Liars earning one-quarter million dollar salaries gonna lie...
https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2021/california-state-university/leora-d-freedman/
CSU RAD
WriteFreely
"For those who understand that capitalism is incompatible with an economically-just society or that the state is a violent, repressive coalition of ruling elites, conceiving of and transforming universities to an #autonomous space would be welcome and crucial in order to fight for a better society. #Universities have the ability to strengthen #CivilSociety, but only if not also fueling capitalist #exploitation and statist domination at the same time."
"Universities should be viewed as spaces to serve & prioritize #CivilSociety, where most of us—except for state policy planners or CEOs—dwell (the civil sphere is constantly under-attack by capitalism & state). #Universities could be incubators for experimenting w/ nonprofit ways to provide for human needs, protecting & defending #TheEarth, waging struggles for #peace & #justice, & learning how to build strong, progressive #SocialMovements to usher in such a world."
"Universities are contested, contradictory spaces in society: they facilitate the pursuit of #justice and #freedom, but also serve as an ideological support and resource supply for dominant, hierarchical systems. Although #public universities receive taxpayer support, this does not necessarily make #universities mere instrument of #TheState. They can and often do serve state interests, however."
"The conciliatory nature of #BusinessUnionism inadvertently led to a de-fanged #union #movement which hesitated to use its main weapon (the #strike) and instead depended upon its legal cunning at the bargaining table to achieve compromises with their employers (read: cooptation). Working within the legal system, campaigning for Democratic Party politicians, and #lobbying for advantageous policy became a major objective for many national unions."
"Labor struggles can't be reduced to banal workplace demands. To remain relevant, #unions must continue broadening their scope beyond parochial concerns of single workplaces to all of civil society; unions thus must be antiracist & antifascist, center #feminist values & the abolitionist opposition to carceral society, & be decolonialist. #Intersectionality is the rocket-fuel that will make labor/class issues salient for whom those issues matter most."
#CFA_united #strike
https://rant.li/csurad/the-limits-of-the-union-organization
"Unions are great for gathering, building, maintaining, & wielding #solidarity. There’s a centripetal force to the organization’s energy that kept it focused singularly on its mission. Its cause is impressive: representing workers’ interests, gaining resources for those #workers, & propelling the cause of #labor forward. #Unions are a time-tested organizational form going back to the mid-19th century, although it’s enjoyed important innovations since that time."
"#Labor struggles are not only about objective facts—they’re also emotive & embodied challenges. By engaging w/ the heart, we remind the brain of other reasons why striking is important. It’s one thing to “know” that strikes can deliver improved working conditions + greater workplace #power, but equally important to witness the transformative power when fellow #workers come to terms with those truths via each others’ energy and passion."
#CalState #union #CalFac #strike
https://rant.li/csurad/while-the-brain-remains-king-the-heart-knows-best
"Sometimes the most important thing a teacher can do is model what it means to be a professional in their discipline. For example, #faculty demonstrate through their own principled actions what being a #professor is all about—being a responsible learner, being reflexive and critical about information, being creative and precise. Another thing that faculty should model is self-respect and how to assert their right to #worker #SelfManagement."
"Collective bargaining occurs on the terrain of law, and employers have the advantage. Bargaining is important and crucial, but it can be overly polite. #Workers end-up having to bite their tongues or grit their teeth. We’re forced to compromise on things that shouldn’t be compromised. Our #solidarity muscles weaken we’re not using them together. Solidarity means we can fight and that we are stronger in that fight together."
#CalFac #Union #Strike #CalState
https://rant.li/csurad/bsolidarity-is-a-muscle-it-needs-exercise-b
"It’s just not enough to say we’re *willing* to strike. (And it may be even worse to admit "we don’t want to strike".) We must be willing, maybe even *eager*, to flex those muscles when necessary. Our solidarity is a living, breathing thing. It requires our energy, attention, and #love. And a #strike is the ultimate performance of #solidarity."
https://rant.li/csurad/bsolidarity-is-a-muscle-it-needs-exercise-b
"Labor #unions do many things, but the most important thing is bring workers together into a collective project. The work of a union is to build #solidarity among its members and to expand that solidarity into the rest of the workplace, then ultimately, globally throughout the entirety of the #WorkingClass. Like all great athletic feats, the creation of an international #LaborMovement requires lots of boring exercise."
https://rant.li/csurad/bsolidarity-is-a-muscle-it-needs-exercise-b
"Being compelled to contribute dues in the past was a false form of #solidarity; a perverse proxy for the hard work of building a #union. Let’s acknowledge that the more important resource is the people themselves. If the #labor #movement can win over #workers directly, then unions will still have the economic resources they need to fight the bosses, and have a more activated & rebellious membership that is ready for that fight, too."
https://rant.li/csurad/the-rebirth-of-the-fighting-union-in-a-post-janus-america
"It’s helpful to drop all the pretenses of business-labor peace, or, as in the case of public sector #unions, the idea that corporate-inspired managers actually know what’s best for the public (or public #workers). It requires a return to the active #organizing campaigns of the past, where workers discussed critical matters with their fellow workers, in pursuit of the obvious realization that workers only have #power insofar as they possess #solidarity with each other."
https://rant.li/csurad/the-rebirth-of-the-fighting-union-in-a-post-janus-america
"Protesting or striking are often accused of being “unprofessional”, since faculty end up speaking (or chanting) emotionally, waving their fists, and refusing to offer those admins the deference they [incorrectly] believe they deserve."
https://rant.li/csurad/professionalism-as-code-for-submissiveness-and-deference
"Given the high occupational status of #faculty and the esteemed prestige associated with #Universities it’s easy to assume that such faculty ought to be “well-heeled”, respectful, & polite. While it’s never a good policy to universally be an asshole, just because someone has lots of advanced degree and a high prestige job doesn’t mean that they shouldn't be able to fight & demand respect when they are poorly treated by administrators."
#CalState #union #CalFac #strike
https://rant.li/csurad/professionalism-as-code-for-submissiveness-and-deference
"From the perspective of their departmental colleagues, chairs ought to be assistants who execute the faculty’s will and advocate on behalf of their #faculty #colleagues... But, that’s not really what #admins want departmental #chairs to be focused on. University admins want chairs to be factory-floor supervisors, keeping their faculty in-line, conveying directives from higher-up the food-chain."
"Faculty don’t need bosses to do their work: they can #teach their classes and conduct their #research without any interventions, thank you very much. And, there’s no reason why #democratic self-governance and confederation can’t facilitate all #university decision-making. But, #administrators often convince themselves that the faculty are “out of control” and require discipline, which they are more than happy to offer."
"The unofficial policy of most American #universities these days is to convert #academic departments into lean, mean diploma machines. Instead of hiring enough #faculty members to provide a quality #education, poorly-paid adjuncts are exploited in ever greater numbers. This has lead to shrinking #tenure density and thus a politically-weakened faculty."
#CalState #exploitation #KnowledgeWorkers #union #CalFac #CFA #Strike
"#University #administrators have become like all other bosses in private enterprise: pushing employees to the brink of #exhaustion. “Working smarter” & “doing more with less” is as realistic as turning lead into gold. Until admins are willing to address basic, underling realities, their demands should be correctly identified for the foolish alchemy they are. And we ought to refuse to perform miracles to satisfy their whims."
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