Temple University Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and Philly Jobs With Justice is asking for your support and solidarity.
RALLY/PRAYER CIRCLE
On December 11, 2007 from 3:00PM-4:00PM at Temple University (Sullivan Hall, 1330 W Berks St).
Temple Student Labor Action Project will gather to recognize International Human Rights Day and continue the escalation of tactics aimed towards the Temple Board of Trustees and Temple President, Anne Weaver Hart.
We have yet to get a straight answer from Temple administration about our demand for 5 sick days.
http://media.www.temple-news.com/media/storage/paper143/news/2007/09/11/...
Since then we have had a series of meetings:
- September 28th, Temple SLAP, Allied Barton Officers, Local Faith Leaders, and Jobs With Justice met with William Bergman the Vice President of Operations. Our coalition brought forward the issue of paid sick leave and gave Temple administration a week to consider the subject. Ultimately, our proposal was rejected. They choose to deffer accountability to Allied Barton as usual. Temple News "No Progress" http://media.www.temple-news.com/media/storage/paper143/news/2007/10/09/...
-October 9th, members of the Student Labor Action Project sat down with the Board of Trustees, including the chairman Daniel Polett. Mr. Polett expressed interest in the campaign and promised to do more research on the subject. An open dialog between the university, our coalition, as well as Allied-Barton was also discussed. Then later all members of the coalition except students were denied participation.
-November 7th Temple SLAP delivered their final ultimatum to the office of Anne Weaver Hart. "Give our guards their much needed sick days or our tactics will continue to escalate."
http://blogs.temple-news.com/news/2007/11/07/caution-activists-attempt-t...
The Daily News also joined in and derided Ann Weaver hart's inaction "workplace insecurity" http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/20071106_Ro...
-Dec 6th Temple administration has brokered a meeting with Allied Barton and SLAP activists in one of their many attempts to deffer accountability away from Temple on back on Allied Barton (read "hot potato"). Temple and Allied have denied our faith, worker and community allies a voice in this meeting.
Temple President, Ann Weaver Hart can make these changes if she wants. She is simply refusing to act justly in an effort to preserve her relationship with AlliedBarton owner and Temple University donor, Ronald Perelman.
This action will take place a day after International Human Rights Day. December 11th is the last Temple University Board of Trustees meeting (begins at 3:30 pm) of the semester. Please come out and show the Board of Trustees that we must have the basic human right of having time to get well and take care of sick family members.
Also, be sure to watch a 7 minute documentary produced by the Media Mobilizing Progect about this campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbryX1NTE7o
POWR Campaign Update
POWR Update
Philadelphia Officers and Workers Rising is a project of Jobs with Justice
December 12, 2007
Temple University Student Labor Action Project organized a rally and prayer vigil to culminate months of work trying to pressure Temple University into meeting their demands of giving 300 AlliedBarton Security Guards 5 days of paid-sick leave.
Temple University has met the demands with several meetings but no progress toward a new sick leave policy has resulted. After months of meeting with Temple University Executive staff including William Bergman, VP of Operations, Daniel Pollet, Chair Board of Trustees and not getting results SLAP decided to bring this issue straight to the Board of Trustees.
The Jobs with Justice Interfaith Committee helped set the tone for the day by staging a prayer vigil that the Board of Trustees had to walk through on their way to the meeting. Once all of the Board of Trustees were in the meeting, we were informed that the SLAP delegation that was to address the Board of Trustees had been removed from the agenda and were denied the chance to speak.
Reverend Dwayne Royster, Pastor, Living Water UCC, then addressed the sixty participants at the vigil. Pastor Royster reminded us that Jesus Christ intentionally disrupted every where he went, that God disrupted Mary’s life and Joseph’s life. Pastor Royster reminded us that when fighting for justice me must not be afraid to disrupt, to be uncomfortable and make others uncomfortable. He called for a season of “Holy Disruption.”
The ministers lead us in hymns and we entered Sullivan Hall where the Board of Trustees meeting was taking place. The singing shut down the Board of Trustees meeting and carried on until the police showed up with two paddy wagons and a box full of handcuffs. The POWR campaign went back outside of the building and asked for our supporters to join our “prayer mobilizing” team.
8 prayer mobilization teams formed and we expect to mobilize nearly 1,000 supportive prayers this weekend.
Temple University has stated that they will give us an answer about the sick days in within the next two weeks.
To see a slide show of the event paste this into your browser
http://www.divshare.com/slideshow/3103922-702
Even better embed this news on you myspace or face book
POWR campaign in the news today
From today's City Paper
Being a security guard in the Philadelphia Housing Authority's Westpark Towers is not a good job. You sit all day in a tiny booth, in the lobby of a West Philly high rise, and flip a switch to grant entry to project residents. You're given minimal training, no gun and there's no bulletproof glass to protect you. If you witness a crime, you're expected to notify PHA police, then sit and wait. And your pay rate is paltry — just above $7 an hour, with no benefits.
You'd expect, at least, to actually get paid. read more here...
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/12/13/the-big-bounce