| THE PATRIOT RETURNS |
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Vol. 20, No. 1 October 20, 2001 BABBLING BARB
It has been more than a year since Babbling Barb has taken over the reigns of our rapidly growing labor union, the Professional Staff Congress. We had supported her election over what we thought would be the incompetent leadership of her opponent, Richard Boris. She won with the smallest of smallest margins. Nevertheless, we had expected that this new leadership would bring some order and would look after the interests of all faculty. Unfortunately, however, Babbling Barb's election has led to the biggest disappointment that CUNY faculty have ever experienced. Her ideological agenda has taken precedence over the nitty gritty issues of the faculty. Her rhetoric and actions mirror the radical approaches of the 60's, rather than the practical and do-able approaches to resolving bread and butter issues for the membership.Bowen appears to be more concerned with changing the character of the faculty through revolution than she is with the most immediate concern: a realistic contract. During this past year, we have learned the following: Steve London is very dissatisfied that he is not President of the Union (Recall that he had previously run for the presidency but was pushed aside. He was given new furniture for his office to keep him quiet); Frank Annunziatto, the Executive Director who was dissatisfied working with the Bowen gang, left, and replaced by someone who is brand new (Not one member of the current PSC negotiating team has prior experience with negotiation, while management?s negotiators are savvy and knowledgeable); and the leaders of the Union sit around behind closed doors for hours and hours, holding marathon discussions with zero outcome.The Delegate Assembly wastes its precious time on ridiculous things. Example: the DA devoted valuable time to hosting a vegetarian candidate for Mayor with zero chance of getting to the City Hall; it has debated motion after motion about free speech and job issues at WBAI (submitted, discussed and passed by the D.A. on 2/22/01); and Amodula Diallo's police brutality charges...Bill Crain, the Mahatma Gandhi of the PSC, brings to the floor motions on every issue the world has ever known. including the issue of Lori Berenson, (See Boston Globe, Mar.29,01, Rodi Sarafoudi's letter) a radical revolutionary who is imprisoned by the Peruvian Government for allegedly joining with the Marxist group Tupac Amaru, and conspiring with Peruvian Marxists; (The New Caucus spearheaded the donation of $5,000 of our dues to the Lori Berenson Fund, an action which may be illegal for a Union.) They have distribution of flyers urging members to protest against TIAA-CREF and advising TIAA to invest in politically correct funds, rather than those that perform best, financially. Doesn't Babbling Barb know that TIAA-CREF already has a special fund for those who want to invest in Asocially conscious causes? Why then, is our union leader pressing to divest TIAA of the freedom to manage our investments well? The Union should not dictate our investments! What kind of nonsense is this? That is not why we elect union leaders! Another issue beyond our comprehension is that of Bowen and her gang's opposition to the CUNY Honors College. She and her gang contend that it will take away resources from the historic mission of the University C teaching the disadvantaged student. How ridiculous! Why can we not have students with exemplary records attend, while at the same time serving disadvantaged students? SHOW ME THE CONTRACT, BABBLING BARB Issues of injustices around the globe aside, if Babbling Barb wants to stay in power, she must pay greater attention to the full-time faculty of CUNY...There is no doubt in our mind that she has lost sight of why she was elected - to enforce the provisions of the current contract and to come up with a good and reasonable new contract for the benefit of faculty. As it appears now, we may not see a new contract for a long, long time. It is stupid for Barbara and her gang to present over one hundred sixty eight contract demands and expect the management negotiate those with her. No wonder they've been walking out. Even the UFT, with 80,000 members, has just over twenty-five demands (see NYT 4/7/01, p. B2). But Babbling Barb of the PSC, with only seven thousand members, has one hundred sixty eight demands. WHO IS TONY O'BRIEN? In his article (http://WWW.louisville.edu/journal/workplace/issue5/bowentribute.html "May Day, 2000: A Tribute to Barbara Bowen") Tony O'Brien, a dear friend of Babbling Barb, denounces the new CUNY Master Plan revealing the Trustees intention to make over the university into an incubator for business ventures, business practices, business education, business culture. And therefore we must take back our labor movement. Well, Tony, what do you have against the City's business practices, education and culture? Is it not true that because of them, we have one of the largest influxes of immigrants to this city, thus students for CUNY and fairly decent jobs for all of us? O'Brien also writes "she (Bowen) wants to lead an activist group, the New Caucus, in taking the PSC in to a different mode of unionism..." Well, Mr. O'Brien, let me assure you that no matter which mode Babbling Barb and her New Caucus wants, whether neutral, forward or reverse mode, she will not be around long if she does not come up with a mode that is going to get us a rational, reasonable, well -thought-out contract for full-time faculty and instructional staff. Ever since this past PSC election, we hear over and over again about concerns of part-timers. There are more demands for part-timers than for full-timers, there is more concern for part-timers than for full-timers, and we hear loud cries, demonstrations, and parades for part-timers as opposed to full-timers. But you think you know best for them, even when they disagree! Anthea Tillyer has already blasted you for sending letters from the CUNY PSC, urging members, as NYU adjuncts, to vote for union representation at NYU by the AFT/NYSUT. She rightly said put it, AI resent my PSC dues being used to send misleading and anti-union letters to adjuncts at other universities. She concludes, AYAdjuncts do much better when they are represented by a DIFFERENT union from full-timers. (See SENATE-Forum, MAIL 89.01.0B) We concur with Anthea whole-heartedly. Moreover: you have a colossal nerve increasing dues, when you have not even negotiated your first contract and there is no sign of getting one. The percentage-based dues structure hurts full-time senior members who use union resources the least. And with mandatory agency shop fees/dues, part-timers who work at other jobs, where they also pay union dues, are going to be hit hard as well. Full-timers who adjunct at CUNY are getting a double whammy B union dues as full-timers and union dues as part-timers. Your strategy of assuring yourself victory in the next election on the part-time vote is going to backfire. Part-timers are mad as hell. It doesn't take a Nobel Prize winner in economics to know why other unions are settling their contracts quickly. It is clear that the economic future of this City is not bright in the near term. The August 6th Daily News Editorial is headlined "Crunch Time For City Economy." The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other media predict a dire future as well...Tourism is down, hotel-room occupancy has skidded, dot.com companies are gone, businesses are laying people off. With the terrible tragedy of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, City finances are going to worsen even more. Other unions - the DC 37 and the Librarians Union - have gotten great contracts. Why have we been offered so little? Clearly, you are not doing a good job. Your PSC Website protesting "Crumbs from the Table" may look attractive in a month or two. You may have to vacate your affluent mid-town office and go back to Queens College to teach full-time. So, Babbling Barb, get ready. If there is no contract soon, you are out. L A T E F L A S H: Introduced by: Tony O'Brien, Delegate from Queens and a very dear friend of Babbling Barb ABe it further resolved, that as a union PSC-CUNY condemns the militarism of the U. S. Government as it rushes towards war in the Middle East or South Asia under the cover of fighting terrorism... (Emphasis supplied) MAKE COPIES AND SHARE THE JOY OF READING Sharad
Karkhanis
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