Re: Yale TA strike and actions

[Patrick M Crowley <pcrowley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

*************Press Release*************
For Immediate Release

Contact : James Delle,  Co-President, Graduate Employees=20
Organization, Local 2322 U.A.W.
=09 UMASS-Amherst, 413-545-0705

Four UMASS-Amherst Graduate Students=20
Arrested at Yale Union Protest


Four University of Massachusetts at Amherst Graduate=20
Students were among 130 people arrested  Wednesday at a=20
Union Rally at Yale University.  The Four were part of a=20
delegation of graduate students who went to Yale to support=20
the controversial union drive among graduate employees at=20
the ivy league school.  The four are all members of the=20
Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), the union that=20
represents graduate employees at UMASS.

Chris Johnson, Frances Young,Patrick Crowley and one other=20
student were among those carted off in school buses to the=20
New Haven Police Headquarters where they were photographed,=20
processed, and given citations for =93disorderly conduct.=94 =20
All four are planning to contest their citations and will=20
most likely have to return to New Haven to answer to a=20
Connecticut Court.

The UMASS students were arrested while protesting the hard-
line stance the administration of Yale has taken against the=20
union drive amongst its graduate employees.  During the=20
protest, three of the union leaders were standing before a=20
disciplinary board at Yale, answering charges about improper =20
academic conduct.  The three Yale students face expulsion if=20
found guilty by the administration.  Because two of the=20
three are foreign students, they could be forced out of the=20
country.

The debate at Yale is whether or not graduate teaching=20
assistants are employees or not.  The Yale administration=20
contends that they are only students and therefore they do=20
not need a union to represent them.  The UMASS delegation=20
views the stance of the Yale administration as =93union=20
busting=94 and were willing to be arrested to stop Yale from=20
treating fellow graduate students so cruelly.


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