Monday, December 14, 2009

March 4th Strike and Day of Action is now a national call

Please forward widely!

There is now a national call regarding March 4th. UTLA's West Area called for a strong job action on that day as well. There is a draft call being worked on from an adhoc group that has been working via email and phone from a variety of locations throughout the country. I will post it as soon as possible. A letter of support from US Labor Against the War will also be following.

CAll # 1 from California:

National Call for March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education

California has recently seen a massive movement erupt in defense of public education -- but layoffs, fee hikes, cuts, and the re-segregation of public education are attacks taking place throughout the country. A nationwide resistance movement is needed.

We call on all students, workers, teachers, parents, and their organizations and communities across the country to massively mobilize for a Strike and Day of Action in Defense of Public Education on March 4, 2010. Education cuts are attacks against all of us, particularly in working-class communities and communities of color.

The politicians and administrators say there is no money for education and social services. They say that "there is no alternative" to the cuts. But if there's money for wars, bank bailouts, and prisons, why is there no money for public education?

We can beat back the cuts if we unite students, workers, and teachers across all sectors of public education — Pre K-12, adult education, community colleges, and state-funded universities. We appeal to the leaders of the trade union movement to support and organize strikes and/or mass actions on March 4. The weight of workers and students united in strikes and mobilizations would shift the balance of forces entirely against the current agenda of cuts and make victory possible.

Building a powerful movement to defend public education will, in turn, advance the struggle in defense of all public-sector workers and services and will be an inspiration to all those fighting against the wars, for immigrants rights, in defense of jobs, for single-payer health care, and other progressive causes.

Why March 4? On October 24, 2009 more than 800 students, workers, and teachers converged at UC Berkeley at the Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education. This massive meeting brought together representatives from over 100 different schools, unions, and organizations from all across California and from all sectors of public education. After hours of open collective discussion, the participants voted democratically, as their main decision, to call for a Strike and Day of Action on March 4, 2010. All schools, unions and organizations are free to choose their specific demands and tactics -- such as strikes, rallies, walkouts, occupations, sit-ins, teach-ins, etc. -- as well as the duration of such actions.

Let's make March 4 an historic turning point in the struggle against the cuts, layoffs, fee hikes, and the re-segregation of public education.

- The California Coordinating Committee

(To endorse this call and to receive more information contact march4strikeanddayofaction@gmail.com and check out www.defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com )

3 comments:

Newsmediaspan said...

Home School or Private School. The only answer to the fascist NEA, and the zoos laughingly called schools that they "teach" in. If you can't home school then send them to a private faith based school or Charter school of your choice. Problem solved, no more government controlled public schools producing uneducated "entitlement class" morons at a 50 percent graduation rate. Thanks Teachers Union, with your protected incompetent teachers it's your fault, so, strike on, every time you do, you just drive in one more nail.

Anonymous said...

its past time for private schools,anything run by the government is going to cost twice as much and get have as much done.its time to get the socialist government out of america.......

CGM28 said...

How do you suppose the majority of the people are suppose to pay for private schools? How does a young couple with a 7 year old pay with for his/her education when they spend about 40% of their income on a place to live, still in debt from college loans, Health insurance off the roof(thats if they can even afford it), car insurance, Food, a safety cushion for a rainy season????? Must I remind you that our living standards keep rising but our wages stay the same (calculating inflation)and so most of us do not have the luxery to be stay at home moms or dads.
Should we just all stop reproducing then? Should I wait until I'm 65 when I can get my 401k out and medicare to have a baby?
I agree with the need to better our education system, but it cannot be done by privatizing it. I understand the unions might take it a bit far, but being a teacher is hard job. They don't get the respect they deserve. There should stricter requirements to becomeing a teacher. Teaching schools should be accredited under harsher regulations. Make the teaching profession more competitive. Doing away with public education isn't doing any good for anyone. Education is the key to social mobility. If people don't have access to it, should they just rot in their poor slums then?? Should they not be given a chance? Just let them be even more ignorant than they already are and increase crime rates. Don't go crying when you don't have a barricade to put around your beautiful neighborhood when the shit hits the fan just because you took away public education.

Please, its ok to be against any idea/movement/strike...etc., but be use reason to argue your point. Not just some overused lines.