Tag: rally

Resisting Hatred at Independence Hall This Saturday

e-Bulletin20181116:

There are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, among them hosting family and friends  or traveling to see them, working to feed those who are homeless and hungry. Another way is to defend the values we hold dear. To that end, we want to alert you to a disturbing rally being held this Saturday and a counter-protest members of TAUP are participating in. The rally is being held at Independence Mall on Saturday at 11:00, and the Proud Boys, among other racist and violent groups, have indicated they will attend. To quote from the eloquent statement by the Philadelphia AFL-CIO:

[W]hile the organizers of this rally have stated publicly that they oppose violence at this event, they have not denounced the politics that the Proud Boys represent – racism, hatred, and antisemitism.

The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO believes firmly in free speech and in the guarantee to freedom of speech in the First Amendment. Members of our unions come from every background and support a very wide variety of political views. Our Council has endorsed politicians from both major parties, and we expect to do so in the future.

But the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO stands absolutely opposed to the kind of racist and anti-semitic hatred represented by the Proud Boys. As we declared in December of 2017 in a resolution that was passed unanimously by our Executive Board and our Delegates – representing over 100 unions in our region – in the wake of the anti-semitic vandalism in South Philly and in Jewish cemeteries in our area: “The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO stands ready today to join with like-minded people from all backgrounds who are disgusted by rising bigotry and intolerance, standing together in solidarity at this critical moment, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnic background.”

TAUP members and leaders will be attending the counter-protest, which begins at 10:30 a.m. at 599 Market Street.  If you are interested in joining us, please email Steve Newman at stevenewman1970@gmail.com.  Those from TAUP are pledged to non-violent resistance.


As we head into Thanksgiving, TAUP wants to wish all its members a joyful and restful holiday and to thank you for being a member of TAUP!

P. S. Over the break, please fill out the Bargaining Survey if you haven’t already.  You should have received a link at the email address we normally use to communicate with you.  If you haven’t (check your spam folder!), please contact TAUP at taupaft@gmail.com.

 

Trump’s Immigration Policies Affect Us All: March for a Sanctuary City

On Friday, July 27, the Guardian reported that the Trump administration is planning to rescind work permits for spouses of individuals on H-1b visas. These are the visas issued to our international colleagues; if carried out, this action by the administration will damage them and their families. Immigration policy and policing affect many of our students as well as other workers who are employed at the University while on temporary visas.

When our colleagues and our students are hurt in this manner, it affects us all; and we must stand up alongside them in fighting unnecessary policies, rooted in racist nationalism.

Activism in support of migrants who are in the country, many of whom are seeking asylum as protected by U. S. and international law, has been growing and is proving to be effective. By supporting this activism, we are supporting reasonable immigration policies. Among other benefits, these policies will allow the University to attract and retain scholars and their families who will be able to live, study, and be productive in this country without threats to their work or residency status.

The repercussions of the “zero tolerance” border policies of the Trump administration, which resulted in the separation of children from their parents, may take years to sort out, and the damage done to those targeted by it may be irreparable. If it were not for the outrage expressed throughout the U.S. against it, what would it say about our country? What would it say about us?

Last week, after mounting pressure from local activist groups, Mayor Kenney declared that he will not renew the City’s Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System (PARS) contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) which allowed real-time sharing of arrest data between the Philadelphia Police and ICE.

This data was able to be used to arrest victims of crime who lacked legal status in the country, and advocacy groups report that it made migrants more vulnerable to manipulation and abuse as they were hesitant to report crimes that were aimed at them. PBS has reported last week that thousands have reported sexual abuse while in ICE custody as well, a crime that is notoriously under-reported.

The activist groups that were able to sway Mayor Kenney are now moving toward their second of three goals: closing the Berks County Residential Center. Berks is a low-security detention center where families are sent to for an indeterminate amount of time while they await asylum hearings. Families end up at Berks after being randomly selected. Some who cross the border are released after posting bond money or wearing ankle monitors. Others are sent to Berks for detention. Many, including Philadelphia’s City Council, are calling on Governor Wolf to close of the facility so that the detainees can be released until their petitions for asylum are heard. (For more information click here.)

The third goal of the activist groups is to abolish ICE. This is more complicated, as ICE performs many important functions. But immigration oversight existed far before ICE came to be. ICE is an entity that resulted from the restructuring of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11 when “Congress granted ICE a unique combination of civil and criminal authorities to better protect national security and public safety”. Given the xenophobia in the U.S. at this moment, such authorities are too easily abused and must be reconsidered.

A member of the coalition of activists approached TAUP for support of their upcoming action, the March for a Sanctuary City on August 4th. The Executive Committee voted in support, and we hope you will join us in pushing Governor Wolf to shut down the Berks County Residential Center and for the abolition of ICE, whose functions can be restructured in a manner that does not invite the unnecessary over-policing and abuse of migrants seeking asylum in this country.

Please join us:

March for a Sanctuary City, August 4th, 11am-2pm, beginning at Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell, 6th and Market Streets

Rally for a Fair Contract for Grad Students

Join Grad Students as We Rally for a Fair Contract at the Bell Tower, Weds. 3/14 @ noon!

No matter what department you do your teaching and research in, you no doubt recognize the contribution that graduate teaching and research assistants make to this university. Graduate assistants teach the majority of undergrad gened courses and lead labs, hold recitation, crunch data, write reports, hold office hours, proctor exams, and grade a multitude of essays, assignments, and exams. What you might not know is that Temple’s graduate teaching and research assistants do all of this vital work for around $15,000-$18,000 a year – roughly $1300 a month during the school year. In a rapidly-gentrifying city like Philadelphia, rents are going up and grad students often have to choose between having multiple roommates in far-flung neighborhoods or taking out loans so that they can live closer to campus or have fewer roommates.

Fortunately, the graduate teaching and research assistants at Temple have a union – TUGSA (Temple University Graduate Student Association). TUGSA has been negotiating with Temple administration since this past Fall and we are down to the wire on economics – raises, pay equity among departments, and preserving healthcare. TUGSA has been pushing for modest raises to be enacted over the life of the contract that begin to keep pace with inflation and the local cost of living.

On Wednesday, March 14th at 12pm TUGSA will be holding a Rally for a Fair Contract at the Bell Tower. As professors, leaders in your fields, and fellow union members, TUGSA is asking for your support by attending the rally and – even more importantly – showing your solidarity with graduate employees by wearing “I <3 my TA” pins and stickers on Wednesday. Please contact staff@tugsa.org if you would like pins and/or stickers delivered to your office on Wednesday morning, and if you are active on social media, please post pictures and share ours using the hashtags: #I<3myTA, #WeAreTUGSA, #DoBetterTemple.