Subject:     Help KU GTAC (the what, when, and why)!
 Date:        Tue, 6 Mar 2001 12:24:20 GMT
 From:        "Cummins, Amy E"    cummins@ukans.edu
 To:          cgeu-list@cgeu.org  and Workplace

 Dear CGEU friends and colleagues:

  THE WHAT: Send email to University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway at
  rhemenway@ukans.edu   Tell him "Take care of GTAs at KU!"  Or you could say
  that you support the GTA union at KU, and they deserve a better contract.
  Any general remarks, short or long, are urgently needed!

  THE WHEN: Please aim for sending many emails any time between THIS THURSDAY
  EVENING (March 8) AND MONDAY AFTERNOON (March 12).  You can certainly feel
  free to email him multiple times. Ask others to do so as well. THIS MESSAGE
  REQUIRES REPETITION!

  THE WHY:  The time has come to help KU GTAs in the demonstration of
  widespread public awareness. GTAC, the union for Graduate Teaching
  Assistants at the University of Kanas, is in the midst of negotiations with
  the university for our second employee agreement.  I am sure you understand
  that, due to legal matters, I cannot in this email go into any specifics
  about these contract negotiations. But, please assist us and read on!

  (It seems that institutions of higher learning nowadays just wish that
  employee unions would go away. They would be happy to get rid of GTA unions.
  Nationally and globally, college administrators, expensive legal assistance,
  and state legislators would prefer that GTAs not be unionized. Many people
  would be happy to POSTPONE OR STALL any sort of progress in the rights of
  GTAs. There are many struggles and limitations even in communicating with
  the members of a bargaining unit! I think about this situation many times
  each day. I know the members of my bargaining unit feel the same way and are
  concerned about their situation. Well, we need the Chancellor of our
  university to think about his GTAs' needs daily too---and this PRESSURE must
  occur now, during contract negotiations.)

  So please write to Chancellor Robert Hemenway at rhemenway@ukans.edu
  Simply tell him "Take care of GTAs at KU!"  Or you could say that you
  support the GTA union at KU and know that they deserve a better contract.
  Any general remarks are welcome! Feel free to email him multiple times.
  (You know how even the most basic points require emphasis so people will
  remember them!)

  ABOUT KU GTAC: GTAC is the GTA Coalition, the union for GTAs at the
  University of Kansas.  We are a diverse group of graduate students committed
  to improving working and learning conditions at KU.  We have been legally
  recognized as the GTA union since a vote in April 1995. We approved our
  first contract in September 1997. In September 2000, we began negotiations
  for our second contract. Within Kansas, GTAC is affiliated with the Kansas
  Association of Public Employees and nationally with the AFT.