Friday, April 21, 2006

What it feels like


This interview with Elsa Rodriguez, here with her grandson Kevin, was conducted yesterday, Thursday April 20th. Today, the hunger strikers were relieved by the community at large, who are taking up the baton. (The interview is in Spanish).

this is an audio post - click to play

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does this mean there's new need for those tacky purple caskets (with the SEIU logos)?

Maybe the SEIU can get a refund on those prepaid funeral plans and give the money to those poor hunger strikers the SEIU has ripped off!

Anonymous said...

"I'm a senior. I'm an honors student. I'm a student leader. I'm Greek. I'm a volunteer. I go out on the weekends to party, and I pull all-nighters. And now I'm starving. I am so hungry for change on this campus... and if we students can each pony-up an extra $800 each a year, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Andy Stern and his SEIU goon could help spread the wealth a little bit here... $450,000 a year SEIU members pay for those two - surly they have some to spare.

No wonder they want to organize you so badly - the $20,000 per month they want to take out of your pockets for the rest of your working lives wouldn't even pay for Andy's incredable salary!

Anonymous said...

i just had an epiphany . . . the "slimy union" argument basically refutes itself when you hear it over and over and over from obnoxious stupid people (who submit multiple posts so they look like more than one person) and never from anyone respectable. now i don't have to worry about it anymore! score.

Anonymous said...

"i just had an epiphany . . . the "slimy union" argument basically refutes itself when you hear it over and over and over from obnoxious stupid people (who submit multiple posts so they look like more than one person) and never from anyone respectable. now i don't have to worry about it anymore! score."

Obnoxious? Stupid? Sorry that I'm not as respectable as someone named "oranguteena"... rather than trying to hurt my feelings, PLEASE try and open your eyes! If you want to refute facts - then game on honey. But if you just want to belittle me because I don't like to see people being exploited by large corperations (the SEIU), than please save your time.

Anonymous said...

"i just had an epiphany . . . the "slimy union" argument basically refutes itself when you hear it over and over and over from obnoxious stupid people (who submit multiple posts so they look like more than one person) and never from anyone respectable. now i don't have to worry about it anymore! score."

Obnoxious? Stupid? Sorry that I'm not as respectable as someone named "oranguteena"... rather than trying to hurt my feelings, PLEASE try and open your eyes! If you want to refute facts - then game on honey. But if you just want to belittle me because I don't like to see people being exploited by large corperations (the SEIU), than please save your time.

Anonymous said...

Any one find it a little odd that a UNICCO supporter is calling the SEIU a corporation? Not to mention that he speaks of exploitation. Yes of course there is always a degree of corruption in any hierarchical structure of organization. But by and large, anyone who thinks that "Big Labor" is the bully in our society needs to take off the beer goggles.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous has no relevant facts. It's also celar that he doesn't mind seeing people exploited by large corporations, as long as they aren't a union.

Anonymous said...

Fact - SEIU is investing in this campain in hopes of collecting some $20,000 per month in dues.

Fact - SEIU pays Andy Stern no less than $250,000 per year.

Fact - SEIU in demanding a card-check in trying to deprive these workers of a secret democratic vote.

Fact - Less than 25% of the workers are on strike in support of the SEIU.

Fact - The SEIU has made promises of increased wages to the workers if they sign cards with the SEIU... failing to mention these have to be bargined first with UNICCO.

Fact - These hunger strikers, supposedly acting on their own - were drapped with the SEIU logos and photographed for SEIU publicity.

The list goes on, and on and on...

The last 15 years in this country have not been advantages for the big, private sector unions... you may have heard of some of the problems within the steel, airline, and automotive industries. In response, and in hopes of trying to remain relivant - these unions will now do ANYTHING to increase their dues base... even look at their slogan - CHANGE TO WIN - an acknowledgement of their past and current failures. Do your research on the SEIU - they're the AMWAY of the union world.

If these workers want to create a grassroots movement and campain their co-workers to start their own union - GOD BLESS THEM - but sign a deal with the devil and see their hardearned money taken away from them? No one that really cares for these workers could stand-by and watch silently if this happens.

This is UM - all the required resources for the workers to make a go of their own unon are right before them... have you offered to help them?

Anonymous said...

Employers pay YOU money - to exploit your labor for their benefit...

Workers pay THEIR OWN money to the SEIU - to be exploited for the SEIU's benefit...

Really two different concepts... if you decide to look at the relevent facts.

Anonymous said...

FACT: Florida is a right-to-work state. This means that the SEIU is fighting for the opportunity to represent all UNICCO workers at UM, whether or not they decide to pay dues.

Hard to see the profit-hound motivation there.

Anonymous said...

oranguteena,

You forgot to mention... if they don't pay dues - they get NO VOTE within the SEIU... hence they have NO VOICE in THEIR workplace - which is really the SAME as they have now. Hardly a democracy when you're talking about people that can't really afford to pay dues (and support Andy Stern's huge salary).

As for the profit motivation - where do you think the SEIU gets it's millions from?

A better solution - an employee coalition without the dues... a true grassroots movement with the UM faculty helping to empower these workers build better lives.

You will be amazed at how much credibility these workers will gain in the public eye without the SEIU.