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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1994)
COMMENTARY gtfs need to take union responsibilities seriously By Chris Brady The recent controversy regarding the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federa tion and its duties to its mem bership confronts issues that really should he addressed from time to time This is because as nominally sentient be ings, we should know what we are doing I write ns a full member of the GTFF The GTFF is a Intior union Hac k in the t'l/Os. graduate teaching fellows formally band ed together as a group of equals to negoti ate working conditions and pav scales with their employer, the University To protect the gains made by their organiza tion, these workers took the GTFF through the legal procedures that would authenticate the union as the legitimate and sole representative of GTFs in the collective bargaining process at the Uni versity. The most important step in this process was the democratic decision ex pressed bv the vote of a mnjoritv of GTFs to form a union. But a majority does not mean every one Workers get a pay packet in exchange for the performance of certain tasks. Some GTFs may not regard them solves ns workers in this sense Some GTFs mn\ prefer !o dts< redd their role personally in the current ext hange of funds for their efforts, although I am sure they would not reject the money itself, nor any increase in its amount Some GTFs may rationalize their low paid jobs as an investment in their future profes sional status This elevates their i ondi tion beyond that of mere labor, and certainly downplays the ni tivist role of union participation Some may even resent the class stigma of labor union membership The law mokes allowam es for such dissent front the majority of the two-tiered dues structure of the union Whereas union memlters that is, work ers — in agreement with the purpose and practice of the GTT'F pay tfieir dues to the union ns full members, GTFs who don't believe in the union — hut who never theless benefit from its endeavors must contribute by law a mm h smaller fraction of their pay packet as their Fair Share dues Full members pay ! ‘It percent of their gross, or 0.3 pert ent more than Fair Share members. Full members are the only ones who may vote tn the union, hut all members benefit to llu? same degree from their membership. All members art' protected bv grievance prcx edures. allowed to par In ipate in the health insurance plan, and privileged to collec t inc reases in pay negotiated by the union's representatives The same publications are sent out by the union to the membership as a whole, irw spec live of membership status But the union i annot fore e its membership to take noth e of the communications initi ated by the union apparatus The level of involvement in union ac tivity by mem bers is voluntary If we as members feel that the communication within our union is msuffic lent, then we ns the members, that is as the active constituents, as the dvnamu components, the operative parts of the union, we should do something about it We should know our union offic e phone numbers, its e-mail address, where the offic e is, our offit ers or at least one or two of them, our department representatives if we have them (I am the history repL and to what wo are entitled. Hut I hope people don't think thov have purc hased some sort of valet ser\ ice c on troc t bv their pavment of union dues If the union is to c arry out policies of inc lu sion, it requires a reciprocal Inclusive action by its members. This is the only way to avoid the top-down or mob union ism of the typo some in the media arid management love to caricature ns tin' norm in workers' organizations. To address the most recent controversy, we must notify all that one's mistake cannot lie turned into an advantage for which the rest of us will pay If some few among us suggest that one's negligent e. willful or careless, should be recompensed by the main. we should remind those few, and that one, that that is not what wo in the union are all about If, however, any crea tive ideas or solutions to problems per i eived in our pror edures can be put for ward. we should, and willingly. even happily, consider them 1 have met some good people in our I.oi at fi-t-l People who work hard at their jobs, take their union responsibilities seriously, and val ue their important roles as teat hers in our six iotv We must work together to make it work Chris lirady is the history department s representative to the Graduate leaching Follow s Federation LETTERS Recourse I am writing in response to an article published in the M.n 12 edition of the Hint-raid written by Pat Daly. On May 10. Men and Women Against Rape spon sored a slide show bv Stopping Violence Against Women titled "Pornography: A Practice of Inequality." Mr. Daly writes that: "SW’AV members never said pornography causes rape, but they gave statistics support ing that assumption. " and goes on to list some of those statis tics. Later, in an accompanying article. Daly quoted sociologist Diana Russell as saying: "Pornography clearly does not cause rape." 1 must agree with both of these quotes. However, I must add a few comments of my own I myself would bo tho first to say that porn tint’s not cause rapt> 1 would also stiv tb.it inti Semitic literature does not cause genocide However, Ibis is not to snv that thfsf typos of material art> bv any moans harmless Pornography dot’s not cause rape, but it does ro in fort « rape myths and thus contributes to tho rape culture While anti se mitit 'white supremacist litera tim! does not cause genocide, it definitely reinforces eth nic-rat oil stereotypes and thus contributes to ethnic-racial vio lence. Mr. Daly quotes Roy Z.um stein. an adult bookstore owner, in response to the topic of snuff films as saying: ”! certainly wouldn't carry that kind of material, those kinds of things are only found underground While Mr /.uniilum mav not t arrv actual snuff films I'm quite sum ht> dons < arrv "pseu do-snuff " If he i .irrics Hustler. then mv suspicions ore con firmed Mr Daly conveniently forgot to mention one such pseudo snuff" layout featured in Hustler The layout featured four snapshots of naked, dis rnemhered and decapitated women's bodies that appeared to l>e stapled onto ,i background of human flesh, along with an assortment of severed nipples and clitorises As for the assumption that society and the legal system would not allow these types of materials to exist, it was not until 19H4 (only ten years ago) that the 1' S. Supreme Court out lawed child pornography Today, in 19114. it is still legal to circulate photographs or vid eotapes of <K itiiil rapes as "free speech ’ While tin' survivor of sui h o i rime i an sue for the rape itself, slii" lie has no legal recourse to get the material re moved from i in illation The largest grossing porn film ever made, Deep Throat, is proof l.indn Mari iano was forced at gunpoint to do that film, and did not receive a single pennv in payment In premeditated defense of the inevitable debate this topii. is sure to present. I am not ad vim altng i ensorxhip I am advo cating legal recourse This is something that all woman who believe in the equality of the sexes ( an advm ate Melissa Adams Co-Director Men and Women Against Rape LETTERS POLICY Thu Oregon Pailv Fmrrald will attempt to print till letters containing < onummls on topics of intnrust to tIn* University aimmumt v Totters to the editor must he limited to no more than 250 words, legible, signed anil the ideotifii ation of the writer must Ih» verified when the letter is submitted The kmrrvld reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style Last UPS Shipping Date: 6/10/94 last chance to get your (HI: ,r‘w Coffee. Fountain Drinks si P* m imemaTionai leacner or sruaem IP Cards, and A.Y.H. cards, before you leave! GREYHOUND SPECIAL: SEATTLE AREA & LOS ANGELES AREA suiMMr Workstud jobs ovailable for students wifh experience in : Woodworking . Bik. J'po.r . C.romic, . . ' b *_r * * J«w*lry . 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