable’ or ‘benelvolent’ demands. When push comes to shove, LIU’s union has every right to consider, and thus call for, a strike…

In response, flunky administrative personnel have been dispatched to replace faculty in the teaching of classes, demonstrating all too clearly LIU’s lack of respect for their students in addition to their faculty.

Pratt and LIU are affiliated in many ways other than being the rare private-sector faculty unions — for both full-time and part-time faculty — in Brooklyn, much less, the country, as they were for a short time (in the early 70′s) in our own Local 1460, and in fact, used Pratt’s CBA as a model for their own contract. In addition, LIU spear-headed what is an ‘Alliance’ of all higher-ed faculty unions in the tri-state area irrespective of private or public-sector (i.e. SUNY, CUNY…), or each union’s affiliation w/NYSUT, NEA, AAUP, etc. We are thus “allied.”

In any event, I’m asking that you consider lending some support and solidarity to our Brooklyn brethren. They are holding pickets at Flatbush and DeKalb each day at 8:00 a.m. and 1p.m. I will be joining them tomorrow, Friday, September 9th, at 8:00 a.m.

Please understand that you are completely free to picket and/or rally at any time, but cannot ‘skip’ the teaching of your classes at Pratt to do so (that would be considered a ‘strike’ and we are prohibited from “lending a strike”…!) Moreover, there is a huge rally scheduled for next Monday, September 12th at 3:00 p.m., Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church: 85 South Oxford St., Brooklyn, NY.

There will be a number of speakers at Monday’s event. I have been invited to speak as well, and I’m more than happy to do so.

In Solidarity,

Kye

——
President UFCT Local 1460

Monday, April 4: Union Solidarity at Pratt

trotsky — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:35:29 +0000

Monday, April 4: Union Solidarity at Pratt
————————-

WORKERS’ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!

National Day of Union Solidarity on the Pratt Campus

Please Join Us For A Lunchtime Roundtable Discussion

Monday, April 4, 12:30-2pm, in the Alumni Reading Room, 3^rd floor of the Library.

All members of the Pratt community are welcome.

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while in Memphis supporting the collective bargaining rights of sanitation workers. Since February 11, 2011, thousands of people have protested in Wisconsin supporting the collective bargaining rights of state public employees.

What connects these two struggles?

How might we claim the vitality of the historic fight for labor rights and Dr. King’s anti-poverty campaigns for the current fight to strengthen American unions? What do the attempts to take away rights from organized labor mean on a global and national scale—and how does it affect our daily lives here on the Pratt campus?

What is your experience and connection to labor and unions? What connections do we in the Pratt community have to the struggle for collective bargaining and worker rights in NYC and beyond?

In commemoration of Dr. King’s work, April 4, 2011, has been declared a National Day of Union Solidarity—a chance for people across the country to gather and show support for Unions and current labor struggles. Here on the Pratt campus, we’re marking this day by providing a forum for students, faculty, and employees alike to learn about and discuss Dr. King’s legacy and current labor struggles. Please join us!

Hosted by Emily Beall, Moderated by Tracie Morris

(for the Ad Hoc Health Care for Pratt Working Group: http://healthcareforpratt.blogspot.com/ ).

Please contact Emily with any questions, or for more information: emilybeall@gmail.com