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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1995)
GTFs fight for their rights I am writing to call your attention to a glaring omis sion in vour artic le "GTFs may rec eive increased salary" (ODK, Sept 2H) I found it cxfd that there was no men tion of the Graduate Teac hing Fellow Federation members in your article Is it possible that you do not know that staff members Diane Rau, union representative and l-arrv S Williams, communica lions assistant, are the people responsible for bargaining the CTFK's contract with the Uni varsity! You < hose to interview two other board members instead Rau and Williams have also been responsible for the man agement of the insurance twme fits that graduate teaching fellows now enjoy. Your arti cle's omission made me won der if GITs know what their union does for them and how the work of their union is accomplishing the everv-day tasks of the union; they may also lie unaware of the current labor dispute between the GTFF elected leadership and the GTFF stuff union. While 1 am not surprised that Hob Roberts and Alan More would take credit for the rec ent contract bargaining gains. I Find it highly unlikely that these very same GTFF board mem bers would he able to complete ly bargain such a control t themselves. 1 do not say this in jest, nor is it my sole intent to insult I have, however, been consistent ly scandalized In Huh and Alan’s callous disregard for basic: labor tei ets regarding their own c ontroct bargaining with GTFF staff The staff and board are now entering the seventh month of negotiations. The staff has been working without a contract since Aug. 31 One example of the board members blatant dis regard for union principles is their position statement (Aug It, tons) claiming that collet live bargaining was an unneces sary prcw ess it said "We believe that a collabora tive approach between the GTF F Hoard and staff is a more COMMENTARY favorable model than existing models of contract negotiation* We behove that with stafl guidanc e and suggestions we i an make i ompcnsation gains fairly and equitably." In case the implication of this statement is unclear to you, 1 will spell it out The (ITFF board of dirts tors (management) does not believe that the staff (workers) needs collective bargaining and should voluntarily waive its union guaranteed rights to the bargaining process Board members suggest that staff members should trust them to pros ide adequate wages and benefits based on mutual good will fifi The level of stress ami tension between staff ami board members has continued to escalate 33 This position statement was issued after more than one attempt by staft to negotiate substantial wage and benefit increases that remain unre solved The level of stress and ten sion between staff and board members has continued to esca late Kau is on medically advised sii k leave and Williams has sought and attained other employment I hope the lai k of support and concern shown for the G I FT staff so far has lieeti because of a lack of informa tion. I urge readers to get informed about and involved in this important loi ,il struggle for workers rights' Demand that GTFF I ward members educate themselves and hold them selves accountable to basic worker rights and tenets of unionism! Ten D. Ciacchi is a resident of Eugene. SATURDAY . SPECIAL CarTS Jr. East Broadway & Hilyard 7am-11pm (limited time only) LETTERS Try tolerance In your editorial [ODE. Oct 2), you refer to "free loaders. ' trendy tran sients," and "tangle-haired, money twigging, street folk Name calling does not do you c red it There am many different people without evident financial means who choose to lie near the t!ni versitv I hey have differ ent reasons fortving when> they are t hroughout his lory and ar ross i nltures. poverty and begging have been traditional paths for those learning to follow their hearts and their spir its What of your fellow sin dents' Many or most of them also live off the wealth of others either their parents' or the tax payers' And to what end' Many train themselves for < ament in whit h they Ul do people and the envi ronment more harm than good It is by such choices, rather than by a chon e to be impoverished or to t*-g that the magic potential of life is most wasted and that the world is most harmed John Edward Davidson Legal Services Vote! I have been organizing the AM‘O s voter-rngistra lion campaign, and I have been struck by the number of students who feel they do no not have a any in what happens at the state or federal level The Students Are (let ting Slashed event showed students how the proposed cuts in financial aid may prevent them from contin uing in sc hool Financial aid is facing historic cuts right now ' Everyone needs to take the time and register to vote It's y our right, so use it You do have a voice Y our voice has unpai 1 Mandi Hood ASUO State Affairs Coordinator Public deserves eco-truth If 1 see on** more dirty, deadlocked forest hippie whining on TV about thi* (instruction of th*> forest i athedral. Fm going to s* roam And if I sin* on** mom TV com mercial with *<iidlt>ss, rolling hills of lush, green forest with the soothing voice-over of a Weverhnuser I’K n« kt-v assur ing me that it * ams alxrmt the forest Imcause it replants eighty skejillion tress every year. I’m gonna puke I he key players in this forest i unflu t seem to tie only the industry and the enviras At least they re the only ones get ting air time Why ' What about the profes sionals? The biologists, hydrol ogists. g«>oiogists. foresters, ecologists and other assorted experts surely have something to say why don't we hear from them? f irst of all, they aren't as motivated to speak as the other groups Industry's motivation is prof it Not greed PROFIT 1'he enviros s motivation splits off between their key players and mass members The key plovers (e g the loaders of the Oregon Natural Kesourt es Council and Sierra and Audubon) are also partially motivated by the need tor rev Hum's The environmental movement is .1 conflict indus try , i *■ without 1 onflti t m the forest, it would see ,1 drop III revenue Most of the 1 iiiim and dreads and tie-dye crowd have no profit motive They believe spiritually in their cause Hut what about the silent group' What about the spei od ists who spend months or years planning and revising and working on a project only to find themselves in court? For some, the motivation might be preserving their own jobs and hides. For others, it might lie professional pride in a Job well done, or it might im lode the long term health and vigor of the land, species and habitat they are 1 barged with minding Imagine that (Jus k out the next few sto ries you read in the paper or see on TV You will hear from someone on the green side, and you will hear from an industry mouthpitx i' Hut Mm how long it is before you cm ountcr a story that im hides the perspei live of one of the experts Think, of it this way If I start a garden in the spring, I find an expert someone who has devoted her or Itts life to the griming of plants a master gardener The master gardeners of the forests are employed by the forest Serve e Hut they 're not supposed to talk to the media A gem \ personnel are strongly dis< ouraged from fan omlng involved or visible in the politi cal volley-hailing of the forest i onflu I ( ongrvss doesn't like the for est Sery li e speaking out. espe i ially on politu ally sensitive topu s In addition, media editors usually nut the material Imagine y ou're an editor and you have a minute of videotape to t ut in half ^ on have a si rutfv hut i ute woman lying in the road at the entrant e to a timber sale N on have a well dressed lawyer and you have a grizzly lookin' logger who is just tryin* make a livin' for Ins poor family f inally, you have an ungulate habitat spei ialist droning on about forage prefer eiu es You knots who will slum up on tonight's news broadcast the l-ailv and the l ugger I already kmm about the environmentalists' opinions on the Sugurloaf sale and Warner (.reek anil the Roman Dunn sale And I know what the industry guys think about it too Hut I'm tired of listening to both ol thorn, and I'm tired of watching their predn table pho tos in the predictable papers I want to hear yvhat the pro fcssionals have to say I think they have a hit to say. and I think their viewpoint is mure valid than any other m the debate And I want the media to give it to me knlly Aiulrrsson is a junior majoring in journalism CATCH ON TO EUGENE’S BEST PIZZA super A STUDENT SPECIAL! 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