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August 18, 2006 NYU Student StrikeMaida Rosenstein Greetings Sisters and Brothers, The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strongly supports your efforts to achieve a negotiated second collective agreement. The position of the NYU Administration is despicable, and further demonstrates the erosion of workers’ rights occurring in the United States of America; ironically, the country that espouses the view of “freedom” at every chance. The freedom of workers to choose to assemble in a union and negotiate their terms and conditions of work should be one of the pillars of a truly free and democratic society. In recent years, PSAC has enjoyed the opportunity of working with graduate students at a number of Canadian universities, assisting them in realizing their right to collective bargaining. We currently represent over 3,500 graduate teaching and research assistants, and have organizing campaigns underway at another five universities. In organizing these workers, we too have had to endure legal posturing of administrations who insist that graduate students performing a range of duties for their institutions are not employees. Each time, these arguments have failed at the labour boards and in the courts. It is truly unfortunate that the National Labor Relations Board in the USA has reversed its position on the unionization of graduate employees in private universities. We commend those of you who are challenging this position and demanding that the NYU Administration return to the bargaining table. The gains you made in your first collective agreement were stellar, and we have every confidence that you will achieve even greater gains once bargaining resumes. As you enter the fall semester and your strike continues, remain steadfast in your determination to win. Know that PSAC members, especially those working in Canadian universities, are standing with you in solidarity. The collective support of the broader labour movement is behind you, and will help you to achieve success in your strike and efforts to reach a collective agreement that recognizes the value of your work. In Solidarity, John Gordon |