Original online here.
Solidarity Ask From UAW 2710- Against the Repression of Protest
On April 18th, Minouche Shafik, the President of Columbia, violated university procedures and authorized the NYPD to arrest dozens of Columbia students, including members of Student Workers of Columbia— SWC-UAW 2710. The protesting students and student workers had bravely held the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the lawn in the center of campus for two days, joined by hundreds of student and SWC picketers protecting their encampment, and a mass mobilization of other labor organizers and the community on the streets outside the campus. The encampment’s demands included that Columbia, their school and employer, divest its financial holdings from weapons manufacturers, tech companies, and any other entities that materially benefit from the Israeli occupation and genocide of Palestinians, that Columbia make its investments transparent, and that Columbia reinstate all students facing academic discipline for pro-Palestine protest over the past few months, including five students who were suspended and evicted from their Columbia-owned housing two weeks ago.
As workers, we stand in solidarity with our union siblings in SWC-UAW 2710 who were arrested and face suspension. We call for their and their classmates’ immediate reinstatement and for Columbia to drop all charges against them, both legal and academic. We deplore President Shafik’s actions and call for Columbia to immediately end the repression of protest.
We the undersigned believe the repression and criminalization of activists, students, professors, and academic workers across the country are violations of our elementary rights to free speech and protest. If left unchecked, these attacks on academic freedom and protest against genocide will pave the way for further measures that constrain civil liberties, not only for those in universities, but for civil society at large.
The right to protest is necessary for every struggle, and the direct attack on this right is an attack on labor as well. An injury to one is an injury to all- if the Columbia students can be repressed for protesting, Columbia workers and all workers could be too. Workers stand in full solidarity with this student movement.
Solidarity forever!
Signed,
SWC-UAW 2710
UAW Region 9A
ALAA – UAW Local 2325
CURA Collective
CPW-UAW 4100
GSOC-UAW 2110
Graduate Employees’ Organization – University of Michigan – GEO 3550 AFL-CIO
Downstate NY Starbucks Workers United
Sinai Student Workers (SSW-UAW)
UAW 4811 Santa Cruz
She Wolf Workers Union- RWDSU
SENS UAW (Academic Student Workers at The New School)
HGSU-UAW 5118
UNC Workers Union – UE150
GEO-Graduate Employees’ Organization at UIUC
UE 197 Teachers and Researchers United – Graduate workers at Johns Hopkins University
United Legal Educators-UAW
United Library Workers USW Local 9562
UAW Local 4811
UAW Local 2322
Association of Legislative Employees
Mother Jones Staff Union
SWCD (Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth)
NYC Alamo United – UAW 2179
Concordia Research and Education Workers (CREW) Union
Rutgers AAUP-AFT
UAW Labor for Palestine
Irvine Faculty Association
Santa Cruz Faculty Association
Executive Board of PTL AAUP-AFT (Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union)
Rank and File Action (PSC-CUNY)
UC Divest Coalition UCSC
UCLA Faculty for Justice in Palestine
CGSU-UE Local 300 Bargaining Committee
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Faculty for Justice in Palestine
Faculty for Justice in Palestine at University of California Irvine
HGSU-BDS Caucus of Rank and File Members
CUPE 3903 Palestine Solidarity Working Group
32BJ Members For Palestine
SFSU YDSA
Maine Labor for Palestine
Pride at Work Eastern Massachusetts
NYC Educators for Palestine
Unidad Latina en Accion
Palestine Solidarity Coalition at Dartmouth
UMass Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine
Met Workers for Palestine
UCSB Faculty Association
UCSC Faculty for Justice in Palestine
Cleveland Jobs with Justice
…and 800+ individual union members
Español:
El 18 de abril, Minouche Shafik, la presidenta de Columbia, violó los procedimientos universitarios y autorizó al NYPD a arrestar a docenas de estudiantes de Columbia, incluidos miembros del Sindicato de Trabajadores Estudiantiles de Columbia – SWC-UAW 2710. Los estudiantes manifestantes y trabajadores estudiantiles han sostenido valientemente el Campamento de Solidaridad con Gaza en el césped en el centro del campus durante dos días, acompañados por cientos de estudiantes y piqueteros de SWC que protegían su campamento, y una movilización masiva de otros organizadores laborales y la comunidad en las calles fuera del campus. Las demandas del campamento incluyen que Columbia, su escuela y empleador, desinvierta sus activos financieros de fabricantes de armas, empresas tecnológicas y cualquier otra entidad que se beneficie materialmente de la ocupación israelí y el genocidio de los palestinos, que Columbia haga transparentes sus inversiones, y que Columbia reintegre a todos los estudiantes enfrentando procesos disciplinares por protestas pro-Palestina en los últimos meses, incluidos cinco estudiantes que fueron suspendidos y desalojados de sus viviendas -propiedad de Columbia- hace dos semanas.
Como trabajadores, nos solidarizamos con nuestrxs hermanxs de sindicato en SWC-UAW 2710 que fueron arrestadxs y enfrentan suspensión. Exigimos su reinstalación inmediata y la de sus compañeros de clase, y que Columbia retire todos los cargos en su contra, tanto legales como académicos. Deploramos las acciones de la presidenta Shafik y exigimos que Columbia ponga fin inmediato a la represión de la protesta.
Nosotrxs, lxs firmantes, creemos que la represión y criminalización de activistas, estudiantes, profesores y trabajadores académicos en todo el país son violaciones de nuestros derechos elementales a la libertad de expresión y protesta. Si no se controlan, estos ataques a la libertad académica y la protesta contra el genocidio allanarán el camino para medidas adicionales que limiten las libertades civiles, no solo para quienes están en las universidades, sino para la sociedad civil en general.
El derecho a protestar es necesario para toda lucha, y el ataque directo a este derecho es también un ataque al trabajo. Una herida a uno es una herida para todos: si los estudiantes de Columbia pueden ser reprimidos por protestar, los trabajadores de Columbia y todos los trabajadores también podrían serlo. Los trabajadores nos solidarizamos plenamente con este movimiento estudiantil.
¡En solidaridad siempre!
Firmado por,
SWC-UAW 2710
UAW Region 9A
ALAA – UAW Local 2325
CURA Collective
CPW-UAW 4100
GSOC-UAW 2110
Graduate Employees’ Organization – University of Michigan – GEO 3550 AFL-CIO
Downstate NY Starbucks Workers United
Sinai Student Workers (SSW-UAW)
UAW 4811 Santa Cruz
She Wolf Workers Union- RWDSU
SENS UAW (Academic Student Workers at The New School)
HGSU-UAW 5118
UNC Workers Union – UE150
GEO-Graduate Employees’ Organization at UIUC
UE 197 Teachers and Researchers United – Graduate workers at Johns Hopkins University
United Legal Educators-UAW
United Library Workers USW Local 9562
UAW Local 4811
UAW Local 2322
Association of Legislative Employees
Mother Jones Staff Union
SWCD (Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth)
NYC Alamo United – UAW 2179
Concordia Research and Education Workers (CREW) Union
Rutgers AAUP-AFT
UAW Labor for Palestine
Irvine Faculty Association
Santa Cruz Faculty Association
Executive Board of PTL AAUP-AFT (Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union)
Rank and File Action (PSC-CUNY)
UC Divest Coalition UCSC
UCLA Faculty for Justice in Palestine
CGSU-UE Local 300 Bargaining Committee
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Faculty for Justice in Palestine
Faculty for Justice in Palestine at University of California Irvine
HGSU-BDS Caucus of Rank and File Members
CUPE 3903 Palestine Solidarity Working Group
32BJ Members For Palestine
SFSU YDSA
Maine Labor for Palestine
Pride at Work Eastern Massachusetts
NYC Educators for Palestine
Unidad Latina en Accion
Palestine Solidarity Coalition at Dartmouth
UMass Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine
Met Workers for Palestine
UCSB Faculty Association
UCSC Faculty for Justice in Palestine
Cleveland Jobs with Justice
