WHAT COMES NEXT

SEPTEMBER 18 ALL-UNION, ALL-EMPLOYEE MEETING

NOON, STUDENT UNION BALLROOM

Please attend this important planning meeting, where people also can express their hopes and frustrations--particularly over President Bulger’s disdain and contempt for our contract struggles, Chancellor Lombardi’s unfathomable and dangerous silence, and Speaker Finneran’s refusal to override the Governor Swift’s treasonous veto. We need to make plans to counteract these disasters, so please attend!

SEPTEMBER 25 LUNCH BREAK

At noon on September 25, employees at all 29 public higher education campuses will take an hour "lunch break" and congregate at key meeting places.

This will be a major action with two big goals: to demonstrate commitment, anger, solidarity, and determination all across the state with mounting numbers of people and growing disruption of campus operations. NB: People do NOT WORK during lunch hour. If you have a class that runs till 12:05, please consider explaining why you’re leaving early – that you haven’t received a pay raise since the summer of 2000 despite having to work with a hundred fewer colleagues than last year and our collapsing library. We want a doubly massive showing for this event. We must do our share!

In addition, we are working with unions from across the state to contact every single member of the state House of Representatives. We are inviting them to attend the Lunch Break at the campus nearest them to show solidarity. We are also asking them to sign a letter to Speaker Finneran urging him to call a special session of the House this fall to override the veto of our contracts. House members who do not sign the letter will be identified during the Lunch Break. We will then make plans to apply pressure on the recalcitrants to sign – through lobbying, demonstrations, picketing, and even office sit-ins.

We will send more details shortly. Please, please join us!

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A note on possible layoffs: These are tough fiscal times. The University, already laboring under cuts, may have to absorb contract costs for years two and three, producing some layoffs. But the administration’s estimate of 750 system wide seems wildly off; it fails to account for the savings from early retirement and for the campus administration’s ability to plan, in cooperation with our unions. Layoffs could be held to little more than normal attrition, if they are necessary at all.

One last note: On the other side is a basic information sheet to use with your students, their parents, alumni, and neighbors. Please use it—to distribute or to post.

Ron Story, President