UAW moves to end NYU strike with deal that ignores most of grad students’ demands
With the strike by 2,000 New York University graduate student workers in its third week, the Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC), which is affiliated with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, is preparing to shut down the strike with a tentative agreement, which they claim is a “huge win.” In fact, the labor agreement will cost NYU virtually nothing and fails to address the most critical demands for substantial improvements in wages, health care and child care benefits.
Striking NYU graduate students on Wednesday (WSWS media)
Workers and youth condemn Australian government ban on citizens returning from India
Since it was imposed earlier this month, opposition has mounted against the Australian government’s anti-democratic ban on citizens returning from India, where they face the prospect of COVID-19 infection and even death, amid that country’s coronavirus catastrophe.
The government has rejected condemnations of the blockade from civil liberties organisations and legal experts as a violation of the human right of citizens to return to their country of origin. Instead, the ban will remain in force, until at least May 15, when it is set to elapse.
Government ministers have outlined plans for just six repatriation flights, grossly inadequate given there are 9,000 stranded Australian citizens, more than 600 of whom are confirmed to be vulnerable. Citizens who test positive will not be permitted to board and will be left to their fate in the Indian hospital system. At least one Australian permanent re
Facebook’s suspension of Donald Trump is not a free speech issue
On Wednesday, Facebook decided to uphold its suspension of former US President Donald Trump from using its services. In a separate move Thursday, Twitter suspended a ‘sock puppet’ account for the former President that reposted short messages from his personal website. Trump remains banned on Twitter.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference [Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]
On January 6, then-President Trump instigated a mob to storm the US Capitol building, aiming to stop the certification of the election and stage a coup. As a part of this operation, Trump loyalists amongst the military and police orchestrated a stand-down of federal forces in Washington D.C. in order to facilitate the attack.
Australian students and workers oppose government ban on citizens returning from India
The Liberal-National Coalition government announced last Friday that all Australian citizens trapped in India, where the COVID-19 pandemic is raging out of control, are forbidden from returning to Australia until at least May 15, under the threat of criminal action including imprisonment and massive fines.
The blatantly anti-democratic and callous declaration has provoked widespread opposition. There is grave concern, not only for the thousands of Australian citizens stranded overseas, but also over the deadly situation facing the Indian population, including many thousands with relatives in Australia.
Members of the Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality have spoken to students and workers about the blockade and the broader crisis in India.
A CUPUW “summit” attempted to create a rift between casual and permanent university workers, and seek posts within the National Tertiary Education Union.