tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post8307901221988978382..comments2024-03-26T02:17:40.309-07:00Comments on reclaim UC: Operation Elimination coming soon to you this fallUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-68818258634621951952012-09-17T21:32:12.480-07:002012-09-17T21:32:12.480-07:00Smart elete university does dumb things. The publi...Smart elete university does dumb things. The public’s UC Berkeley harvests family savings, Alumni donations, supporter’s money and taxes. Cal. ranked #1 public university total academic cost (resident) as a result of the Provost’s, Chancellor’s ‘charge residents higher tuition’. UCB tuition is rising faster than other universities. <br /><br />Cal ranked # 2 in faculty earning potential. Spending on salaries increased 29% in last six years. Believe it: Harvard College less costly.<br /><br />University of California negates the promise of equality of opportunity: access, affordability. Self-absorbed Provost Breslauer Chancellor Birgeneau are outspoken on ‘charging residents much higher’ tuition. <br /><br />Birgeneau ($450,000) Breslauer ($306,000) like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving them their entitled funding. The ‘charge instate students higher tuition’ skyrocketed fees by an average 14% per year from 2006 to 2011 academic years. If they had allowed fees to rise at the same rate of inflation over past 10 years they would still be in reach of middle income students. Breslauer Birgeneau increase disparities in higher education, defeat the promise of equality of opportunity, and create a less-educated work force.<br /><br />Additional state tax funding must sunset. The sluggish economy, 10% unemployment devastates family savings. Simply asking for more taxes (Prop 30, 38) to spend on self-absorbed Cal. leadership, inefficient higher education practices, over-the-top salaries, bonuses, is not the answer. <br /><br />UCB is to maximize access to the widest number of residence at a reasonable cost. Birgeneau Breslauer’s ‘charge Californians higher tuition’ denies middle income families the transformative value of Cal. <br /><br />The California dream: keep it alive and well. Fire hapless Provost George W Breslauer. Clueless Chancellor Birgeneau resigned. Cal. leadership must accept responsibility for failing Californians.<br /><br />Opinions? UC Board of Regents marsha.kelman@ucop.edu Calif. State Senators, Assembly members.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-7417804656535518072012-08-04T15:20:52.885-07:002012-08-04T15:20:52.885-07:00How would missing $6,000,000,000 of the UC's S...How would missing $6,000,000,000 of the UC's State funding facilitate and justify bringing in Bain & Company and Huron Consulting Group for the implementation of "Operational Excellence" (i.e., formally and efficiently inventorying the public assets, services, products, intellectual property estates of UC and UC campuses, to be later sold on the auction blocs, be they private contractor bidding exchanges (e.g., billing, janitorial, IT services) or securitization and bundling of the intellectual property (IP) and trading on the World stock markets and exchanges. <br /><br />It would be nice if any of those revenues trickled down to UC employees and their families and California residents. I doubt it would. Logically, outsourcing of the service jobs and revenues beyond California's borders makes better economic sense; less or no taxes, regulations, oversight, etc. Not a moral or ethical sense, but an economic sense. Unfortunately, we have already trekked this path numerous times in our history to Dachau, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and other similarly unpleasant destinations at the expense of all of us, including the perpetrators. <br /><br />When we temporarily set aside or suspend our humanity and think with certain logic and reason (i.e., the logic and reason du jour, what "appears" fashionable and acceptable within the zeitgeist) without reference to our history and values, that is when horrible and often horrific decisions are made followed by equally destructive actions. <br /><br />What prevents or minimizes the impacts of such undesirable decisions and actions are our quick, agile, and smart responses to mitigate them. The house is on fire: <br /><br />A) Activate and sound the alarms, all alarms; <br /><br />B) Get the neighbors with the guidance of the firefighters and other first responders to put out the fire; <br /><br />C) Take care of the wounded;<br /><br />D) And once the emergency has been addressed, begin assessing and repairing the damage. <br /><br />We should not be apathetic or hopeless. We should be inspired by examples such as an entertainer couple and their colleagues, musicians on a cruise ship. Moss & Taylor Hill, Julian Butler, and Robin Boltman led and took part in the rescue of hundreds of passengers on board of a sinking cruise ships, The Oceanos, when the crew, the captain, and/or the ship officers would not properly carry out their responsibilities. History repeats itself. <br /><br />Incidentally, the sinking happened on August 4, 1991, the same date this note is being written August 4, 2012. <br /><br />Exactly twenty-one (21) years has lapsed from August 4, 1991 to August 4, 2012 since the sinking of the Oceanos. At Vegas' blackjack tables, 21 is the ultimate winner. What this coincidence is trying to tell us?! Symbolism is an effective motivating device for both good and bad. But, I hope this symbolism doesn't motivate us to pack for a quick trip to Vegas or for a visit to our closest neighborhood or corner block casino!!!<br /><br />Wikipedia Excerpt: <br />"All 571 people on board were saved. Moss Hills organized the orderly evacuation of passengers by the helicopters and is generally acknowledged as the leading hero of the event. Hills and fellow entertainer Julian Butler[5] directed the efforts of the entertainment staff, which included Tracy Hills and Robin Boltman,[6] to assist the passengers. Butler, Hills and Hills' wife Tracy were among the last five to be rescued from the ship.[7]"<br /><br />Excerpt from NOVA Program transcript "Why Ships Sink?"<br />Aired April 18, 2012 on PBS<br />"Even guitarist Moss Hills, despite his traumatic experience aboard the sinking ship Oceanos, retains his enthusiasm for life aboard ship. In fact, when the cruise ship Achille Lauro caught fire 125 miles off the coast of Somalia, in 1994, there was a familiar face among the entertainment staff.<br /><br />MOSS HILLS: It was incredible. I could hardly believe that I was on another ship that was sinking. It just didn't seem possible, but it was.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-5127615772542809982012-08-04T12:14:34.388-07:002012-08-04T12:14:34.388-07:00Hello Juan,
I did not know what "wildcat st...Hello Juan, <br /><br />I did not know what "wildcat strike action" meant. So, I looked it up. Thanks to Wikipedia, here it is below. Would this mean severing formal ties with the CUE-IBT 2010 and Teamsters Union allows legal strikes by the members of CUE-IBT 2010?<br /><br />Excerpts from Wikipedia on Wildcat Strike Action<br /><br />"workers can formally request that the National Labor Relations Board end their association with their labor union if they feel that the union is not sufficiently supportive of them. At this point, any strike action taken by the workers may be termed a wildcat strike, but there is no illegality involved as there is no longer a conflict between sections 7 and 9(a) of the NLRA.[3]"<br /><br />United States of America<br />Since 1935, wildcat strike action has been considered illegal in the United States.[2]<br /><br />The U.S. 1932 Norris-La Guardia Act held that clauses in labor contracts barring employees from joining unions were not enforceable, thus granting employees the right to unionize regardless of their workplace situation. Unions have the power to bargain collectively on behalf of their members and to call for strikes demanding concessions from employers. <br /><br />Under the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), federal courts have held that wildcat strikes are illegal and that employers may fire workers participating in them.[2]<br /><br />Nevertheless, workers can formally request that the National Labor Relations Board end their association with their labor union if they feel that the union is not sufficiently supportive of them. At this point, any strike action taken by the workers may be termed a wildcat strike, but there is no illegality involved as there is no longer a conflict between sections 7 and 9(a) of the NLRA.[3]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-3966084649172563622012-06-15T16:48:26.805-07:002012-06-15T16:48:26.805-07:00"Though this is being done in the guise of ef..."Though this is being done in the guise of efficiency and saving money, if OE - or as some of us call it, Operation Elimination - is anything to show, this latest phase may lead to layoffs, reduced resources, greater workloads, more mismanagement, and a general transformation of the vibe of the campus for the workers and students."<br /><br />But if UC has a budget shortfall, doesn't it have to find ways to cut costs? It sucks when 1 person has to do the job of 2 people (especially since they were probably already doing the job of 3 people in the first place), but if the money simply isn't there, what are they supposed to do?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-54059821494878945392012-06-13T17:16:45.185-07:002012-06-13T17:16:45.185-07:00I totally agree with your sentiment "Admin II...I totally agree with your sentiment "Admin II"! Some of us who got so tired dealing with the CUE statewide leadership and this whole trusteeship mess, have organized ourselves in a reform caucus called New Direction- check out our website that has more info on our work: http://newdirectioncueibt.com/ We're small but we are fighting on and could use rank and file fighters like you! Please send me an email at jmg12211985@gmail.com if you would like to do something about this mess. And about the no-strike clause, though it exists (and was in our previous contacts,sadly) we can still organize and do demonstrations and if we have the numbers and the situation calls for it, we can always wildcat strike - many historically successful strikes have been "wildcat" ;0. Solidarity forever!<br /><br />- JuanJuan Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02141030160901543905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243675294290376991.post-9151917201291700442012-06-12T17:42:20.382-07:002012-06-12T17:42:20.382-07:00As I am also a member of CUE-Teamsters, I will spe...As I am also a member of CUE-Teamsters, I will speak plainly here. While I absolutely agree that the administration acts abysmally in virtually every instance, our bargaining unit's inability to organize facilitated the university's destruction of our workplace. For years, our lead negotiator, Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie, has demonstrated a striking lack of competence and has refused to bargain with even a hint of aggressiveness. <br /><br />In fact, our union leadership, including the lead negotiator, was SO strikingly incompetent that the union is now in trusteeship. It has been taken over wholesale by the Teamsters. I hope, Juan, that you'll tell Amatullah that our recent negotiations were one of the reasons for this humiliation.<br /><br />These negotiations cemented the hated "no strikes" clause, which, Juan, prevents us from demonstrating en masse against things like the Shared Services Center. It is in fact illegal to organize and strike during work hours if they're members of CUE-Teamsters, isn't it, Juan? <br /><br />So while UC Berkeley acts with criminal intent, destroying union jobs and granting huge payouts to private companies, our bargaining unit fumbles along, unable to mount even a token resistance.Admin II, lowest-possible stepnoreply@blogger.com