Join Occupy SF to Support Students and Workers [Updated]

Calls to Action


Occupy Education — The 99% Say No Fee Hikes, No Cuts, No Privatization!

November 16, 2011 – 7 am – UCSF Mission Bay Campus, San Francisco

We the 99% commit ourselves to mobilize against the privatization of public education being forced upon California and the country. The 1% — the bankers, the UC Regents, the CSU Trustees, and the corporate politicians — are pushing through vicious fee hikes, layoffs, and budget cuts under the pretext of the financial crisis that they created and profited off of.

They say cuts are inevitable because there are no funds — but we know that if we really taxed the corporations, ended the wars, or took back the bailout funds, there would be no budget shortfall. They say we have to accept– but we know that if we take mass collective action, we can defeat these attacks.

On November 16th, the UC Regents will be discussing and possibly voting on a proposal to raise fees up to 81% over the next 4 years — raising tuition to over $22,000. This is a brutal attack against the 99% of California, particularly for communities of color and working families, and on all sectors of public education, from pre-K-12 to higher education.

We call on all the 99%, on all the Occupy general assemblies and camps throughout Northern California, on all student, labor, and community organizations, to come together in a massive display of non-violent civil disobedience to prevent the UC Regents meeting from taking place, to send the strongest message that we will not accept any fee hikes, cuts, or concessions in any level of public education.

We can win this struggle. Join us!

Meet at 7 am at UCSF Mission Bay Campus, San Francisco: 1675 Owens St. San Francisco, CA



— Occupy San Francisco

— Occupy San Francisco State University

— Occupy City College of San Francisco

For more info, contact: occupyoureducation [at] gmail.com

Please invite your friends to the Facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/149401828492122

http://www.occupyed.org

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Resolution to Endorse November 16 Protest Action at UC Regents Meeting

[adopted unanimously by San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Delegates Meeting on Monday, October 24, 2011]

Whereas, California state budget analysts have proposed $2.5 billion in new “trigger cuts” to public education, which has prompted the UC Regents to propose more job cuts and up to 81% in tuition hikes to cover the shortfall;

Whereas, these programmed cuts will lead to the layoffs of thousands of teachers and workers in higher education, but also in K-12, in addition to cuts to educational and student services;

Whereas, hundreds of thousands of students — particularly students of color — will have to drop out of school or delay education plans, while others will be compelled to incur soaring debts;

Whereas, UAW Local 2865, UPTE and ReFund California (a newly formed coalition of unions and community organizations) have targeted November 9-16 as a Week of Mass Action to Defend Public Education — including a Wednesday, November 16 Regional Convergence at the UC Regents Meeting at UCSF Mission Bay; and

Whereas, Occupy San Francisco has endorsed the NorCal convergence on November 16 and has urged all student, labor and community organizations to gather at 7 a.m. to “send the strongest message that we will not accept any fee hikes, cuts, or concessions in any level of public education.”

Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council endorses the November 16 NorCal Convergence at the UC Regents Meeting and urges activists to meet at 7 a.m. at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus in San Francisco.

(Submitted by SFLC Executive Board members Maria Guillen, SEIU 1021; Conny Ford, OPEIU Local 3, and Alan Benjamin, OPEIU Local 3)

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Call by UAW 2865 and UPTE

Call for November Actions to ReFund Public Education

This week, California state budget analysts will propose $2.5 billion in new “trigger cuts” to public education. UC’s president has proposed more job cuts and up to 81% in tuition hikes to cover the shortfall. This comes in the wake of $17 billion in cuts to education since 2009 that have contributed to:

The layoffs of thousands of teachers and workers and cuts to educational and student services.
A 300 % increase in tuition at public universities in the last 10 years.
Hundreds of thousands of students – particularly students of color – having to drop out or delay education plans.
Soaring debt for students and their parents.

Students, parents, workers, and teachers have been already hit hard by this crisis and cannot afford to pay for this new round of austerity. Instead, we will make Wall Street corporations and the wealthy – who caused and have profited from this crisis – pay.

The privatization of public education is also an attack on public employees, through the privatization of the pension fund, the rising cost of benefits for workers, and the restructuring of our universities following the corporate model, that increases the number of high paid administration and management positions and cuts staffing and faculty positions.

In order to stop and reverse this process of privatization, we demand to the UC Regents and administrators and to the CSU trustees that they devote their actual and future resources to prioritize quality and accessible education by:

- A reverse of the fee increases, the layoffs and the cuts to essential services and classroom education

- Ensuring Equal benefits for all workers and retirement security

- Publicly and actively supporting the full implementation of affirmative action throughout public education and the state, beginning with Senate Bill 185.

- Publicly and actively supporting raising income taxes on California’s wealthiest and a financial transaction tax on Wall Street to save and expand public education.

This is why we call for a Week of Mass Actions starting Nov. 9th at our campus and sites to raise awareness about the crisis of education and the need to raise taxes on the wealthy and Wall Street, as well as to send a clear message to the UC and CSUs administrations.

And we commit to mobilize our base and membership to protest the UC Regents and CSU Trustees meetings Nov 15th-17th to demand that they reverse their decisions.

All day Wed. Nov. 9th – Actions on UC, CSU, and Community College Campuses throughout the state.
10 am, Wed. Nov. 16th—Regional Convergence at the CSU Trustees and UC Regents Meetings in Long Beach and at UCSF Mission bay.
Local actions TBA throughout the week.

Through collective struggle, we can take a first step out of this crisis by expanding affordable, and equitable public education in California.

We resolve to work to build the above November actions, to support Occupy Actions across the State, Nation, and World, and to build coalitions with community groups, students, labor and other unions, and others to fight austerity and to stand up for pubic services, decent jobs, food, healthcare, and other human rights.

UAW 2865, UPTE