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From:
List Description: [mailto:CWA4730_MEMBERS@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU] On
Behalf Of Peter Kaczmarczyk
HeraldTimesOnline.com
Guest column March 2, 2008 This guest column was written by Peter Kaczmarczyk, president of the Communications Workers of America 4730, representing support staff at Indiana University at IUB and IUN. Trustees of Indiana University, have you ever seen a staff person cry? Have you ever talked to one, listened to their worries or concerns? I wonder, considering the way you treat us. I’ve seen staff cry, more times than I care to remember. They cry because they are scared. They cry because they feel helpless. They don’t think that IU cares about them, and I don’t blame them. The lack of concern shown by IU, from pitiful raises to the cavalier attitude taken toward privatizing jobs, clearly demonstrate that the trustees of IU really don’t care about or understand the plight of the workers or the communities they live in. Indiana University, you are the dominant employer in Bloomington, and it is incumbent upon you to use your economic clout to help the people of your community. This year, you must give real raises to all staff. There is no excuse for you not to. Why are IU staff scared? They are scared because they can barely pay their bills, and struggle week to week to feed themselves and keep the heat on. They’re scared because every year they are falling further and further behind with no help on the horizon. Many who have given half their lives to the university see their poor wages translating to inadequate retirement funds, and many of these long-term employees see themselves being passed by or pushed aside by younger, fresher, prettier workers. IU staff are scared because they see what happened at GE; they see what’s happened at the bookstore; they see what happening to the working class all across the country. They see this; I see this; the trustees and the administration of IU must see this, too. I challenge the trustees to get out, talk to staff and see what they do. Ask an employee what they have left over after paying all their bills. See the impact of your choices and decisions, and think about the real people who are so dependent on those decisions. Get out there, trustees, and maybe you’ll think twice before you sell off any more jobs. Get out and find out what we need to live, not in luxury or even comfort, but just what we need to get by. Get out and see the damage caused by applying a strict business model to the lives of real, breathing human beings. And while you are digesting what you learned, give support staff a decent raise. Enough of the 2-3 percent table scraps of recent years; this year, you must do something substantial. Five or 6 percent would be reasonable; we not only would stay even but might even be able to make back some of the lost ground of previous years. And if you refuse, don’t you dare try to blame the Legislature or the economy. We are not blind. We see the millions raked in by selling the bookstores. We see the money poured into new buildings and improving faculty salaries. We see you, the trustees, tossing around money wherever you see fit. The blame for poor staff salaries belongs to trustees of the past, and the blame if nothing is done about it this year belong squarely in the laps of the current trustees. SoSo trustees, have you ever seen a staff person cry? I hope you never have to, but I think it might really do some of you some good. Maybe then you would think more about the lives you have in your hands before making decisions that can, and will, devastate those lives. |
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