Category Archives: U.Miami: Strike’06

Picketline blog reports that the national SEIU has raised half a million dollars for the UM strike fund. And promises that much again if needed.

This sounds to me like a very strategic development in that it means the strikers are unlikely to fold soon. My solar-powered calculator suggests that $500,000 is enough to support the entire would-be bargaining unit at $7.50 for 40 hours a week for almost four weeks. And if UNICCO is right that only 25% of the employees are actually not showing up for work (presumably the only ones eligible for strike pay), that means we should multiply that times four, which carries us well into the summer. And that’s not even considering the other donations they may have received, or the possibility that strike pay may be less than 100% of lost wages.

UNICCO’s latest line is that everything should be on hold until Shalala’s committee issues its report. While the committee report certainly offers a face-saving way for the University to get out of this mess, and I hope it takes it, from its make-up this isn’t a committee which looks very independent of President’s office, nor one that has any great history of pro-worker sentiment. Rather the contrary, so while I’m hopeful, I’m also not that confident.

Meanwhile, other than the obvious facts that (1) card-check elections are more likely to result in a union than NLRB-managed elections, and (2) both sides say the method they dislike is too easily manipulated by the other side, and (3) the apparent fact that UNICCO has allowed card-check elections elsewhere, but doesn’t want want here for some reason, is there anyone who can point me to a discussion of the merits and demerits of card check vs. elections as a fair means of measuring what workers actually want?

Maybe, probably, I’m not on the right mailing lists, but I just got the following e-mail, which was the first I’d heard of this event:

Rally to Support Striking UM Workers,

Friday March 10, 4:30 pm County Bldg. 111 NW 1st ST That’s Government Center in downtown!!

Every Miami Worker Deserves A Chance for a Better Life. You Can Help UM Janitors Get That Chance.

IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET in Miami on $6.40 an hour. Yet that’s all many contract cleaners at the University of Miami are paid. $51 a day with no health benefits. Less than half the county median wage. On these tiny salaries, we’re forced to make choices we never thought we’d be faced with in the United States: Do we pay rent or buy groceries? Buy shoes for our kids or fill a prescription? UM’s mostly Cuban-American janitors have been joining together to build a better life for ourselves one where we don’t have to make these choices. But the company we work for–UNICCO, the cleaning contractor hired by the university–has been punishing those who speak out by threatening, intimidating, and even suspending union supporters. So we’ve decided we must strike to make our voices heard. You can help send a message to UNICCO:

Give Miami janitors a chance to live the American dream.

Support Striking Janitors
RALLY: Friday, March 10 ? 4:30 p.m.
County Building, 111 NW 1st Street

For more information, contact SEIU Local 11 305-672-7071, ext. 246
Service Employees International Union Local 11

This all seems rather last minute. I’m certainly not in a position to go. I hope they know what they are doing.

Update: The organizers’ account of the rally — 300+ is a good turnout for this sort of event.

The law school has set up a strike blog to aid communication between the school and students. It’s brand new, so there isn’t much content there yet, but I’m told there will be more within 24 hours.

From: “Coker, Donna K.”
Subject: Strike Blog & Other Related Matters

Dear Students,

I want thank those students who participated in the two events on Tuesday – the information session organized by students at noon and the town hall discussion in the afternoon. While faculty differ in their responses to the strike, the conversation at the town hall meeting made clear that they are strongly committed to student education. The video of the town hall meeting will be posted on the “web cast” page of the web site.

The strong differences of opinion and the robust nature of public debate regarding those differences exemplify the kind of thoughtful community that is the University Of Miami School Of Law. We would expect no less from our passionate and intellectually engaged faculty and students. While some of these issues divide us, we share commitments to intellectual honesty, to justice, and to the value of a community of learning.

The Law School has established a blog to continue the conversation about the strike. You can find it at http://www.umlaw.net/strike/. We asked faculty to post strike-related messages to students on the blog rather than via email. The blog, of course, gives students an additional way to communicate with each other as well as with administration and faculty.

We will continue to monitor the situation with the strike and the ramifications for the law school community. We anticipate sponsoring further informational sessions. If you are having difficulty with locating taped classes (web or otherwise), please let us know. Our AV department is working overtime to keep up with the demands of the current crisis.

Donna Coker
Associate Dean

Steve Vladeck has written up some thoughts spurred by the Town Meeting yesterday. When Students Strike Back — Some Reactions. Go read it. (The comments are well worth reading too.) I’ll wait.

Like Steve, I find myself taken aback by the size of the anti-strike faction among the students, and especially at the vehemence of a significant minority of the students who experience some of their professors’ decisions to move classes off campus as a wholly unreasonable imposition on their time (rather than as an understandable attempt to deal with difficult circumstances), or even as a cheap political stunt enacted by unfeeling hypocritical brutes.

I am lucky I am not teaching this semester, as it saves me the painful choices and the massive amounts of extra work that face my colleagues. So instead, let me ruminate out loud. It seems to me that there are two surprising things going on here: one is the lack of solidarity between (quite a few ) students and workers with whom they are in close proximity. The other is the lack of solidarity between (quite a few) students and the faculty with whom they are in close proximity. Indeed, one might go so far as to wonder at the hair-trigger anger of (quite a few) students at the faculty and administration. (The third thing going on — that so many people see their view as ‘neutral’ and the other view as ‘biased’ is unfortunate, but hardly surprising.)

I can’t help compare this to my memory of being a first semester 1L during one Yale’s many strikes. It may be that because I was off campus I wasn’t exposed to the full breadth of anti-striker and anti-strike-supporter sentiment, but my sense then, almost 20 years ago now, was that these views existed, were articulated, but were held by only a tiny minority. And while there was deep grumbling about individual faculty members’ choices, I don’t recall much hatred. I certainly resented my Contracts prof’s decision to stay on campus but it never felt terribly personal. It was just the way he was going to be.

So I’m wondering if it’s the times that are different, or the place?

Continue reading →

Students are not the only ones with strike-related anxieties. Anyone who is a “supervisor” — a term that can reach quite low down the food chain — is considered management and could in theory be disciplined for wearing a pro-union button.

UM issued a statement this morning reaffirming the principle of free speech on campus. I would guess that the statement is in response to the recent incident involving intimidation by the campus police. I think it also in effect promises ‘supervisors’ protection for button wearing and other expressions of personal opinion:

Statement to the University of Miami Community Reaffirming Freedom of Expression

Last week the University of Miami issued a statement reaffirming the rights of the University community to express opinions regarding the UNICCO employees who are involved in organizing activities with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). This includes exercising the right to free speech, engaging in peaceful demonstrations that conform with established University policies, and other expressions regarding the UNICCO employees (buttons, T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc.).

The University maintains that commitment and reminds all administrators to honor and respect this activity insofar as it does not disrupt the workplace or the provision of services to our various constituents. As members of an academic community, our faculty, staff, and students have an obligation to continue to teach, to do research, and to see patients-fundamental missions of the University. Therefore, any exercise of freedom of expression should be consistent with the rights of other members of the community who wish to attend classes, conduct research, practice medicine, receive health care, or visit our campuses.

The law faculty had a meeting yesterday, and there was general agreement about many things most of which I’ll leave to the Dean to discuss. But three items are worth noting now: I think that there was consensus on the need for each of us to reassure students that they will not be penalized for physical absence from lectures (a latitude which will not, however, apply to exams…sorry guys) whether on or off campus and to provide meaningful alternatives, be they tape, video, handouts, or alternate meetings, which will meet students’ educational needs and expectations.

There was also widespread agreement among the faculty that this is a major teaching moment: many of our students have never seen a strike up close, or a picket line, and with unions down to circa 10% of the US work force, this is a chance to learn about labor relations, worker economics, and many other things it will be valuable to know.

Another item of consensus was that the law school hasn’t done a great job of communicating what the faculty are doing with their classes — in part because they’ve been too busy doing it to tell the registrar’s office. Or indeed communicating our thinking, or much of anything.

So, law student readers, expect a barrage of communication efforts in the days to come. And indeed, it begins:

U.M. Law Town Hall Meeting. The meeting will take place today, Tuesday, from 4:30 – 6:30 in Room 352. Dean Lynch will moderate the discussion. All students and faculty are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be an opportunity for students to voice their concerns about the strike and its ramifications on the law school community. Unfortunately, the meeting time conflicts with some classes. Given the pressing nature of the concerns and the importance of meeting before spring break, this was the best time we could find. We will tape the discussion and make it available on the web for those who are do not attend. Conflicting classes will meet at their usual time unless your instructor decides otherwise. Any issues related to class conflicts should be directed to your instructor.

Student Organized Panel on the Strike. Also today is a panel discussion of substantive issues regarding the strike. This panel, organized by students, consists of a UNICCO spokesperson, SEIU (union) representative, a UNICCO worker, and Professor Michael Fischl. The meeting will take place in the student lounge from 12:30 – 2:00 and pizza will be served.