DSA Supports Bart Unions: Will hold its convention in Emeryville and Oakland

 DSA, which is celebrating its National Convention in Emeryville the weekend of October 25‐27 will face some of the inconveniences faced by 400,000 Bay Area commuters. But we join with the broad Bay Area progressive community in unconditionally supporting the BART workers in their fight for a fair contract

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) joins with the broad labor and social justice community in the Bay Area (including Jobs with Justice and the Chinese Progressive Association) in supporting the strikers of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

Even after the BART employees, represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, and BART management were nearing a difficult economic agreement, management insisted that workers sacrifice long established work rules. The union negotiators offered to submit the rules to impartial binding arbitration, but the BART management team, led by a highly paid union busting attorney, refused. This precipitated the strike.

For the Bay Area Chinese Progressive Association statement on the strike see:

http://www.cpasf.org/standwithbartworkers

For the Bay Area Jobs with Justice statement on the strike see:

http://portside.org/2013‐10‐19/support‐bay‐area‐transit‐strikers

A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Union

A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike

After 10 years of top-down disruptions, teachers showed
the power of collective action by those who work in
schools.

By Karen Lewis and Randi Weingarten Opinion

Wall Street Journal September 23, 2012

After more than a decade of top-down dictates,
disruptive school closures, disregard of teachers' and
parents' input, testing that squeezes out teaching, and
cuts to the arts, physical education and libraries,
educators in Chicago said "enough is enough." With
strong support from parents and many in the community,
teachers challenged a flawed vision of education reform
that has not helped schoolchildren in Chicago or around
the country. It took a seven-day strike - something no
one does without cause - but with it educators in
Chicago have changed the conversation about education
reform.

These years of dictates imposed upon teachers left
children in Chicago without the rich curriculum,
facilities and social services they need. On picket
lines, with their handmade signs, teachers provided
first-person accounts of the challenges confronting
students and educators. They made it impossible to turn
a blind eye to the unacceptable conditions in many of
the city's public schools.

Teachers and parents were united in the frustration
that led to the strike. Nearly nine out of 10 students
in Chicago Public Schools live in poverty, a shameful
fact that so-called reformers too often ignore, yet
most schools lack even one full-time nurse or social
worker. The district has made cuts where it shouldn't
(in art, music, physical education and libraries) but
hasn't cut where it should (class sizes and excessive
standardized testing and test prep). The tentative
agreement reached in Chicago aims to address all these
issues.

Chicago's teachers see this as an opportunity to move
past the random acts of "reform" that have failed to
move the needle and toward actual systemic school
improvement. The tentative agreement focuses on
improving quality so that every public school in
Chicago is a place where parents want to send their
children and educators want to teach.

Chicago Teachers Prepare for a Strike

Tomorrow is Decision Day in Chicago. by Diane Ravitch.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has tried to bully the Chicago Teachers
Union and its leader Karen Lewis.

Lewis was elected by the members because they knew she would
stand up for them.

Emanuel has the support of the Wall Street hedge fund managers
organization, somewhat absurdly called Democrats for Education
Reform. He also has the other big-monied people in Chicago, as
mentioned in this article in the Chicago Tribune, including
billionaire Penny Pritzker.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-teacher-strike-politics-20120909,0,6860745.story

The article mentions that DFER staged a protest at union
headquarters to oppose a strike. I wonder how many hedge fund
managers send their children to Chicago public schools. I am
trying to imagine hedge fund managers marching in front of
union headquarters and carrying signs. I am guessing that what
happened was that they "staged" a protest, meaning that they
hired out-of-work actors to carry protest signs. Maybe the
unemployed actors have children in the Chicago public schools.
read more here. http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/spirits-high-at-the-chicago-teachers-unionctu-strike-hq/#more-16465

The great thing about having Karen Lewis there is that every
teacher in America knows she will stand strong for them. She
will not sell them out. And she will not sell out the
children.

She knows that teachers' working conditions are children's
learning conditions.

CSU Faculty vote to authorize state wide strike

Faculty Union in California votes to authorize a strike. Would be the first system wide strike in state history.

California State University faculty voted to  approved a measure to give their union leaders the power to authorize a strike next fall that could delay the beginning of school for thousands of students across the 23-campus university system.  The CSU is the 23 campus system of California.  The University of California does not have a faculty union with collective bargaining recognition although some of its staff and employees belong to unions.

A powerful 95% of the  faculty voters agreed that the CSU’s instructional faculty, should initiate rolling walkouts if the CSU administration continues to demand concessions.

Equally as impressive was the turnout, with 70% of CFA members voting to send an unmistakable message to Chancellor Charles B. Reed – state austerity is killing higher education in California.

Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association, said, “Today, the faculty has spoken loud and clear – we have had enough of the way in which they are being treated by the CSU administration.”

Hayward Teachers Announce Victory - 10 Day Strike Ends

Steve Rubenstein and Nanette Asimov of the SF Chronicle just reported that Hayward Teachers have reached a tentative settlement with their district.

"All 1,300 teachers are expected to return to their classrooms Thursday, which will be a minimum day with early dismissal, according to union spokesman Mike Myslinski.
The agreement between the Hayward Education Association and the Hayward Unified School District came at around 9:30 p.m., after a round of talks that followed a large protest at the Hayward school board meeting.
When the strike began on April 5, teachers were demanding a 16 percent raise over 2 years and the school district was offering a one-time raise of 5.5 percent. It was not clear which side made additional concessions, if any, to reach the agreement tonight.
"After months of telling the district how the low pay for teachers is hurting our schools, the district finally agreed to do something about the problem," said Kathleen Crummey, president of the union. "This salary agreement isn't perfect, but it acknowledges that Hayward teachers are underpaid. It will help retain and recruit more dedicated educators for our classrooms."
...During the strike, only about a fifth of the district's 20,000 students were showing up for class. They were being taught by 180 substitutes and non-striking district employees."
Full Story and More at Bay Area Independent Media Center or Hayward Education Association

Hayward Teachers Strike - Day Nine - Failure to Settle Endangers District's Future

Unfortunately, the negotiations have broken down again. Not good news for Hayward Unified as NCLB [the federal No Child Left Behind] and CA state-imposed high-stakes-testing drives much of the district's planning and threatens the district's future. For a great critique of NCLB and efforts by over 29,000 teachers, parents and community activists united to improve public education check out EducatorRoundtable.org.

TEACHER SOLIDARITY - From Across the Bay
Some Hayward Teachers will be joining San Francisco teachers at a rally at 4:30pm today 4/24 at our Board of Education meeting - UESF members are rallying for a fair contract in San Francisco Unified - Message from UESF President Dennis Kelly -

UESF members are urged to join together to support their bargaining team. The rally is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24th, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at SFUSD headquarters(555 Franklin St.).
As the Hayward teachers' strike drags on into its third week, we at UESF offer our full support. The brave men and women who have taken a stand for their schools are an inspiration and an example to educators across the Bay Area.
We have invited a teacher from Hayward to share her story with us at our rally on the 24th. The "Angry, Tired Teacher Band" from Hayward has also been invited to play at the rally, and they will be there unless there is a settlement in their strike and they go back to their day jobs. Marty Hittleman, the new CFT President, will also speak in support of our contract fight with the district.
Please make time attend the rally, and bring your colleagues. We as a union must send a clear message to the district to avoid the mistakes of the Hayward Unified School District, and get moving at the negotiating table.

RE Hayward Strike Day Nine - See the Full Story @ San Mateo County Times6

HAYWARD — Teachers union and district negotiators broke off talks Monday night after three hours of struggling to settle their dispute over salaries.

"We did not reach a settlement that we both had hoped for," Superintendent Dale Vigil said about 8:45 p.m. "We just need to take some time, and hopefully in the near future we can sit down again and find common ground to reach that settlement."

Union leaders said the strike will continue indefinitely.

"We thought we had something on the table they could grab hold of and accept," said Kathy Crummey, Hayward Education Association president. "But that wasn't the case."

The union is now seeking a salary package revolving around a 12 percent increase phased in over two years. Crummey also said the union proposed a parcel tax during the 2008-09 school year that would go toward increasing teacher salaries.

District negotiators earlier had said that if an agreement was not reached during Monday's talks, they would try to force teachers back into classrooms by refiling their application for an injunction that they withdrew over the weekend.

School officials Friday filed for the injunction with the Public Employment Relations Board, but the board requested further information from the district and gave it the option to withdraw its application and possibly file for an injunction later.

Meanwhile, the 21-day window to hold the state Standardized Testing and Reporting exam began Monday. Hayward Unified has to test at least 95 percent of its students or could face a second year in its "Program Improvement" status.

The district received the ranking last year after failing to meet federal moving targets set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act. To emerge from Program Improvement, schools and districts must meet all federal targets for two years in a row.

School officials Monday said testing will be postponed and that principals have been informed as to how much "wiggle room" they have to hold the exams. ...

Teachers and the district met for about 10 hours Sunday before breaking off talks at midnight. The two sides were not releasing any details from that session, but "progress" has been made, according to the union.

A rally was held by teachers — who chanted "Settle our contract now, I want to go back to class" — and supporters in front of the district office, 24411 Amador St., before Monday's bargaining session began.

The strike, which began April 5, will reach Day 9 today and has already surpassed the union's previous record high for days off the job — six days in 1994. Before that, a two-day strike was held in November 1993 and a strike for one day was held in May 1974. ...

Full Story and More at Bay Area Independent Media Center or Hayward Education Association

Teachers Strike for Better Schools - From Hayward to Buenos Aires

As their strike enters its 7th day, Hayward Education Association teachers today vowed to fight Superintendent Dale Vigil and his Board's efforts to seek a court injunction to force teachers back to work. Lloyd LaCuesta of KTVU Channel 2 here in San Francisco/Oakland reported this evening that teachers and parents were picketing the superintendent's apartment complex. The district's lawyer [who also sometimes serves our SF district as well] attempted to further demonize teachers as uncivil. But parents and residents interviewed showed sympathy for the teachers who have been fighting for a fair contract, better salaries and health benefits.

“The district has been wasting time at the bargaining table for weeks by repackaging the same poor salary offer,” said Kathleen Crummey, president of the nearly 1,300-member Hayward Education Association.
“Now they want to go to court with more lies about our intentions and conduct. In the court of public opinion, this district has already been found guilty of gross disrespect of teachers, parents and students.”

Hayward and East Bay Area parents who are supporting their teachers will march for two miles through Hayward Friday morning to demand respect from Superintendent Dale Vigil, who called security guards on dozens of parents who massed at the district office Wednesday and refused to meet with them. The march is on rain or shine. It will start at Weekes Park, 27300 Patrick Ave. Chanting parents with protest signs about the district will move down Patrick, Gading, Harder and Cypress, crossing Jackson Street on Cypress, then ending the march at the school district office, 24411 Amador St.

“We will be marching to support the teachers and their fight for fair raises,” said parent Araceli Orozco, a leader of the newly formed Hayward parent group Families In Action. “We want teachers to earn enough to stay and teach our children. And we want Superintendent Vigil to respect parents by being more honest with us about the strike.”

More News Video Clip
------
The Reuters photo shows Argentine teachers holding up school uniforms with the words 'Nunca Mas' (never again) as they march among human rights activists and other labor groups in downtown Buenos Aires April 9, 2007. Argentine school teachers went on a one-day nation wide strike today after a high school chemistry teacher was killed by police last week during a protest over pay in the southern province of Neuquen. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (ARGENTINA)

Judge Allows Use of Race in Berkeley's School Desegregation Plan, Chicano Activist/Scholar Carlos Munoz to Keynote Urban School Boards Meeting in SF

As the US Supreme Court is poised to possibly strike down the use of race in school desegregation plans in the next couple of months, a SF Bay Area Superior Court Judge ruled yesterday that Berkeley Unified School District can use race in its voluntary school desegregtion plan. Bob Egelko from the SF Chronicle reported this morning:

The 9,000-student Berkeley Unified School District has taken measures since 1968 to promote racial balance between schools in the largely minority flatlands and the mostly white hillside and UC Berkeley neighborhoods.
Its current plan, adopted in 2004, gives each neighborhood of four to eight blocks a diversity rating, based on parents' income and educational levels and the students' racial composition. The district uses that rating to promote balance at the city's 11 elementary schools and in special academic programs at Berkeley High School.
In her ruling, Smith said the enrollment system does not violate Prop. 209's ban on racial preferences because the district considers race only indirectly, as a factor in a neighborhood's diversity rating, and does not determine individual student placements.
"The district simply takes racial diversity into account, along with other diversity indicators, as a means of achieving its goals of integration of its schools,'' the judge said."

More

Chicano Social Justice Movement Activist/Scholar Carlos Munoz Keynotes the urban school boards national conference in San Francisco 4/13

One of my mentors, Civil Rights, Peace and Social Justice Leader Dr. Carlos Munoz, is giving the keynote at our Council of Urban Boards of Education - CUBE - conference this Friday the 13th at 9am at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square area. As a young educational justice organizer and activist Carlos helped lead the 1968 East Los Angeles youth movements and 'blowouts' dramatized in last year's HBO film Walkout. Here are Munoz' May 20, 2006 remarks to the Chicano/Latino Graduation Ceremony at UC Berkeley last year in the midst of the largest US social justice protests in generations from March-May 2006 for immigrant rights and dignity - texasedequity.blogspot.com/2006/05/dr-carlos-munoz-jr-uc-berkeley.html.

I want to share my Vision for an authentic Multiracial Democracy that I have kept in mind throughout my life of struggle and activism. It is my graduation gift to you to keep in mind as you develop into our nation's leaders.

My vision is that Americans of all colors, religions, sexual preferences, men and women will give birth to an authentic Multiracial Democracy. A Democracy that will promote a true racial and ethnic diversity and equality in everyday life. A Democracy that honors its immigrant legacies and values as equal all immigrant workers whether they are documented or undocumented.

A Democracy that will promote social justice, religious tolerance, non-violence, and peace at home and abroad. A Democracy with a government that will include a representative of every diverse group at the table of political power on behalf of the people, not the military-prison-corporate complex.

A Democracy with a national political multiparty electoral system where candidates for election include the poor and working class, not just those who are rich or middle class. With an electoral system where every vote will in fact be counted. No more Florida's, no more Ohio's, no more Bushes. A Democracy where human needs are prioritized and not the needs of the rich and the corporations. Where health care and education are defined as Human Rights.

A Democracy that prioritizes youth as the most important Investment for the future of our nation and builds more schools instead of prisons.

THIS VISION WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO MAKE COME TRUE. But What I have learned in my lifetime is that struggle is life and life is struggle. But most importantly, that victory is in the struggle!Congratulations to each and every one of you. Love, Peace, and Justice to you all!

More on Carlos Munoz -

Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr. was born in the “segundo barrio” in El Paso , Texas , and raised in the barrios of East Los Angeles , California . He is the son of poor working class Mexican immigrants. He earned his AA from Los Angeles City Community College , his BA with honors in Political Science from California State University at Los Angeles and his Ph.D. in Government from the Claremont Graduate School . He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California , Berkeley . After 37 years of teaching in higher education, he has gained international prominence as political scientist, historian, journalist, and public intellectual.

Dr. Muñoz was the founding chair of the first Chicano Studies department in the nation in 1968 at the California State University at Los Angeles and the founding chair of the National Association of Chicana & Chicano Studies (NACCS). He is a pioneer in the creation of undergraduate and graduate curricula in the disciplines of Ethnic Studies. He is the author of numerous pioneering works on the Mexican American political experience and on African American and Latino political coalitions. His book, Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement won the Gustavus Myers Book Award for “outstanding scholarship in the study of human rights in the Untied States”. The book is in its 12th printing and was a major resource for the PBS television series “Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement“. Dr. Muñoz was the senior consultant for the project and was also featured in the series.
Dr. Muñoz is an acknowledged expert on the issues of ethnic and racial politics, multiculturalism and diversity, immigration, civil and human rights, and affirmative action.
As a scholar-activist, Dr. Muñoz has been a central figure in the struggles for civil and human rights, social justice, and peace in the United States and abroad since he was a student activist in the 1960s. He played a prominent leadership role as a founder of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Since then he has served as a leading organizer of various multiracial coalitions, including the Faculty for Human Rights in Central America , Faculty Against Apartheid in South Africa , and The Rainbow Coalition. In 1988, he was a key advisor to the Jesse Jackson presidential campaign. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and is a co-founder of the Institute for Multiracial Justice in San Francisco , California . He also co-founded Latinos Unidos, a grassroots community organization in Berkeley , California . Dr. Muñoz is a Vietnam Era Veteran and a member of the Veterans for Peace and is active in the Counter-Military Recruitment in the Public Schools Movement as well as in the larger Anti-Iraq War Movement.

California Faculty Union Victory! Settlement Reached 21% salary increase over 4 years

Our SF State President Robert Corrigan just announced that our union has won a tremendous victory in settling our contract without having to strike. Our union, the CA Faculty Association's announcement is less definitive -
"CFA and CSU reach deal in principle on contract/Two-day rolling walkouts put on hold while deal is finalized/CFA and the CSU administration have reached a tentative contract agreement and the union’s Board of Directors has voted unanimously to postpone rolling walkouts pending finalized contract language.

Tentative agreements have been signed on the issues of salary, workload, grievances, parking and appointments which have been the most contentiously debated topics in this round of bargaining. The accord was reached using the recommendations of neutral fact finder Sylvia Skratek as framework for the deal.

“We have a tentative agreement that will be good for the CSU, good for our students, good for the faculty,” said CFA President John Travis. “Through this agreement faculty will make real progress toward closing the pay gap between us and our colleagues in other states.”

Should an unforeseen breakdown in these latest talks occur, faculty remain prepared to initiate job actions. The new contract will likely be sent out to the membership for final ratification in late April. Updates will be made to this page as the contract becomes final. "

Here's the info shared by SF State President Corrigan:

April 3, 2007 – The California State University (CSU) today announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the California Faculty Association that provides all CSU faculty with base pay increases of 20.7 percent over a four-year period, as well as step increases for those eligible, making the package worth 24.87 percent.

In addition to these increases, $28 million will be provided in the form of merit and equity increases that will provide raises for senior faculty who have reached the top of the pay scale, as well as boost junior faculty compensation. The CSU will seek an additional 1 percent increase for all employees’ compensation in state budget funds in each of the next three years.

The total pay package, which will cost the CSU more than $400 million over four years, breaks down as follows:
20.7 percent in guaranteed salary increases for all faculty in the form of General Salary Increases; 1 percent step increase (“Service Salary Increase”) in each year
of the contract; because these increases are only paid to approximately one-third of all faculty members each year, these individuals will receive an additional 2.65 percent boost to their salaries when eligible; $28 million set-aside to provide two new merit-based pay programs targeting both junior and senior faculty, and
An additional 1 percent in each of the last three years of the contract, contingent on receipt of additional state budget funds.
The CSU also accepted the fact finder’s recommendations to establish a salary structure committee to examine faculty compensation issues and to increase faculty parking fees commensurate with their General Salary Increases in each year of the agreement.

This tentative agreement must be ratified by the membership of the California Faculty Association. Then it will be submitted to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval. What a relief!
Bravo to our CFA bargaining team and to management's team as well for reaching this agreement and a new 4-year contract for our faculty throughout California!

California Faculty Union Preps for Strike - Sets April 9-13 for 6 campuses

As we prepare for the Cesar Chavez holiday and the last week before Spring Break at San Francisco State our student activists are still organizing and preparing for solidarity actions in the event of a possible strike. They are also planning actions to oppose the fee hikes and resist top-down decision-making by Chancellor Charlie Reed and the CSU Trustees. Our union leadership announced today that Cal State Los Angeles , CSU Sacramento , CSU San Marcos , CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU East Bay, and the California Maritime Academy Would be First Campuses Where Faculty Will Strike from April 9-13.
CFA Vice President Kim Geron of CSU East Bay and other leaders of our union will continue working towards a settlement. But if April 6 arrives and we still don't have a fair contract after 23 months of working towards it we will definitely be striking.

If there is no deal, our schedule for the first week of strikes will be:

Tuesday-Wednesday, April 10-11:
Cal State Los Angeles & California Maritime Academy

Wednesday-Thursday, April 11-12:
CSU Dominguez Hills ( Carson / Los Angeles County ), CSU East Bay ( Hayward ), CSU Sacramento & CSU San Marcos ( San Diego County )

Lillian Taiz, CFA Vice President and Professor of History at Cal State Los Angeles stated, “We believe it is in the best interests of everyone, including Chancellor Reed and his administration, to settle this contract. We have the necessary guidance from the fact finding report that we believe makes it possible to reach such a settlement.
“However, we have been disappointed before. We’ve been pushing this rock up the hill for two years. We are 10 feet from the top. We can’t stop now. The Chancellor made a promise; he’s got to live up to it.”
More info - http://www.calfac.org

"Fact Finder" in CA State University Faculty Dispute sides with union - urges raises and settlement

Following yesterday's 10-day extension of our contract, I am hopeful that the California State University administration will now 'face the facts' and settle a fair contract with faculty throughout the state.
We are urging Chancellor Charlie Reed and the Trustees of the CSU system to accept the fact-finder's recommendations and settle the contract now so that we don't have to strike.

“We call on the Chancellor of the CSU to return to the bargaining table and settle an agreement now based on the fact finder’s report,” said John Travis, CFA President. “If he refuses then he forces us to proceed with a strike. That is not what we want and it’s not what the CSU needs.”

To view the fact finder's recommendations as well as the fact finding reports from both CFA and the CSU administration please visit: www.calfac.org/factfinding.html

This is the message I and other faculty from SF State received via email late yesterday from management:

The CSU Board of Trustees today deferred a decision on fact-finding recommendations. The faculty contract has been extended until April 6, 2007 to allow the parties to use the fact-finding panel's report as a basis for settlement. There will be no concerted strike activity during this period.

CA College Teachers Making History - National Labor Coalitions Join in Support

Although we don’t want to strike, if Chancellor Charlie Reed, CSU Board of Trustees Chair Roberta Achtenberg the CSU Trustees do not come to their senses, we will move forward to historic two-day rolling strike actions at our 23 campuses throughout California.

See the broad support growing for our California Faculty Association or CFA from the Change to Win coalition of the labor movement. See also the letter signed by the presidents of some of the largest and most important unions and academic organizations in the nation NEA, SEIU, CTA and AAUP and the support from John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO.

Left in SF is calling for Support for University of California Custodians as well.

Join the Picket to End Poverty Wages for UC Custodians!
Saturday, March 24, 5:30 to 7:00 PM., Ft. Mason, Buchanan and Marina at the UC’s Annual Gala fundraiser
Join members of AFSCME Local 3299 for a picket against poverty wages at the University of California. Custodians from several UC campuses will converge at the UC’s Annual Gala fundraiser for a picket. Help send the message to UC’s donors that the San Francisco community will not tolerate poverty wages here. Your support on the picket line is critical to bring UC workers out of poverty!
The Gala will be held at at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The entrance to Fort Mason is at the intersection of Buchanan St and Marina Blvd, plenty of parking available on site.

CSU Strike - Student Fee Hikes, Executive Compensation & Perks, Fair Contract for Faculty

As we prepare to strike, California State University Faculty are doing our best to get the word out about our issues -

Scandalous?! Who wants to be a millionaire in the CSU system?

- California Faculty Magazine cover story "CSU who wants to be a millionaire."

Compare our Executives' Salaries with the rest of us who teach for a living:

- salary figures and raises handed out to CSU administrators and campus presidents
Look at the raises given to administrators versus those given to faculty

More sleuthing at http://www.CSICSU.org

Executive Compensation: What's this I keep hearing about the CSU 'fat cats' and all their Executive Compensation and Perks?

• Last fall, the CSU Trustees awarded campus presidents and the top administrators in the Chancellor’s Office 19% increases in compensation -- including salary increases averaging 13.7% per person.
• At their January 2007 meeting, CSU Trustees will vote on another 4% salary increase proposed for the same executives.
• With these raises:-the average 2-year salary increase = $42,000-salary paid to the top execs in 06/07 will be 19% more than in 04/05
• By contrast, since 2002, CSU faculty received only a 3.5% raise, in July 2005.
• Compensation increases awarded to some executives in 2005 totaled more than the annual salary paid to full-time faculty.
• CPEC estimates that CSU faculty are paid 18% lower, on average, than their peers at similar universities around the country.

Largest higher education strike in US history - California faculty union builds unity with students and communities

As we prepare for the largest higher education strike in US history, California State University faculty are building stronger long-term alliances with students and communities. Unity is crucial for victory in our fight for a fair contract and our students' fight for a real voice and to stop the huge fee increases recently approved by the CSU trustees.
Our CFA board last night voted unanimously to authorize our strike. Already field organizers are making plans with our student and community allies to shut down our campuses if necessary.
For great student perspectives on how student learning conditions are interconnected with faculty/staff working conditions - see this student produced video - Listen to the Students.
One of my former students Peter Lauterborn who also writes for BeyondChron.com has started a facebook group -" I will not cross the picket line" to help students stay informed about the strike preparations at SF State and all over California. Already numerous student leaders and others are working to build stronger alliances with faculty as well. Student organizers are going class to class to make presentations to inform students of the potential strike and what it means for their future.
While the SF Chronicle seems to be burying the strike story on the back pages, the Sacramento Bee has been featuring great investigative reporting on faculty conditions and executive perks and local organizing at Sac State.

FROM: THE CALIFORNIA FACULTY ASSOCIATION - FACULTY UNITED!
• 94% vote to support a strike; voter turnout is 81%; bargaining crisis inspires 1,300 new members to join the union
Any lingering questions about the solidarity and resolve of the California State University faculty were answered resoundingly Wednesday by the results of the first strike vote in the history of the California Faculty Association.
A stunning 94% of the voters agreed that the CSU’s professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches should initiate rolling walkouts if the CSU administration continues to reject bringing their salaries in line with their peers across the country.
More than 8,000 voters—an extraordinary 81% of the CFA membership—turned out to send an unmistakable message to Chancellor Charles B. Reed.
...The pro-strike-authorization numbers rang across all 23 CFA chapters. On only one campus was the vote in favor of striking as low as 79%.
An equally telling number is the 1,300 faculty who have been moved to join CFA during the recent months of the bargaining crisis and impasse. Taken together, the landslide strike authorization and the union’s growing ranks leave no doubt that faculty have the capacity to shut down the university if an agreement cannot be reached, and reached quickly, said CFA Vice President Lillian Taiz.
“There will be hundreds of faculty and supporters from other unions on the picket lines,” predicted Taiz, a leader of CFA’s field operations, “and we think they will be joined by students and staff who are as fed up as we are.”

Sampling of the media coverage of today’s historic developments.

CFA’s news release about the strike vote

CFA Board votes to implement rolling strikes on all 23 CSU campuses as 10-day “quiet period” ends
On Wednesday evening the CFA Board of Directors met and, by unanimous vote, made it official, turning the strike authorization into a strike plan with teeth.
The Board empowered the CFA officers and Field Team (who organized the strike vote) to make a final decision on which days and which campuses will begin the two-day walkouts in the initial round of job actions. Out of necessity, planning has been under way for months.
The first walkouts are expected in April but may occur sooner. Once the fact-finder’s recommendations are made public this Sunday, at the conclusion of the 10-day “quiet period” mandated by state law, the faculty are legally entitled to undertake job actions—to go on strike.
The expectation is that Chancellor Reed will ignore the recommendations of the fact-finding report and quite possibly attempt to unilaterally impose working conditions on the faculty.
If he does either, a strike will begin shortly thereafter.
* * *

94% of CA Faculty Union members authorize strike in US's largest higher education system

It's now official - we [over 8000 members of our union statewide] voted overwhelming - 94% - to authorize our union leadership to call for and organize rolling strikes as early at the first week of April to win a fair and equitable contract for teachers throughout our California State University system, the largest higher education system in the country. The strike would be a first in the CSU system. CBS is claiming that this could be the largest higher education strike in US history - since the CSU system represents 23 campuses and some 23,000 faculty and 400,000 students.
SF History - But our union went out on strike here at SF State in January 1969 for a fair contract, but also to support the Black Student Union and Third World Liberation Front during the Third World Strike here, the longest student strike in US History.
As Working Californians Blogger Julia Rosen notes, we faculty members from the CSU campuses want to minimize the disruption to our students education so we are planing for rolling strikes sometime in mid-late April. For updates see http://www.calfac.org.

From the SF Chronicle -

California State University faculty members have authorized their union leaders to call a strike if needed to pressure CSU's top executives into a labor contract that the union views as more favorable to the school's 23,000 educators.
If there were a strike, it would be the first at the nation's largest four-year public university.
Ninety-four percent of the union members who participated in the election voted to permit a strike, union President John Travis said today during a news conference at CSU Dominguez Hills. He said that 81 percent of the California Faculty Association's
membership voted in the strike election on the university's 23 campuses. ..
"I call upon this chancellor to return to the table and negotiate in good faith," said state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, who is also a faculty member of the university but on the leave. "Let's let the negotiation get started."

California State University Faculty Strike Looming - I don't want to strike, but I will!

San Francisco State and our California State University System is the largest system of higher education in the US with some 400,000 students and 46,000 faculty and staff spread out onto 23 campuses throughout our state. On Thursday we wrapped up a strike vote within our union that many predict will overwhelmingly authorize our union leadership to set strike dates throughout the state sometime in April.

Our students are taking the lead in building solidarity with faculty in support of a fair contract and our mutual opposition to the huge fee hikes just approved by the CSU Trustees on Wednesday. We are building stronger faculty/staff/student alliances to ensure a brighter future for our communities and the CSU system.

For more info on the CFA Strike: STRIKE VOTE CONTINUES ON LAST SET OF CAMPUSES—

Voting by CFA members on whether to authorize a strike against the CSU administration continued yesterday, March 12, and runs through Thursday, March 15, on the Fresno, Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge, San Francisco, San Jose and San Luis Obispo campuses.
These seven CFA chapters, which include some of the largest, supplement the 16 where voting concluded last week. The final vote tally will be announced next Wednesday, March 21.
To review, nearly two years of talks on a new collective bargaining agreement broke down over the summer. Chancellor Charles B. Reed has misrepresented both the size of the pay raise offered and the strings attached to it. Under the current offer, the salaries of CSU professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches would continue to lag seriously behind those at comparable institutions—this despite a consensus that the pay gap, documented by the California Postsecondary Education Commission, should be eliminated.
Throughout our impasse, the CSU administration and Trustees continue to hammer students with fee increases and hand out executive raises, perks and golden parachutes in a pattern that has sparked statewide citizen and media outrage.

For more context on the scandals within the top eshelons of the CSU systems and their pro-big business boosters - see the www.csicsu.org site. See also info on SF State grad and now State Senator Leland Yee's efforts to bring sunshine into the CSU decision-making process.

On Wednesday we [CFA] will announce the outcome of the strike vote. We have spent the last 22 months negotiating for a labor agreement with the CSU Administration and has not been able to reach a labor agreement. According to the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the CSU faculty is paid 18% less than comparable institution salaries around the country. Since 2002, faculty salaries have remained stagnant while the Administration has raised its own salary 23%.

Thank you to Calitics for their ongoing coverage of our faculty's fight for a fair contract.

SF High School Students Walkout 2/15 - demand an end to War Funding; Build for Thurs 2/22 4:30 Action at SF Fed Bldg

SF Student and Youth Voices were loud and clear last thursday 2/15 with a high school and SF State student walkout to demand an end to war funding. I joined the hundreds of Lowell High School students and tried to keep up with their quick pace and youthful and defiant energy along with Lowell Teachers Ken Tray and Rick Girling. We met up with San Francisco State Students at the military recruiting center near the Stonestone Mall in SF.
See Mara Kubrin's great photos on IndyBay.org and Revolution Youth's coverage as well.
See also the 2/15 Strike website
This coming 2/22 Thursday at 4:30 - Students from throughout the SF Bay Area are again converging but this time at the Federal Building in SF to send a stronger message to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congress. Facebook Outreach for 2/22

Move on is also planning a noon action at the federal building as well. More info

Welcome Home, Madame Speaker/ Congress Decides!

Phillip Burton Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, SF450 Golden Gate AvenueSan Francisco, CA 94102

Thursday, 22 Feb 2007, 12:00 PM

Nov 20th US Solidarity Actions - Building Education Not Incarceration in SF; Oaxaca Resiste!

“On November 20, blockades will be set up to show the Mexican government we mean business. We are calling upon YOU to join in these blockades. That could mean blockading the consulates’ websites, jamming their phone lines with calls about the conflict in Oaxaca, occupying the offices of the consuls, or shutting down the roads around the consulates in whatever way you see fit.” - EZLN

The Oakland-based national organization Education Not Incarceration [ENI] is in the process of setting up a new chapter in our fair City of San Francisco. School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez who will likely become our next Board President in January 07 and I are working with ENI to help build ENI in SF.
The local group meets weekly, Saturdays, 2-4 PM at the Hunters Point Foundation, 5015 3rd Street, San Francisco. For more information, conact Valerie Higgins at 415.822.1585 or vhigginsbvhp@yahoo.com.
--------------
ENI, Teachers for Social Justice, the SF Labor Council, Mexico Solidarity Committee and others are calling on communities to stand in solidarity with the people's movements in Oaxaca, Mexico with SF actions which are part of hundreds of similar actions across the globe -

We, Education Not Incarceration, want to emphasize the connection between growing incarceration rates in the United States, which often result from job-lessness caused by globalization of the workforce, and the poverty and uprising against neo-liberalism by the people of Oaxaca. In Mexico people are forced to work and live in extreme poverty conditions, resulting from free-trade laws that enable US corporations to extract human and natural resources from Mexico without any protections on the people or the land. The uprising in Oaxaca began with a teacher strike. ...solidarity actions inside and outside of Mexico will not only show the people of Oaxaca that they are not alone, but also that we will hold the Mexican government responsible for the bloodshed.

*****************************************************
From http://www.indybay.org
Following the call put out by the Zapatistas for a nationwide general strike in Mexico on November 20th, actions have been planned internationally.
In San Francisco activists are calling for a convergence and critical mass at 4pm at the Mexican Consulate (532 Folsom at 2nd Street).
The November 20th actions fall on the same day where Obrador, the candidate who lost the summer elections to fraud, is to be inaugurated by his supporters. Women, Political Parties, Barricades and Autonomy by Barucha Calamity Peller. Meanwhile the Oaxacan Attorney General has blamed APPO for the death of Indymedia journalist and anarchist Brad Will.
What started out as a teachers strike nearly six months ago in the city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico has transformed itself into a full blown rebellion against neo-liberal economics and capitalist domination. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets and thousands of barricades have been set up by popular assemblies demanding autonomy and the resignation of the governor of the state. ************************************************************
MORE INFO - www.narconews.com
http://www.indybay.org/international/americas/
************************************************************

Last week Labor Activists Frank Martin Del Campo, Alan Benjamin and Dave Welsh authored a SF Labor Council resolution in support of the struggle in Oaxaca -

[Note: The following resolution was adopted unanimously by the Delegates Meeting of the San Francisco Labor Council on Monday, November 13, 2006.]

Resolution in Solidarity with the People of Oaxaca
Whereas, 70,000 teachers in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico -- organized in Section 22 of the National Teachers Union (SNTE) -- went on strike in May 2006 demanding that all teachers across the State receive wage increases and wage parity, and that all school children be provided with shoes, breakfast and uniforms to go to school; and
Whereas, in June 2006, the government of the State of Oaxaca, led by Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, unleashed the first brutal attack against the strike encampments set up by teachers and their supporters; death squads working with state authorities assassinated striking teachers; and
Whereas, the people of Oaxaca -- through their labor, community, political, religious and indigenous organizations -- then rallied behind the teachers and formed a Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) to urge the authorities to meet the strikers' just and legitimate demands, and, with the Teachers, to demand the resignation of Governor Ruiz. At that point it became not only a teachers' strike, but a powerful people's strike for justice and against violent repression; and
Whereas, on October 29, 2006, the Federal government of President Vicente Fox sent in 4500 special troops to tear down the barricades and many of the encampments that the Teachers and people of Oaxaca had created to defend their strike; andWhereas, Mexicans across the political spectrum have commented on the not-so-behind-the-scenes role of the U.S. Embassy. The Bush-appointed U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza stated on October 28 that the Fox administration had delayed too long, and needed to send in Federal troops to Oaxaca. An hour later Fox announced his decision to send in troops, which he implemented the following day; and
Whereas, over the first six months of struggle in Oaxaca, more than 20 people have been killed, including a north American video journalist, and hundreds wounded by troops, police and paramilitary forces. Hundreds have been "disappeared" (many of them feared dead). And many hundreds of union and community activists have been jailed. Yet the popular forces in their hundreds of thousands have continued to march.
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, joins with labor and democratic rights organizations in Mexico and around the world in urging the federal and state governments in Mexico to seek every avenue to a peaceful solution to the conflict in Oaxaca; and
Be it Further Resolved, that we urge the Mexican authorities to settle the conflict by meeting the legitimate demands put forward by the teachers and the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca, including: (1) Immediate withdrawal of all troops and paramilitary units from the city and state of Oaxaca, (2) Stop the repression and state-sponsored killings, (3) Removal from office of Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, instigator of the reign of terror, (4) Release all detainees and political prisoners, and (5) Governor Ruiz and others responsible must be brought to justice.
Be it Finally Resolved, that we forward these demands to our Labor Councils, National Unions, State Federations, AFL-CIO and Change to Win Federation,urging them to embrace these demands and to act in solidarity with the teachers and popular movement of Oaxaca.
(Resolution submitted by Dave Welsh, NALC #214; Alan Benjamin, OPEIU #3; and Frank Martin del Campo, LCLAA)

SF Halloween protest of Mexican Consulate - the People of Oaxaca are not Alone!

On Halloween San Francisco teachers, parents and students will be foregoing our trick or treating to protest the Mexican Consulate here to condemn the government repression in Oaxaca and call for democracy in Mexico.
From the Mexico Solidarity Committee:
STOP THE REPRESSION IN MEXICO! Emergency Demonstration at the Mexican Consulate in SF to Protest the Political Murders in Oaxaca!
On Friday, the October 27, the Mexican federal police invaded the barricades in Oaxaca to take back control of the city after five months of occupation by APPO (the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca).
As of midnight, 27th of October the death toll is 5 with 30 wounded. Among the dead are New York City Indymedia journalist Will Brad. Among the wounded is a media worker, Oswaldo Ramirez, a Mexican photographer.
We stand with the people of Oaxaca! We Demand: Mexican Federal Police Out of Oaxaca!
For a tribunal to investigate the murders by government troops and paramilitary!
5:00 PM, Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Mexico Consulate General - in San Francisco CA
532 Folsom Street, San Francisco CA 94105
Issued by the Mexico Solidarity Committee
Telephone: 415-864-3537
Email: mexicosolidaritycommittee@yahoo.com

Zapatistas Call for Solidarity and Resistance
A Call from the Zapatistas: Oaxaca Is Not Alone
Shut-Down of Roads, Highways and the Media on November 1; General Strike Called for November 20

The EZLN calls out to the Other Campaign in Mexico and north of the Rio Grande, so that these November 1st mobilizations happen wherever possible, completely, partially, at intervals or symbolically shutting down the major artery roads, streets, toll booths, stations, airports and commercial media.
The central message that the Zapatistas send and will continue sending is that the people of Oaxaca are not alone: They are not alone!
Ulises Ruiz out of Oaxaca!
Immediate withdrawal of the occupying federal forces from Oaxaca!
Immediate and unconditional freedom for all detainees!
Cancel all arrest warrants!
Punish the murderers!
Justice!Freedom!Democracy!

From the North of Mexico.For the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.For the EZLN Sixth Commission.
Subcomandante Insurgente MarcosMexico, October, 2006.

From http://Indybay.org
At 5pm this evening, hundreds will gather to protest at the Mexican Consulate to condemn the repression in Oaxaca. Yesterday many protested around the world to keep Mexican consulates and embassies all over the world from opening.
List
In SF, protesters met at the the Mexican Consulate at 532 Folsom St. at 6:45am ( Photos: 1 2), to tell the government of Mexico "that we will not allow this savage attack on our brothers and sisters in Oaxaca to be taking place and have business go on as usual." People came together again at 4pm. People also gathered at the Mexican Consulate in San Jose (540 North First St.) at 7am on Monday morning.
There was an electronic blockade of Mexican Embassy and Consulate websites on Monday.
A film screening that will be a benefit for the Rebelión Popular will take place at Station 40 (3030b 16th St. in SF) on Wednesday night, November 1st, at 7pm. Monday: Today has been quieter than yesterday. Radio Universidad has called for people to gather to defend the Zocalo and to protect the radio station.
Reports from Oaxaca: Text by Tristan Photos and text by Danielsan
Sunday evening: Tanks and large machinery were used in Oaxaca today in the government's attempts to tear down barricades. Thousands of women, children, and men were protesting in the streets. There are reports that several more protesters were killed by the police, including one child. Many who have been abducted were taken to Ixcotel Penitentary and military camps and are being beaten there. They are also raiding and destroying homes in Oaxaca, as happened in Atenco.
Read breaking news in English y en español en Centro de Medios Libres Live Audio Stream Rough English Translation Of Audio Stream Ongoing coverage: Centro del Medios Libres Indymedia.org APPO UlisesRuizAsesino website, with list of vigils El Enemigo Común

From Oaxaca to San Francisco - Teaching for Social Justice - Linking our movements

Some 600 progressive teachers will be meeting at San Francisco's Mission High School tomorrow for our 4th annual Teaching for Social Justice conference. Keynote speaker Dr. Asa Hilliard will help us link our individual acts of resistance to the building of broader and longer term social movements to change our schools and communities. See the website for numerous workshops and strategy sessions.
2 caucuses will be meeting during lunch time - one led by my colleague School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez to establish an Education Not Incarceration chapter in San Francisco; and one that I will lead with Sandra Schwartz of the American Friends Service Committee on strengthening anti-war/social justice work in our SF high schools.
Lastly, many of us will be strategizing too on how we can support the Oaxacan teachers in their struggle for educational justice and a democratic society.
As the Oaxaca situation has hit a stalemate with the standoff in Oaxaca City, solidarity is growing in SF and other parts of the United States. Nancy Davis reports that APPO [the grassroots people's assembly] is moving towards a more permanent status having just completed Thursday their "Democratic Dialogue in Oaxaca", as an alternative to meetings called by the government.

Several days ago Narco News published a great piece by Erwin Slim with some inspiring statements from Oaxacan teachers during their Long March from Oaxaca to Mexico City.

Lastly, I first met Oaxacan activists over 10 years ago when I worked with immigrant rights organizations in the Central Valley. David Bacon in his Znet article - Oaxaca's Dangerous Teachers - links the Oaxacan people to California immigrant workers and the struggles of various indigenous groups in Mexico.
And I recommend another great article which gives deeper political perspective to the demands of the Oaxacan teachers and grassroots communities - see Gerardo Renique's Oaxaca Teacher's Strike Sparks Democracy Movement.