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PEP May 2011
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Public Employee Press

CNR panelist: Fake austerity attacks working people

The current financial crisis has brought on "fake austerity that is really an attack on working people," said Professor Immanuel Ness. Ness addressed 200 members April 8 at a forum presented by the DC 37 campus of the College of New Rochelle.

The panel discussion on the role of labor in the nation's economic and political crisis included Local 372 President Santos Crespo, CNR Adjunct Professor Harvey R. Clarke and Dr. Ness, a professor of political science at the Graduate Center for Worker Education. CNR's Dr. Nibaldo Aguilera moderated.

Crespo stressed the importance of unions staying vigilant and not taking their past gains for granted. "The fight for our rights as workers is a battle that never ends," he told the students. "There is no point where we can relax." He questioned the labor movement's close relationship with the Democratic Party - as did Ness - and urged unions to build ties with independent candidates.

"Bloomberg wants workers to sacrifice, but the city has a surplus," said Ness, who urged unions to be more confrontational and not just fight budget cuts but demand wage increases.

Clarke urged unions to aggressively step up organizing efforts around the country, especially in the private sector. "Those workers need a voice too," he said. Pointing at the Goldman Sachs investment firm he observed that, "Those people across the street from DC 37 received $300 million in tax breaks so they wouldn't leave the city."

The panel was part of CNR's Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Series, which will continue in the fall. For more information, call CNR at 212-815-1710.

 
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