Re: [OPE-L] Fwd: [Fwd: Indiana University Labor Studies Under Attack]

dlaibman@JJAY.CUNY.EDU

Hi, Cyrus,
  I plan to send my own letter, once I am home where I have the 
appropriate letterhead.  But I will also follow your suggestion and 
circulate it for signatures.  Who knows?  We might be able to help 
them a bit.
  best,
    David


----- Original Message -----
From: Cyrus Bina <binac@MORRIS.UMN.EDU>
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2005 4:01 pm
Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Fwd: [Fwd: Indiana University Labor Studies Under 
Attack]
> Dear David,
> 
> There's no let up. Thanks for circulating this letter, bringing our
> attention to the /real/ hegemony of /social capital/ in US academeia.
> Would you (or any othere friends and comrades?) draft a letter so 
that
> it could be circulated and signed before it's too late in this 
matter?
> This letter can then be sent and circulated to URPE and all heterodox
> associations for further support. What do you think? Thanks.
> 
> Cyrus
> 
> 
> dlaibman@JJAY.CUNY.EDU wrote:
> 
> >Dear OPE,
> >   The particular attack on progressive programs and departments in
> >higher education affects people personally known to me, but it is
> >especially disturbing in general, for all the reasons laid out in 
the
> >attached.  I hope people will respond by sending letters, as 
> directed.>   In solidarity,
> >    David Laibman
> >
> >
> >
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> >
> > Subject:
> > [Fwd: Indiana University Labor Studies Under Attack]
> > From:
> > "John P. Pittman" <jpittman@jjay.cuny.edu>
> > Date:
> > Thu, 26 May 2005 14:24:17 -0400
> > To:
> > dlaibman@jjay.cuny.edu
> >
> > To:
> > dlaibman@jjay.cuny.edu
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject:      Indiana University Labor Studies Under Attack
> > Date:         Wed, 25 May 2005 19:52:16 -0400 (EDT)
> > From:         moderator@portside.org
> > Reply-To:     portside@portside.org
> > To:   portside@lists.portside.org
> >
> >
> >
> >Indiana University Labor Studies Under Attack
> >
> >May 21, 2005
> >
> >Dear Union Sisters & Brothers, Colleagues & Friends,
> >
> >Ruth Needleman, professor of labor studies, rneedle@iun.edu.
> >
> >Just this week, six employees of the Indiana University
> >Division of Labor Studies were terminated: three
> >faculty among them. The reason given was a budgetary
> >crunch resulting from legislative cuts in our funding
> >and university demands for increasing income annually.
> >As you may know, a Republican governor and Republican
> >control of both houses of the state legislature have
> >made Indiana a very union unfriendly state. Public
> >sector unions were thrown out of government agencies, a
> >right to work law threatens on the horizon, and now the
> >labor studies program has come under the knife.
> >
> >Even though a faculty budgetary committee developed an
> >alternative budget that would require no faculty
> >layoffs, the Director went ahead and implemented his
> >budgetary proposal, closing down the South Bend office,
> >laying off two tenure-track faculty, Paul Mishler and
> >Cathy Mulder, and faculty member Rae Sovereign, who has
> >just completed her Master’s Degree as required by her
> >contract.
> >
> >Indiana University is a public university with a clear
> >mission to serve constituencies in the state,
> >especially under-served constituencies like adult
> >working people. Increasingly public universities are
> >functioning like private ones, forcing every unit to
> >generate income above expenses, and setting budgets
> >every year higher than the previous year’s income. It
> >works like gain-sharing has worked in many
> >workplaces—forcing workers to become ever more
> >productive every year in order to meet the rising
> >standard.
> >
> >And why wouldn’t universities feel the same pressure of
> >corporate competitiveness and privatization? Not only
> >were tenure-track faculty terminated, but part-time,
> >temporary and less credentialed employees were kept.
> >The decision on whom the ax would fall did not follow
> >IU policy; it ignored seniority, credentials and
> >faculty governance. Welcome to Wal Mart University!
> >
> >We are asking you for letters of support for
> >maintaining our regional offices that serve working
> >people where they live and work, in this case, the
> >South Bend office. We are asking for support to reverse
> >the arbitrary and discriminatory termination of Rae
> >Sovereign, Paul Mishler and Cathy Mulder, three of our
> >top faculty. Finally we ask for your support in
> >opposing hiring and firing procedures that violate
> >university academic policy, and that promote
> >contingent, part-time jobs over fully-funded, skilled
> >jobs. We cannot let WalMart become the model for
> >universities as well.
> >
> >Please send your letters in support of the Division of
> >Labor Studies at Indiana University, to Executive Vice
> >Chancellor & Dean of Faculties William M. Plater,
> >IUPUI, Administration Building 108, 355 North Lansing
> >Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896. You may also
> >e-mail him at wplater@iupui.edu. Please send me a copy,
> >and also William Schneider, IUPUI AAUP,
> >whschneider@iupui.edu.
> >
> >In Solidarity, Ruth Needleman, professor of labor
> >studies, rneedle@iun.edu.
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________________
> >
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