NLRB charges NYU fired prof for backing grad student union

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Feds Charge NYU With Illegal Firing of Professor

NEWS RELEASE
from the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural
Implement Workers Union of America (UAW) Region 9A

February 27, 2002.

Federal Government Charges NYU With Illegal Firing of Professor
-------------

   The National Labor Relations Board's New York City
   regional office advised today that it is issuing a
   complaint charging New York University with
   illegally firing professor Joel Westheimer, in
   retaliation for Westheimer's testimony in support of
   graduate student unionization.

Under the federal labor law, the decision to issue a
complaint is analogous to an indictment in criminal
cases. Today's announcement comes after an in-depth
investigation that has been going on for more than four
months.

In September 1999, Westheimer was the only untenured
faculty member at NYU to testify before the Labor Board
in support of the right of NYU graduate student workers
to form a union. The NYU administration promptly began
a campaign of retaliation that culminated last year,
when Westheimer was denied tenure despite an
outstanding academic record and the unanimous support
of both his department and outside experts who reviewed
the case. Tenure denial automatically results in firing
at NYU. The American Association of University
Professors and the UAW-GSOC (the union representing
NYU's graduate students) joined hundreds of individual
academics from across the country in protesting the NYU
firing.

"This Complaint sends a message to University
administrations across the country that they risk
facing the full force of the federal government if they
retaliate against supporters of academic workers who
are organizing for a voice at work," said UAW Sub-
Regional Director Julie Kushner. Kushner noted that the
UAW is currently engaged in graduate student organizing
campaigns at Columbia, Cornell and Tufts Universities,
and is organizing the adjunct faculty at NYU.

"I'm just so thankful that the Labor Board has shown
that NYU is not above the law," stated Westheimer. "I'm
happy to hear whatever criticism people may have of me
-- as long as it's based on my work. But firing someone
for their political views should have no place at an
institution like NYU."

"A university is supposed to be a place where people
can speak their conscience -- even if they don't always
agree with the administration," said Dean Hubbard,
Westheimer's attorney. "What NYU did violates the most
basic principles of academic freedom."

The NLRB Complaint comes only weeks after UAW-GSOC
successfully negotiated a collective bargaining
contract with NYU, the first-ever such agreement
between a union of graduate student workers certified
by an NLRB election and a private University.

Contact: Dean Hubbard,
Eisner & Hubbard, P.C.,
212.473.8700

Julie Kushner,UAW Region 9A,
212.529.2580

Joel Westheimer,
613.562.5800, x4161

Gordon Lafer,
Scholars, Artists and Writers for Social Justice,
541.346.2786

NLRB Region 2, Celeste Matina, Regional Director, 212.264.0300

For more information and documents about Dr. Westheimer's case, go to
http://www.eisner-hubbard.com/westheimer


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