What a day. Occupy Columbia University teamed up with United Auto Workers, Local 2110, the union representing hundreds of clerical workers on campus, to bring attention to Columbia's desire to make members pay for healthcare premiums and eliminate tuition-exemption for part-time employees, despite Columbia's 8 billion dollar endowment and plans for expansion. The union provided pizza, we brought the bagels and fat block of cream cheese (thanks to Colin!). From 11:30-1:30, we made noise, built dialogue, and picketed for the workers before heading down to the DOE, where we met with hundreds of students and Occupy groups from around the city to protest the city's 1%'s role in closing public schools, raising CUNY tuition by 33%, and further commodifying every part of our lives (no joke). We then marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to Fort Greene Park, where we shared stories of the oppression from student debt--a national figure which is soon to hit the 1 TRILLION mark, aka moment when champagne bottles go popping in bourgeois apartments of Wall Street puppeteers.
What's next? On March 7th Occupy Columbia University will march with Local 2110 on campus to put pressure on the university to negotiate justly with the union. Details to be announced on the fb page: facebook.com/occupyCU
