Student Worker unity in action can drive back this offensive of capital

I put this on the Facts For Working People blog at http://weknowwhatsup.blogspot.com

Note: if you are a worker that protested in SF yesterday and agree with what is raised above, contact us at:we_know_whats_up [at] yahoo.com
Lets build with the students.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Comrades, brothers and sisters,

as students were invading the UCOP building yesterday, or about that time, public sector workers in SF were protesting against cuts and layoffs and 18 of them from what I understand were arrested. The workers' actions are an inspiration to us, but the students courage and audacity, the willingness to challenge the law and sacred private property rights, have no doubt influenced the workers as they did in Seattle in 1999. Members of the Local involved, 1021, voted against a concessionary contract earlier this year but eventually had another one forced on them. Their leadership claimed they voted against the concessions because they were confused.

Workers were arrested, some of the students have been arrested and charged. The students' activities and support for those arrested have backed the state off a bit but we must keep the pressure up and we can appeal to the rank and file workers that protested yesterday to join with the students for a joint defense of all our comrades.

I heard on the news this morning that now the city of SF bureaucrats wants to meet with SEIU to discuss layoffs. We do not need to discuss layoffs or discuss cuts in education; these are non negotiable. We reject their education budget, we reject their views about what is important and what is not in society. The Wall Street Journal and other big business papers have boasted that the world is "awash in money". Investors, unwilling to take risks in their precious market game, are shifting money again in to US treasuries, a safer place to earn money without working. What this means is they are lending us money for a price so we can live. This is after the US taxpayer has handed over a trillion dollars to them and pledged trillions more.

I think it would be worth CAL folks getting in touch with those rank and file workers to see if they would be up for a joint action and ongoing joint campaigns against the cuts, job losses, foreclosures and other assaults on living standards.

No Layoffs
More jobs through a shorter workweek and re-allocation of money lavished on wars and bailing out bankers.
Federally funded education at all levels
Drive the corporations from education
For a $15 an hour minimum wage or a $5 an hour increase whichever is greater
Full trade Union and democratic rights for all immigrant workers regardless of "official" status. Immigrant workers are our allies in this struggle