Tuesday, October 07, 2003

New resource for labor culture materials   The Labor Heritage Foundation has published its new Fall 2003 Catalog of Music, Art, Books and Video, which is in the mail and on our website at http://www.laborheritage.org/catalog.html .  Featured are 22 new CD's, 11 new books, and 11 new video titles, as well as an interactive CD-ROM from El Teatro Campesino, a poster of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a printed listing of the Inventory of American Labor Landmarks. New music includes Billy Bragg, the Brooklyn Women's Chorus, Anne Feeney, David Rovics, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Francisco Herrera and Rosa Martha Zarate. New video titles include  "10,000 Black Men Named George" ,"Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin", "Sacco and Vanzetti" as well as the newly-released DVD version of  "Salt of the Earth." New books include Rudolfo Anaya's "Elegy on the Death of Cesar Chavez", "Insurgent Images: the Agitprop Murals of Mike Alewitz", and "Si Se Puede!  Yes, We Can", a bilingual children's story about the LA janitors strike. For more details, visit the website at http://www.laborheritage.org/catalog.html or call The Labor Heritage Foundation at  202/974-8041. 4:26:17 PM    comment []

Layoffs cut UC's least-paid Families worry about how to survive after unexpected job losses San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/07/BA290537.DTL&;type=printable Tanya Schevitz, Chronicle Staff Writer October 7, 2003 Most of the focus in the unfolding tale of how the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA is dealing with drastic state budget cuts has been on the impact on students and faculty. But the lives of many others on UC's campuses are being affected, perhaps even more dramatically, as the university lays off nonacademic staff. Employees ranging from clerks to custodians -- who are among the lowest paid at the university and already struggling to make ends meet -- have been among those laid off.... More than 200 jobs at UC BERKELEY, including Pitts', are being lost through layoffs and attrition. Laid-off workers are given between one and six months of notice, depending on the department. They are also given the option of severance pay or priority in rehiring when the university has jobs again. UC BERKELEY CHANCELLOR ROBERT BERDAHL said layoffs were a last resort. UC Berkeley was already struggling to deal with a shortfall in its state funding this year when its $514.7 million state general fund budget was cut by another $25.5 million....   Source: UC Berkeley in the News 12:04:01 PM    comment []

Berkeley: UC student teachers stage 1-day strike San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/04/BA246858.DTL&;type=printable Meredith May October 4, 2003 GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO TEACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA went on a one- day strike Friday at eight of the system's nine campuses, including BERKELEY, to protest alleged bad-faith bargaining by UC officials. Deans and other staff filled in for missing student teachers on some campuses, while UC Berkeley canceled a few classes and rescheduled others. "It really didn't have much impact on us," UC BERKELEY SPOKESWOMAN CAROL HYMAN said. "The majority of sections were held as usual."... UNION OFFICIALS claim the university is sending representatives to the bargaining table who lack the authority to make decisions. The university is also failing to schedule future bargaining dates, union officials allege. UC OFFICIALS said in a written statement that student teachers have some of the best salaries and benefits in the nation, and expressed concern that proper impasse procedures were not followed before calling a strike....   Source: UC Berkeley in the News 9:55:40 AM    comment []

Copyright 2003 Lincoln Cushing