COCAL Updates August 8

Joe Berry writes, 

I am now leaving for COCAL X in Mexico City and may or may not have sufficient time and internet access to send out another COCAL Update before I return to the US August 21. If not, have a good remainder of your summer and and excellent start of the school year, for all those who start early. 

Three notes of self promotion: My partner Helena Worthen and I have written three articles that have recently appeared or are about to appear that should be of interest to this list. (photo, UNAM by David Milroy)

1. 2012, Berry, J. and Worthen, H. “Why We Should Support Organizing in the For-Profits” Radical Teacher, #93 (latest issue)
2. Forthcoming, 2012, Berry, J. and Worthen, H., “Faculty organizing in the higher education industry: Tackling the for-profit business model”. Working USA (in the next issue)
3. Forthcoming, 2012, Berry, J. and Worthen, H., "Higher Education as a Workplace" (title may change in editing). Dollars and Sense, Sept./Oct. Special Labor Day Issue

If any readers would like copies of these articles emailed to you when the final versions become available, just drop me an email. In solidarity.

In addition to Joe Berry, other New Faculty Majority members attending include David Milroy for CFA and NFM board members Judy Olson, Jack Longmate and Steve Street. All are now in Mexico City. I promise to do my utmost at harrying them for reports to share with you.

Updates in brief and links

More responses to the Delphi report on the changing faculty and support for adjuncts


Cost of misclassifying workers as independent contractors (this happens to some teachers especially in extension and similar programs)


Grad unions active while awaiting NLRB ruling on their right to unionize under NLRA

Cyber learning and the for-profits

A Philly PA area  adjunct deals with cancer while teaching up to 7 classes.

Good blog post on workplace issues by Cory Robin, a TT prof in CA and formerly a leader of the Yale grad union and author of the great book, "FEAR, the history of a political idea" which has a wonderful chapter on fear as a factor in the workplace, drawn largely from his Yale experiences.

Joe Berry's COCAL Updates, July28 & Aug3

...news & links about #ContingentFaculty, #academiclabor & #organizing in #highered. To subscribe to regular Updates, email joeberry@igc.org.  More about Joe Berry.  Updates are also archived at chicagococal.org. Follow COCAL International on Facebook.   

Chicago, Chicago...
Chicago teachers show mobilization and real strike threat can win, but fight and strike prep continues. 

Good story out of Chicago Reader on how Mayor Emanuel and Mitt Romney have the same education program and why (and Obama too). It also makes very clear why we need to support the Chicago Teachers Union as much as possible in their fight to preserve public education in Chicago and nationally. See Labor Notes article on the same issue  

Around the adjunctiverse

Monday rambles: NFM pit crew & other notes, COCAL. protests

As you may have noticed, board member and blogger (here and on Cringing Liberal Elite) Alan Trevithick has joined our NFM Facebook pit crew. Now to find the perfect NASCAR gear for him. Matt and Maria are on too but may not be as active. No gear for them.

Tomorrow is a NFM board meeting / conference call 11am EDT. If  anyone has last minute questions, email or post them as comments. Mostly, it's a catch up meeting, reports, structural/admin items. Tomorrow there will board news to announce. Now there is Foundation news: 501(3c) status approved. Member Forums will launch soon on the main site. We are also working on a membership drive. Since it's still in the formative stage, we'll asked for your opinions, ideas and reactions. Then expect to be reading a lot about that here and on our social media network. You may even come to think of the drive as needing a leash law. Why a membership drive? Easy. The stronger our membership base the more we can accomplish.