All workers in educational institutions.
Submitted on Mon, 04/13/2009 - 11:58pm
The University of Ottawa
fired Denis Rancourt, a physics professor, renowned researcher, and IWW member
on March 31, 2009, while he
was speaking at an academic freedom conference in New York
City.
The university sought to dismiss him on the basis that he had
awarded high grades to a graduate level physics class, which Rancourt says he
did in order to remove competition and performance as they are obstacles to
learning. The university claimed that Rancourt’s marking damaged the
institution’s credibility as an academic institution.
Rancourt has said that the university’s board fired him
before an April 1 deadline to submit a legal brief in his defense and that it
ignored his submission of his students’ exams as proof that he was evaluating
students properly. The university disregarded the union’s collective agreement
and the grievance procedure by firing Rancourt without allowing him due process
in his defense.
The Association of Professors (APUO), a registered trade
union that represents university faculty, has announced it will launch an
inquiry and it will likely appeal the firing in court.
Submitted on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 10:03pm
The University of Ottawa
in Canada is planning to fire Denis Rancourt, physics professor, IWW member, and renowned
researcher, today, March 31, 2009 .
The university claims it is firing Denis because he
announced that all of his students would get A+ grades on the first day of the
physics class so that they could get on with learning, rather than compete and
perform for grades. The university claims this educational approach damages its
reputation and credibility as well as that of its students. In short, grades
equal credibility.
The IWW General Defense Committee Local 6 (GDC Local 6)
rejects this pretext as an exaggeration that does not justify the university’s
repressive approach, which is a threat against academic freedom and education
workers’ rights.
More information about Denis’ case is online at the Academic
Freedom and Governance at the University
of Ottawa weblog http://www.academicfreedom.ca/
Submitted on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 2:29pm
Finally on 17 March, staff receive an email from Head of Adult Skills and Learning, Chris Minter, who is “pleased to announce” certain details of the privatisation of Leicester Adult Education College.
Minter tells us that this is “an exciting new opportunity to diversify the use of the college's facilities and income streams and will provide an excellent resource that fits well with our strategic priorities around employability.” In this new multi-agency initiative, Highcross Development Employment Hub is IN, Art and Design is OUT! Art and Design staff will be moved to inappropriate accommodation, some of these workers may well lose their jobs. So, non-vocational education gets the boot, while the kind of jobs training and advice which can be placed literally anywhere in the city gets prime position at the college.
Submitted on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 2:22pm
You don’t need to be
Sherlock Holmes to figure out that something rotten is going on at Leicester Adult Education College.
With job losses; staff being re-located; skilled people disappearing;
restructuring, with staff having to do more than one job; people who’ve left not
being replaced� it all adds up to one thing - Leicester Adult Education College
is being set up to fail.
The Incredible Shrinking
College
We’ve seen courses being
streamlined, other courses disappearing.
We’ve already seen the closure and privatisation of the Creative Writing School.
The Art
Department is visibly
shrinking with the loss of one of its three rooms, and now the loss of yet
another.
Saatchi & Saatchi, it
isn’t!
Submitted on Wed, 03/19/2008 - 3:44pm
Bay Area IWW members are involved in the following struggle:
Originally posted to indybay.org
Our first day on strike was extremely successful, despite the owner’s
attempts at intimidation by video taping us. Only two out of nine
day-time teachers went to work. The school succeeded in hiring one
replacement worker, but after we talked with him, he decided not to
return! This shows the tremendous potential for support that exists
throughout the ESL community.
Dozens of students stayed
out also, many of them joining us on our picket line and several of
them spoke at our rally. We should note that while they were speaking,
the school's six-figure Executive Director was snickering and laughing
– showing his contempt not only for his employees, but also for his
“customers” – the students who pay the freight at SFIE.
Other workers – union and non-union alike came out to our first picket, and we have the commitment of others to continue.
PLEASE SUPPORT US
Spread the word!
Join our picket line!
Donate to our strike fund!
SFIEteachers [at] yahoo.com