Rally and March for Education Rights:
No Layoffs, No Furloughs, No Tuition Hikes
Thursday, March 4
Noon
Northrup Plaza

 At the University of Minnesota over 250 administrators earn more than $200,000 in salaries with the Administration pushes its budget problems onto the backs of staff and students. Skyrocketing tuition and staff layoffs abound – and now we hear about possible furloughs.

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION! Join students, staff, and faculty around the US to demand that higher education be funded – it’s a right and not a privilege! It’s time for those who can afford it to take the cuts!

Rally and march organized by: Chop from the Top Coalition and Save Our School Campaign Coalition, AFSCME 3800, AFSCME 3937, Graduate Student Workers United, Students for a Democratic Society, Faculty for the Renewal of Public Education, Labor Scholars, and the Black Student Union

Endorsed by: St. Paul Regional Labor Federation, Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, MN Coalition for a People’s Bailout

Please print out the attached flyer and post in your workplace. Bring your coworkers,
friends and
family.

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Senior administrators at the U of M want to balance the budget on the backs of staff and students. Some of their plans include:

— Furloughs
President Bruininks told senior administrators that he intends to make staff take 10 furlough days (unpaid days off) over the next year.

This is equivalent to a 4% pay cut for hourly staff at the university and we can’t afford it. Pay and holidays are negotiated with the unions on campus, and cannot be unilaterally dictated.

— Layoffs
Layoffs are already taking place at the U. Hundreds of frontline staff have been laid off since the hiring pause began, while over 250 administrators continue to make more than $200,000 per year.

Layoffs mean that there are fewer staff to do the important work of helping students navigate the university system from admissions to graduation. The work is still there, and has increased as admissions have gone up. The remaining staff are forced to work harder and are working through breaks and lunches. This is not legal, nor sustainable and ultimately students will suffer as services and support decrease.

— Attacks on benefits
University administrators are discussing ways to cut our hard-earned benefits. Their ideas include cutting the tuition benefit for graduate teaching and research assistants.

— Making education unaffordable
Between 2000-2007, undergraduate tuition went up over 68%. The administration wants to pit students against staff by telling us it’s either tuition increases or layoffs. This is a false choice.

As the university faces increasing budget cuts they are putting the
burden on the backs of the lowest paid staff and students rather than those that
can afford it – the administrators, of whom over 250 earn more than $200,000 each
year.

Join us as we rally to tell the administration that we’ve had enough,
it’s time for the University’s priorities to change – CHOP FROM THE TOP! No
furloughs, no more layoffs of frontline staff and no tuition hikes!