Coalition of Graduate Employees

Come to Bargaining!

CGE and OSU will be meeting at the bargaining table from 9 AM to Noon on Thursday, August 14th at Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe across from campus) and everyone is invited to observe. See you there!

Come to bargaining!  CGE and OSU will be meeting at the bargaining table from 9 AM to Noon on Tuesday, August 5th in the MU Council Room and everyone is invited to observe. See you there!

Everyone is welcome to observe CGE’s bargaining session with OSU:

Wednesday, July 30th from 9AM-Noon @ Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe)

See you there!

Everyone is welcome to observe CGE’s bargaining session with OSU:

Monday, July 28th from 9AM-Noon in MU 212

See you there!

Join us on Monday, July 21st from 9AM-Noon @ Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe) to observe the next bargaining session with OSU. It should be exciting - CGE is expecting a response to our latest proposal. See you there!

Post WWII workers were the backbone of what was then a new American age of prosperity. Wages were comparable with the cost of living; this combined with a strong GI Bill for returning veterans created a strong, secure nation. The American workforce was educated, and well-paid. Families could afford to buy housing, and our educated workforce drove technological innovations which still place the United States as one of the most innovative and productive nations in the world.

We tend to forget that until the advent of strong union representation, American workers had no protection from unscrupulous business owners. The Great Depression was a time of unchecked corporate power, a time when private contractors were hired to beat and kill union organizers, a time when maiming and death were common industrial occurrences. It was the spirit of egalitarianism inspired by adversity, and an increasingly educated workforce that spurred the solidarity needed to stand firm against corporate power. Once unions were allowed to organize, no longer could an employer use human beings as disposable chattel to be discarded once they were worn or broken. People could be assured of a living wage, of health care, and of the opportunity promised by our Founders.

We once again face many of the same things we faced at the advent of the Great Depression. Once again corporate power is unchecked in the name of profit; lending institutions ply vulnerable customers with loans they no longer earn enough to repay and foreclosures are rife. Once again many employees struggle to survive on a minimum wage which is below the federal poverty level, and families are thrust onto the streets. The new union busters are corporations which place profits above national security. Wal-Mart, in the chase for profit has banned all union organizing in its shops, and many of its employees are also food stamp recipients. The taxpayers are subsidizing Wal-Mart’s employees because the company refuses to act responsibly toward its workers.

The ability to unionize, organize, and demand corporate accountability is a public good that we must not lose. Half a century of prosperity has lulled us into forgetting the struggles of those who laid their lives on the line so we could live a good life. When workers have to go the emergency room because it is the only way they can get treatment, when working parents have to depend on food stamps to survive, when corporate greed has caused recession, it is our national security which suffers. It is all of us who must bear the burden and just a few of us who profit. The ability of workers to freely organize, and the willingness of all of us to support American workers and demand corporate accountability is a step toward a stronger America. Please join me in supporting our unions and workers.

Adele Kubein
Oregon State University
Department of Anthropology

CGE thanks Adele for allowing us to print this piece.

Come out and observe CGE’s next bargaining session this Thursday (6/19/08) from 9 to Noon in MU 212. See you there!

Come to the next bargaining session and see what OSU is willing to put on the table:

June 13th - 1 to 5 PM - Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe)

Come for any amount of time, bring work to do while you’re here, or just observe.

See you there!

The next three bargaining sessions are extremely important - so come out, show your support, and help your union win BIG on economics:

May 28th - 9 to 11 AM - Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe)

June 4th - 9 to 11 AM - MU 206

June 13th - 1 to 5 PM - Westminster House (corner of 23rd & Monroe)

Come for any amount of time, bring work to do while you’re here, or just observe. See you there!

Join us for the next bargaining session, Friday, June 13th from 1-5 PM in the large upstairs meeting room of Westminster House.