[url=http://politicsrespun.org/2011/07/a-no-longer-radical-now-reactionary-ca... no longer radical, now reactionary campus[/url]
Last week the Board of Directors of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) locked out their unionized workers and begun the process of terminating the lease of the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG).
I'm nominally an SFU student (I haven't been to the burnaby campus since last year however), and I'm really grossed out by this. Who do they think they are? I'm really curious what the inside story is about this. No one I know has been able to explain what the heck they are thinking.
Here is a facebook group in support of the locked out workers--pls join it and share if you use facebook.
Hello all - I'm the author of the article linked above. Thanks for sharing it.
I was an SFU student from 2005 to 2010, and I worked for the SFSS from 2006 to 2010. I'm temporarily exiled in Toronto as I finish my MA paper, but I was in BC, visiting family, friends, and my former coworkers in May and June.
If I can answer any questions on this issue, please let me know - if I can't answer it from personal knowledge, I'll try to get you a direct answer.
In short, the Board of Directors of the SFSS - elected students in charge of the organization - have demanded incredible concessions from the support staff of the SFSS, with student employees of the society, students of SFU who work for the SFSS, being asked to take a nearly 50% wage reduction, down to $11 an hour, while still being required to take a minimum number of courses each semester - and SFU has three, including the summer. Since they only work 8-12 hours per week, with tuition as high as it is, they'd be effectively paying for the right to work for the SFSS.
The Board is claiming financial pressures require them to make these concession demands, but they don't engage with the fact that the SFSS has not sought to increase its membership fees (90% of its revenue) for a very long time - at least six years, as far as I can remember - leading to the financial 'crunch' that they're dealing with. In addition, the Board seems to be rather ideologically motivated, timing the lockout with the culmination of a long-standing campaign to undermine and basically get rid of the Simon Fraser Public Interest Group - there have been a number of attempts to de-fund the organization, despite students not voting to remove the funding, or otherwise shut the PIRG down.
In the end, this is an incredibly difficult situation. The SFSS staff provide effectively all of the services that their continued employment is allegedly putting into jeopardy - without them, the services wouldn't be provided. So these workers need your support - especially if you're an SFU student.
Thanks for the info.
It appears that the SFSS are trying to pit students against the unionized staff by making twitter updates about how much money they have "saved" by not paying wages.
It's a pretty dirty way of manipulating students' reactions. "Oh, these guys make way more than you'll ever make! Don't you wish we could give some of their wages to your club instead?"
They're not talking about how much their lawyer is costing students, especially as they're now brining in replacement 'workers' (board members and 'volunteers') to replace the the locked out staff. Which is a violation of the BC Labour Relations code.
It appears that the SFSS are trying to pit students against the unionized staff by making twitter updates about how much money they have "saved" by not paying wages.
It's a pretty dirty way of manipulating students' reactions. "Oh, these guys make way more than you'll ever make! Don't you wish we could give some of their wages to your club instead?"
neoliberal tactics in class war are to make low wage workers angry with workers who make decent/fair/living wages. the end result is poor workers help neoliberals bring down higher wages elsewhere.
this is surreal solidarity between the rich and the poor: both rooted in anger at people who make decent wages.
wouldn't it be nice if the poor and the decently waged could work together without having to fight this neoliberal spin all the time?
SFPIRG has released a statement, including the following:
SFPIRG also finds reprehensible the SFSS Student Space Oversight Committee's recommendation to the SFSS Board of Directors that we be served 3 months' notice to vacate offices we have occupied for approximately two decades. This was done without consulting us in good faith or considering the needs of students accessing our space and services every day. The Committee also failed to adequately publicize the meeting where this recommendation was deliberated and passed.
SFPIRG is a student-based and student-directed non-profit organization that offers not only community-based research opportunities for students, but also student communal spaces (e.g. lounge, meeting room), a bike tool co-op, training and materials for student organizing, printing/photocopying, outreach/postering support, a wide range of critical academic and grassroots resources, infrastructural support (funding, training, storage) for student groups, and most importantly, a diverse and vibrant student community passionate about social and environmental justice.
Follow our latest updates here: http://twitter.com/#!/SFPIRG, and check out our Programming and Education Coordinator, Setareh Mohammadi, and SFPIRG Board Member Isaac Louie, giving the low-down via CJSF today:
I've heard the "x amount for staff meanwhile a fraction of x amount for clubs" argument before. the fact is if these idiot directors care for clubs so much they'll run a referendum and secure a dedicated fund for clubs - they never will tho because they're incompetent, and by creating this artificial "war" they'll be seen as good directors by students for "defending student rights" and all that recycled nonsense.
Be on the look out for buzz words like "accountability, transparency and representation"
An interesting update on how students and staff are fighting back...
[url=http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/4108]SFU Student Government Moves to Displace Progressive Groups[/url]
