Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Here's an update on the struggle to save the labor education programs at the University of California. If you haven't already sent letters to California legislators, please do. Also, check the links to articles, especially the article by David Bacon called "Class Warfare" which is in the current issue of The Nation. David points out the the California labor education program has been attacked for doing research on project labor agreements and for trying to influence high school students with a pro-labor viewpoint. I don't know why he mentions Missouri as one of the states where labor ed could be attacked if Schwarzeneggar succeeds in disappearing labor ed in California, but it's food for thought.
Please think about boosting your support for labor ed here by encouraging or sending yourself or your members to our classes. The winter class schedule is at
http://www.umkc.edu/labor-ed/curcours.html/.Thanks.
Judy
Judy Ancel, Director
-----Original Message-----
From: Katie Quan [mailto:kquan@uclink.berkeley.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 11:59 AM
Subject: Fwd: Please Forward Widely: Updated report on Schwarzeneggers attacks on Labor research and education
Dear Friends,http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/uclaborctr. Please also send us a copy of your letter so we can record it in our database.
As you know, on November 25, 2003, Governor Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating funding for the ILE through mid-year cuts. Then on December 18, the Governor circumvented the legislature by declaring a fiscal state of emergency, and unilaterally eliminated $2 million from the ILEthe entire budget for the rest of the fiscal year. No other University research program was similarly singled out for elimination.
Thousands of you sent letters to state legislative leaders calling on them to save the ILE, and we want to thank each of you. Among these letters was one signed by 88 top union leaders, and another one signed by 11 high-ranking Northern California elected representatives. In an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle on January 6 entitled, "The governor vs. Labor," the Governor was criticized for "wielding the budget as a crude tool to go after people or institutions he may differ with politically or philosophically, especially those operating within the University of California." (To read the entire editorial, click on the link below.)
The struggle to save the ILE is not over by any means. The University has said that they will not take any immediate steps to lay-off staff until the situation is clarified, at least until the Governor presents his FY2004-2005 budget on January 10th. Currently we are exploring ways of ensuring that the ILE can be restored in the new budget, and have had a number of meetings with members of the Senate and Assembly who are supportive. We will let you know about our next steps shortly.
For those of you who have not yet taken action, please click on the following link, enter your name and address, and the website will instantly fax letters in your name to the five key California legislators who are in a position to save the ILE's budget:
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Katie Quan
Chair
Center for Labor Research and Education
Institute of Industrial Relations
University of California
2521 Channing Way #5555
Berkeley, CA 94720-5555
phone: (510) 643-7213 fax: (510) 642-6432 email: kquan@uclink.berkeley.edu