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Princeton for Workers' Rights protests U. investments
Published: Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Members of Princeton for Workers’ Rights (PWR) advocated this weekend for the University to pressure HEI Hotels & Resorts to permit its workers to organize in a fair and neutral environment. PWR members campaigned at Frist Campus Center on Friday and ...(back to the article)
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Card-check unionization is the opposite of "fair and neutral." These workers already have the right to unionize -- if they can convince a majority of their peers to vote for a union in a secret-ballot election monitored by the NLRB. Card-check is a right to bully and coerce. It's also worth noting that UNITE HERE, the union PWR is supporting, isn't even in agreement as to how this sort of thing should proceed. It's in the middle of a bruising internal feud, largely over organization methods, between its hotel worker (HERE) and textile worker (UNITE) branches, with democratically elected officers in some locals being pushed out by nationally imposed "trustees" and an ongoing lawsuit in federal district court in New York brought by regional boards seeking to disaffiliate from the national.
HEI is chump change compared to the need to divest from companies like Caterpillar which continue to be complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel. The endowment should withdraw all investments to companies which support the daily war crimes and dehumanization of Palestinians.
We are a progressive university which should not support the last bastion of European colonialism. U Mich. and a few other schools have already taken a stand to divest from Israel.
"not only economically [but] also morally as a prestigious institution"
Typical liberals, feeling an (unsubstantiated) "moral" obligation to do what they want with other people's money. In this case ours, all tuition paying students. In the middle of a recession, when so many are losing their jobs, these people are fools to demand raises on behalf of others. Naturally paying above market wage will lead to lower employment as fewer workers can perform quality of work justifying their wages, as these chuckleheads would know if they took the time to put down their placards and take ECO100. As an extreme case, look at unionized Ford, GM, and Chrysler, versus the health of foreign car manufacturers.
And agreed with Mr. Scharf; card-check is simply a license for union bullying of workers, and its return to political discourse is a form of pork dealt out by ascendant Democrats. Dirty politics at its finest.
The best way to help the poor is to ensure they have a valuable skill set. Groups like this think raising the minimum wage, increasing union power etc will help the poor which is far from the truth.
Maybe if they spent time training people instead of silly protests we could make progress.
try to focus on the actual content of the 'protest'...the students are not trying to increase anyone's wages or pass labor legislation...they are simply supporting low-wage workers in a battle to organize to improve their working conditions. HEI is not suffering at all in these times of economic recession because it seems to be willing to neglect the basic needs and wellbeing of its employees. i'm sorry, but try to recognize the lack of autonomy many of these people have in determining the conditions of their daily lives. what people often don't realize is that executives are already in a position to make decisions regarding their daily work conditions, their benefits, their hours, their salary. workers are not. and what we're seeing is those in power explicitly working against the basic interests of those without power. workers are not commodities. they're humans.
and DIVESTMENT is absolutely right. but all pressing issues should be addressed.
hey DIVESTMENT. where do you get your information regarding princeton's investments?
there's a problem with transparency within PRINCO.
ALSO, just because i support the HEI workers and their right to organize, i don't necessarily support the EFCA. don't get me wrong, the current system is rife with intimidation by employer, but that doesn't mean that publicizing union support/opposition will result in any less intimidation. but again, that's not the issue here.
I agree with "not will scharf '08." Not only is the focus of this campaign being distorted by opponents, but it seems that much of the opposition is being driven by peoples' misconstrued notions of what PWR is trying to push for. Nowhere in the cover letter of the petition does PWR claim to want to increase wages or increase union power.
Students are quick to involve these workers in discussions about market wage and employment before realizing what PWR is trying to focus on--the treatment and living conditions of humans.
Where are the interviews with opponents of this political petition? Nice reporting there Prince
what would an opponent of this hardly radical petition say?
"I'm strongly against asking Princeton a company treating its lowest-paid workers with respect and allowing them to organize to improve their working conditions if they want to?"