PSC Calls for Investigation of Police Response to Non-Violent Student Protest.
Last night, peaceful protesters—CUNY students speaking out against unfair tuition hikes and the privatization of public higher education—were shoved by police with batons and reported being hit as CUNY security forced them out of the lobby of Baruch College’s Vertical Campus. Reports indicate that 15 students were arrested. Read President Barbara Bowen’s statement and other coverage.
PSC Members Give Eloquent Testimony on Adjunct health Insurance.
At last night’s Board of Trustees hearing, testimony from President Barbara Bowen and other PSC officers addressed the union’s concerns about proposed revisions to the CUNY Bylaws that weaken faculty and staff protections and, along with more than 30 PSC members, expressed their views on the CUNY budget request. Budget testimony focused mainly on the critical need for affordable tuition and for full funding for adjunct health insurance.
March for Jobs and Economic Fairness—December 1
Make plans today to join the PSC as we march for jobs and justice with the New York City Central Labor Council next Thursday, December 1 at 4:00 PM. Working people from all over the city will gather at Herald Square for the event and march together to Union Square. There will be no rally, no speakers, just a big visible expression of solidarity as we repeat our demand for an end to economic policies that benefit the rich and leave the rest of us behind. Look for an announcement about the PSC meet-up spot in next week’s email.
The Not So Super Committee
Members of Congress’s deficit reduction committee conceded this week that they have been unable to come to agreement on a plan to reduce the national deficit. The effort failed largely because Republican members of the committee refused to consider taxes on millionaires. The absence of a deal could lead to drastic across-the-board cuts to military spending and crucial social programs like Medicare.
The PSC and labor unions throughout the country fought to keep cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other programs off the chopping block of the “super committee.” Now, we have to redouble our efforts to protect the social safety net and demand fair taxation. (Join PSC’s campaign.)
Forum on CUNY & Race—December 9
Save the date, and plan to join us at the New York City College of Technology for a discussion on how race, gender and ethnicity affect hiring, promotion, tenure and reclassification at CUNY. The forum will include preliminary findings of a PSC study. (For more information and to RSVP, click here.)
