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By Maria Escobar, on April 30th, 2010  As a catastrophe unfolds in Arizona, people across the country are preparing to defend their communities against the racist immigrant policies being implemented under the banner of “secured communities” in America.
Arizona has been in the forefront of the most deplorable immigrant enforcement tactics, with Sheriff Joe Arpio’s shameful treatment of undocumented workers, the signing of the SB1070 bill by Governor Jan Brewer that will lead to racial profiling and distrust between the police and immigrant communities, and today the passage of a ban on ethnic studies programs.
These despicable actions in Arizona have led to organizing and involvement of all sectors of the community to show their disgust against these policies and remind elected officials, especially Arizona’s governor, that their actions will lead to massive mobilization at the polls. As one good friend said “Justice delayed, election denied”
Many people across the country are fighting to keep their communities safe from these xenophobic policies and are creating safe communities for all residents, and local Jobs with Justice Coalitions have been supporting these efforts.
Standing Up to Arizona’s Racist Immigration Law
By Maria Escobar, on April 26th, 2010  The past two months have been unprecedented, filled with victories and actions that have proven to be successful in bringing real change to our communities.
The first victory for working class people was the passage of the Student Aid reform. This bill will take away subsidies given to loan companies and invest them into programs such as the Pell grant and community colleges. “Students across the country were able to see their amazing direct-action organizing payoff with comprehensive student aid reform becoming the law of the land,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “This is especially critical for working class students and families who have struggled the most in affording their education.”
The second victory was the agreement reached between for the Coalition of Immokalee workers, the Student Farmworker Alliance, and giant food service provider Aramark. Marc Rodriguez of the Student Farmworker Alliance said:
Aramark becomes the 8th major food corporation to agree to work with the CIW to improve wages and root out modern-day slavery in its tomato supply chain. This is a huge step forward for our campaign, because it means that the CIW now basically
Continue reading Student Labor Week of Action Builds on Successes
By Maria Escobar, on March 25th, 2010 Tonight we are on the verge of one of the biggest victories in the recent student movement: the passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA).
 This victory has come with hard work from students nationwide who have marched, rallied and lobbied in support of this legislation. Last Tuesday as part of the U.S. Student Association’s Legislative Conference, hundreds of students swarmed Capitol Hill demanding the passage of this legislation and reminding their Senators that they should prioritize students and workers over banks. This effort by USSA has proven to be successful as we see the biggest reform in the student loan industry in the past years.
This march and victory is a great opening for the National Student Labor Week of Action. This week happening from March 28th and April 4th brings together students and workers in actions across the country demanding a prioritization in education and worker’s rights.
Check out the grid of actions to find an action near you!
Sign up and become part
Continue reading Major Victory to Kick-Off the National Student Labor Week of Action
By Maria Escobar, on March 19th, 2010  STUDENTS & WORKERS UNITE!
From March 28 to April 4, students and workers across the country are uniting on campuses and communities across the country to fight for ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION & GOOD, SUSTAINABLE JOBS.
Visit www.studentlabor.org to learn more. You can sign up, find an action near you, or download an organizing kit.
Want to participate, but not sure what to plan?
Justice at American Red Cross Day of Action – March 31st, 2010
Donor safety at risk
Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, controlling more than 40 percent of the U.S. blood supply.
Campus blood drives are big business for Red Cross. In 2009, it had $2.2 billion in revenues from its blood operations.
 While giving blood addresses a critical medical need, Red Cross has a horrendous track record of protecting the safety of the U.S. blood supply. Since 2003, Red Cross has been fined $21 million for repeated safety failures. Decisions on additional fines are currently under consideration at the FDA.
Working conditions at Blood Donation drives
Red Cross frequently understaffs blood
Continue reading Student Labor Week of Action! March 28-April 4
By Maria Escobar, on March 10th, 2010  From Florida to California, March 4th marked an exceptional moment for the student and worker movement in recent U.S. history. People took to the streets to demonstrate their frustration with the government’s failure to pass legislation that would benefit young people such as Student Aid Reform and the DREAM Act. The mainstream media seemed taken by surprise of all these coordinated actions across the country – How could students and workers come together on one specific day? Was this an organized effort? Were people demanding change from the government and legislators?
I got the opportunity to march along with students, staff, and faculty at U-Mass Amherst. Being there reminded me about the power of organizing and strategic escalation. Students at this school provided a deadline for their administrators to accept their demands around fees, budget cuts, treating staff & faculty fairly, and improving the school’s climate. We will be watching their administrations’ response and actions to come. Check out video from the great actions at the University of Central Florida and the University of California system. You can also go to www.defendeducation.org
Continue reading Students and Workers Organizing for Justice
By Maria Escobar, on March 4th, 2010  Today, March 4th, students and workers wake up to prepare for rallies, walkouts, call in days and many more activities during the National Day to Defend Education and the Jobs with Justice national week of action to save and create jobs .
Students and workers are tired of having the federal and state budgets balanced on their backs and are standing up to these atrocities. Today, we will stand up to demand full funding of higher education, a stop to the corporatization of education, proportionate representation on university decision -making bodies, and good union jobs in our schools. We will demonstrate that students and workers will not stand on the sidelines as education become a privilege available only to the few and while jobs are lost because of state budget cuts and the inaction in the federal government to pass student aid reform.
We are fighting these cuts now, but we also know that we need to look at the root problem and seek ways to fund the public sector through revenue reform and change
Continue reading Today: Take Action to Defend Education
By Maria Escobar, on December 9th, 2009 As the semester winds down and students retreat to their classrooms and studies, is a good time to reflect on the struggles that young people are facing and our willingness to fight back and demand a real change in the system that will protect young people in this fragile economy.
Last week AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler posted a blog on the Huffington Post about the dire situation of young workers and the AFL-CIO’s proposed five point initial steps to support workers in this economy. In these steps, you can see the immediate connection to the current work that students nationwide are engaged in against budget cuts and layoffs. Two points in the AFL-CIO’s plan for addressing the jobs crisis speak directly to the needs and demands that we have been pushing for in the student movement.
Rebuild America’s schools, roads and energy systems and invest in green technology and green jobs.
Increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services.
It is not surprising that the labor movement and the student movement see the same problems and solutions. We share the need to fight back against the corporatization of our lives and for a real change in the current economic system we live in.
Students have seen
Continue reading Together, Students and Labor Will Change the Country
By Maria Escobar, on November 20th, 2009 From huge victories in the anti-sweatshop movement to the continued struggle for funding in public education, students and workers are coming together to challenge the existing power structure and fight for a just society.
We first want to congratulate our friends at United Students Against Sweatshops for their victory against Russell Athletics! Russell Athletics which closed their factory in Honduras after workers there tried to for a union nearly one year ago. Students at 96 universities persuaded their schools to suspend or sever ties with Russell Athletic, a major supplier of college logo t-shirts and sweatshirts. This week, Russell announced that they plan to re-open the factory and re-hire all 1200 workers. More details about the campaign here.
 In California, the struggle continues. Across California students and workers have come together to fight against fee increases and the privatization of education. Thousands of students and workers met at the UCLA campus to demand the Regents from the UC system to stop the proposed increases and support funding of public higher education. Several buildings were occupied by students while others marched around the area where
Continue reading Big Week for the Student-Labor Movement
By Maria Escobar, on October 14th, 2009 In this Update… A Fall Semester Full of Action! News from the Field: SLAP at University of Central Florida; SLAP at Temple University; Boston SLAP; UC Walkouts. Tell Aramark and Sodexo to help stop the “harvest of shame”! Report back from National Student Labor Week of Action. JwJ Economic Recovery week of action and Chicago mobilization. USSA. Fight for Health Care Reform on October 20th! Union Plus Scholarship & Contest
A Fall Semester Full of Action!
During these hard economic times, it imperative that we as students continue working and fighting in our universities for workers’ rights and educational access for all.
With ongoing budget cuts, we have seen students coming together with local labor unions in the fight against the corporatization of our universities and the right to an education for all. Here at the national level we are excited to see all the amazing work students are doing fighting budget cuts such as the student, faculty and staff walkouts in the University of California system and the many other actions across the country.
We hope that the semester continues bringing students and workers together in the fight for justice
Continue reading SLACtivist News: A Fall Semester Full of Action!
By Maria Escobar, on September 1st, 2009 As a recent graduate of Florida State University and current National Coordinator for the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), I am one of the few young workers among my friends and family who is a member of a labor union. This means that unlike many of my peers I have a healthcare plan, a retirement savings account, and a say in my working conditions and wages.
Sadly, this is not the case for the majority of young workers in the U.S. As shown in the report released today by the AFL-CIO & Working America, more than half of young workers under age 35 earn less than $30,000 per year. Thirty-one percent of young workers report that they have no health insurance and only forty-seven percent have retirement plans at work.
Even though many young workers have a college degree, they still aren’t able to pay their bills and become financially independent. Twenty-four percent say they do not make enough to pay their monthly bills. More than one in three workers under age 35 live at home with their parents.
These startling statistics clearly show that young workers must become a crucial part of the labor movement.
Unionization has been shown to be
Continue reading Young People & the Labor Movement Need Each Other
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