Budget gaps are propelling cities to try to reopen the contracts of unionized public workers to cut benefits and pensions. The tone of the article (and granted it’s in the Wall Street Journal) is that union workers are privileged and have no right to their “luxurious” lifestyle, good health benefits, or secure retirement. Too bad more American workers don’t try to unionize themselves instead of attacking unions and what they have managed to get. Here’s the link. #budgetcri

“There is no one but yourself who knows whether you are cowardly and cruel, or loyal and devout. Others do not see you, they guess at you by uncertain conjectures; they see not so much your nature as your art. Therefore do not cling to their judgment; cling to your own. You must use your own judgment…With regard to virtues and vices, your own conscience has great weight; take that away, and everything falls [Cicero].” Michel de Montaigne, “Of Repentance,” Essays (trans. Do

A brilliant observation by Theodor Adorno, German social critic, specifically on folk music, but also an important reminder that we must always think realistically and critically about the relationships and dynamics that structure the social order (brought to my attention by Ric Brown, UFCT grievance team member). “There is, above all, the display of an aggressive spirit of community as an end in itself, played up artificially so as not to allow any questioning of its real

Huge protests took place across the nation yesterday, including in New York State, with barely any coverage in the mainstream media. Here is a link to Democracy Now’s coverage. #HigherEd

I ran across this 9 year old editorial from the New York Times that is still relevant today. The author, Ellen Willis (at the time a professor at NYU) argues that the Yeshiva decision is essentially moot in today’s climate, characterized by the corporatization of the university, the burgeoning of the use of part-time faculty, the assault on tenure, and the centralization of power in administrations and Boards of Trustees. Unfortunately, although “common sense” indicates tha

NYSUT is asking you to support a campaign launched by our higher education affiliate at SUNY, United University Professions, to “Save SUNY” from devastating cuts and a tiered tuition plan that would make it even harder for New York families to afford public higher education for their children. Support UUP’s campaign by sending a letter at www.savesuny.org. Make sure you’ve also weighed in by sending the letters of support for public higher ed at NYSUT’s Action Center, pa

It would indeed seem that it might help the labor movement in this country if the history of the labor movement was actually taught (so that young people would know there actually WAS a labor movement!). Funny, when I was in high school (Tottenville High School, Staten Island, New York) in the 1980’s, my economics class was taught by one of the leaders of the United Federation of Teachers. We learned economics from the perspective of labor (from the extraction of surplus va

Here's the article from the New York Times.

Dear UFCT Member: Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break and have had a successful start to the spring 2010 semester. As I announced last fall, I am on sabbatical for this semester [taking some much needed time to return to the much neglected studio.] And, although I am not on the Pratt campus day-to-day, rest assured, I'm very much in touch and attuned to what is happening on the ground (and trust me, there is always something!) The bottom-line is th

Showdown with White House imminent. What happened to pulling support from a bill with no public option? It looks like we are dancing the ol' two step between progressives and labor and centrist/corporate Democrats…this is getting boring. –Suzanne